Most people experience some level of stress in their lives, whether this is personal or work based. For a writing project I was looking into how it would be possible to present a character who is not just experiencing stress, but complete burnout. How could I present it to the reader that this was the case? What are the subtle differences in how they might present themselves in the story that would demonstrate that?
I set the main differences out in the table below, this was aimed at helping me determine how a character might act differently when facing different situations
| Stress | Burnout | |
| Nature | Short term response to demands or threats | prolonged exhaustion from chronic unmanaged stress |
| Feeling | Overwhelmed, pressured, anxious and tense | Emotionally drained, cynical, detached and hopeless |
| Energy | Have energy, but difficult to cope | Depleted, exhausted, no energy to continue |
| Motivation | Can still feel motivated and focussed | Lose interest in tasks, feel unable to continue, struggle with motivation |
| Causes | Excessive work, personal problems, life changes or financial worries | Unmanageable workloads, lack of appreciation, values mismatch, insufficient rest |
The character I had in mind is a work weary curmudgeon. I wanted to present this in a show not tell way. It would not be realistic for someone to just say ‘oh I feel so weary of being alive’. Very often people who are in this situation don’t exactly recognise the symptoms of burnout in themselves, particularly if this has been going on for a long time (they may think this is just the way it is now).
Instead I would show the character in their detached state, rarely showing emotion and cynical about any attempts to change the workplace. In the story a new employee starts to change the nature of the workplace with their own underhand strategies. At first the character remains cynical to this, but eventually starts to see the impact of these changes and how the values of the two characters may actually match (even if they don’t match the values of the organisation!).
As in real life, for the character, the return to a normal way of existing is not an easy journey. They need time to recover, rest and recuperate. It is not always obvious to outsiders that the person is actually experiencing these symptoms as often it can present as disengagement. Many people are able to mask what is going on, appearing externally to be coping and successful. Internally they are completely depleted.
I started this search with a view to getting beneath the skin of a character and to understand how they would present within a story. If you are experiencing any of these through work or personal life however it is important to make sure that you take care of yourself and seek appropriate help if you need it. Life is hard, and protecting your mental health and wellbeing is paramount.
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