Today, I want to focus on why you’re burned out. (Hint: It’s not just the stress).
As an oncologist, I sit across from people every day who are facing the unimaginable.
My patients come from all walks of life and are under stress.
Yet some of them radiate a kind of inner steadiness that goes beyond treatment plans or test results.
This observation has led me to wonder: If they can find peace amidst the chaos, what is happening to the rest of us?
Are you experiencing burnout?
Stress?
You might think stress is the culprit.
It’s easy to blame the overflowing inbox, the endless responsibilities, and the pressure to keep up.
But in my experience — both in the clinic and in life — it’s not stress that wears us down.
It’s the absence of something deeper.
A direction.
A reason.
As Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, once said,
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how.’”
He continues, adding this:
“I can see in these words a motto that holds for any psychotherapist. In the Nazi concentration camps, one could have witnessed that those who knew that there was a task waiting for them to fulfill were most apt to survive. The same conclusion has since been reached by other authors of books on concentration camps and also by psychiatric investigations into Japanese, North Korean, and North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps.”
Purpose
Dr. Frankl understood, and science is now catching up to that purpose, which isn’t just a feel-good concept.
It’s a biological force that can reduce inflammation, regulate hormones, and bolster immunity.
Purpose isn’t something you stumble upon.
It’s something you choose — and shape — from the raw material of your life.
And when you do, stress doesn’t just become manageable. It becomes transformative.
Ikigai
I have long had an interest in all things Japanese.
I love the Japanese concept of ikigai (生き甲斐).
We may roughly translate ikigai as “reason for being” or “a reason to wake up in the morning.”
It’s simply about finding purpose, joy, and meaning in life.
We may represent ikigai as a Venn diagram with four overlapping circles, where your ikigai lies at the intersection of:
- What you love (your passion)
- What you are good at (your vocation)
- What the world needs (your mission)
- What you can be paid for (your profession)
Why It Matters – Why You’re Burned Out
Purpose matters for several reasons, including these:
- It’s considered a path to fulfillment and longevity.
- It encourages a balance between personal satisfaction and social contribution.
- In Okinawa, Japan (known for many centenarians), many believe ikigai is the key to a long, happy life.
My Example – Why You’re Burned Out
I love educating patients with cancer.
I am good at translating complex medical information into a more understandable form.
And I can get paid to do it.
Helping others is my ikigai.
What is yours?
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