To question whether 'millennial burnout' is really a thing.....

[whatashower]

...or that really it is just that many jobs nowadays are brutally demanding with very blurred boundaries?

I get that modern life can be very demanding, but surely this applies across the generational board? I have always thought that it is when you throw parenting into the mix that the juggling becomes overwhelming, the opportunities for downtime greatly diminish and plenty are 'exhausted by the pressure' ....which appears to be the definition of burnout?

Open to understanding why millennials are unique and have their own syndrome. 🙄

www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/245d1d9f-17f6-483e-81d2-3979d69432c6

Seems like a 'thing' for an article.

I am a millennial and I think it’s BS. Everything she describes in that ridiculous article is just called being an adult. I did appreciate the term ‘errand paralysis’ though. I’ll use that next time I feel too lazy to take out the bins.

Life is often hard. Most people hit a low place at least once in their lives, just because you’re a millennial and you’re experiencing this it doesn’t mean it’s unique to your age or generation.

Well it's just burnout, isn't it? Can happen to anyone at any time.

I think calling it millennial burnout is clickbait as millennials are a hot topic, but I do see how some of the pressures that are unique to my generation could lead to the increase in exhaustion and anxiety that we are seeing.

One contributing factor I've always wondered about is career fast-track and graduate schemes. I think once upon a time the expectation was do your work, get your experience and your time to be the boss will come eventually. Now we make 21 year olds managers of departments straight out of uni, something I don't think most are ready for, but it then creates the pressure that I think a lot of the women in that article were describing - I need to be at the top of my career, I need to be seen as a success, I need to constantly prove I deserve what I have by being 'on' all the time, etc.

Surely burnout exists for any generation?

I suppose where millennials are concerned, maybe increased use of technology in the workplace, whilst many organisations having few guidelines in place for appropriate use, may increase work-related anxiety which contributes to burnout. It's all about blurring that line between work and home which would have been more structured in previous generations.

For example, in my previous work place, it was considered very bad form to not check/respond to emails outside of official work hours. This naturally encroaches on time at home, and can feel as though you are never truly separate from work.

Shards yes, its refreshing to read the Petersen article by substituting every "errand paralysis" with "being a lazy f*er". (I have much errand paralysis).

I also agree with @halloumimuffin that the inclusion of "millennials" in the title is a clickbait technique!

I have only read about a bit about millennial burnout but from what I understand it’s not just jobs that are a factor, it’s also: not being able to get on the property ladder young like their parents, starting or being early in their careers work during the 2008 financial crisis (or feeling the effects after it), the lack of job security - I.e there’s no such thing as a job for life anymore like there were with previous generations where you could work in the same role for decades etc.

I think burnout is of course an issue for all generations but the millennial example refers to people age 22-38ish and struggling with different issues to the generation before them.

Is it a problem because they're millenials? Probably not.

Is it a problem because they're living in an age where the costs of living are higher, wages are lower, social mobility is decreasing, the work-life boundaries are increasingly becoming blurred and isn't as good as in previous years, and having to contend with huge overloads of information due to mass social media which has arisen off the back of incredibly quick developments in technology over the last couple of decades, and all of which are issues which disproportionately affect those in their 20s and 30s? Probably.

But blaming it on the people, rather than the circumstances, gets more clicks.

It’s because of more online. Everything you do and say is there forever. Your customers are there 24/7 on social media wanting a response now, work colleges and companies want 24/7 response to emails. Then you also need to have this magical perfect life to post on social media yourself.

It’s not a thing purely for that generation but it is a result of online. Companies want you to work the job not contracted hours ever. Where you might be in 7-6pm but your company phone which you must have 24/7 is buzzing with email still till 11pm some that require an instant response, others don’t but you must check just in case so then you file them just in case.

My dh gets work calls/emails when we are on vacation. His not a banker or solicitor he doesn’t run the it systems for mi5 or anything special it’s a completely bog standard job. Even my landline isn’t safe and gets contacted occasionally if he hasn’t used the works phone fast enough.

Reassured by these responses. I was motivated to post as I was really uncomfortable with the premise of the BBC coverage which gave undue credence and authority to the actual concept. One clickbait article does not constitute a consensus, and I am rather sorry I have given it additional publicity.

lockheart your reply nails my issue. The requisite conditions for burnout are circumstantial, and currently those circumstances are quite prevalent. Whatever your age.

Errand paralysis, being cynical, is "notgettingaroundtoititis". On the other hand, it can be not doing things not because you don't have the time, but because you feel too overwhelmed.

I think something that affects both millennials and younger as a semi-unique phenomenon is the sheer expense of the "norm" these days: it's expected to have a huge number of high value things, and not to have them is considered not living well. Hence spending money on the unnecessaries whilst complaining about not being able to afford the necessaries...

(In case someone says "twas ever thus" - I don't think it has previously been the norm for young people to consider lease car/iPhone level of expenditure)

Mind you, my mum is a journalist and she's always making shit up. She has a strong tendency to take a vague collection of anecdata and turn it into a trend. (She downright insists that "no one likes open plan kitchen diners any more" but she hasn't been able to sell that one)

It not a thing, it seems like a issue with dealt with life.