[exabyte]

could you expand a bit more on this? I'm a bit confused. First you're saying the conscious brain is killing your body and burnout is the body's attempt at trying to save itself. Then you seem to imply that it's an external toxin being consumed and you have to consciously identify it and stop consuming it?

[jerojero]

Stress can have many causes, but at the root of it, stress is mediated by the brain. The brain tells the body to be on high alert, it does this by mediating hormonal responses.

Stress is good in certain situations: if you are being chased by a lion your body doesn't need to worry about hunger, your blood needs to go into your muscles, etc. These are typical signs of the stress response: loss of appetite, libido, tense muscles, loss of sleep. There are a group of molecules that are extremely important in putting your body in stress mode, these are cortisols.

Your brain is capable of putting your body in stress mode at any point, in fact, if you measure cortisol levels on people who are struggling with depression in most cases you see very elevated levels of this hormone. It's literally your brain telling your body they are in danger.

Now, if you are working so much you become stressed then your body will suffer and eventually your body will not be capable of dealing with being on "high alert" for so long that it will quite literally shut down. That is burn out, if your work is making you stressed then your work is becoming poison. If you stop drinking poison then your mind will go back to a normal functioning state and the stress will go down.

[WorldMaker]

It's also useful to note that stress in the brain also in some cases increases neural activity which increases oxygen needs by the brain as well as electrolyte needs by the brain. The increase in oxygen usage increases strain on the heart and can indirectly cause heart disease/heart attack. The increased consumption of electrolytes if not carefully managed can cause strokes. Especially in that latter case, burnout that results in a stroke is a very literal burnout, the brain has electrically burnt too hot/bright and the resulting damage is very real and very scary.

[doubled112]

I interpreted toxin and toxicity as a metaphor for whatever you were doing that was burning you out.

[eldude]

Yes. Toxicity was meant figuratively. Another way to put it is…

Burnout is your subconscious mind highjacking your body bc whatever you’re putting your efforts into isn’t worth it at a baser needs level.