Burned out or just tired? Here's how to tell the difference
How do you know if you’re experiencing burnout or just feeling really tired?
In the 14th episode of PhilSTAR L!fe's Generations podcast, veteran journalist Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Gen Z columnist Angel Martinez, millennial content creator Raco Ruiz, and Dogshow Divas host Baus Rufo discussed the realities of burnout, quiet quitting, and knowing where to draw the line.
Baus, who used to work in an advertising agency, recalled hitting a "proverbial rock bottom" before leaving his job.
“Ang akin, ‘yung parang proverbial rock bottom ko before I decided to quit was sobrang daming tasks, sobrang daming deadlines, ang daming apoy na kailangang patayin... I remember telling my partner, ‘You know what, sana himatayin na lang ako now, or magka-nervous breakdown na lang ako’ because I think that is the only way I can temporarily escape work," he lamented. "It was that dark, and I guess, painful for me."
Echoing what Baus said, Raco added, “If you’d rather be sick than work, I think you’re working in the wrong place."
According to psychiatrist Kathryn Tan, experiencing burnout not only manifests physically, but also emotionally and mentally.
"If you're just tired, rest would usually help. But if you're burned out, even after resting, you still feel emotionally unmotivated, irritable, overwhelmed. It's not just the physical exhaustion—it's also emotional and mental exhaustion," she said in a video.
Luchi noted the difference between the thresholds of older and younger generations, "Kami kasing matatanda, matataas na ang mga threshold namin. Feeling ko, pagod na pagod din kami, pero hindi option mag-quit. Ganoon kami noon. It’s just not."
Baus, meanwhile, reflected on finding a middle ground between both generations, noting that the older workers can learn from the younger ones when it comes to wellness, mindfulness, and setting boundaries. "But at the same time, I do feel the younger generation really has a lot to learn from the ones that came before them in the sense na grit is developed over time, and you cannot master something if you quit right away," he added.
Raco likened work to a relationship, stressing the importance of self-awareness. For him, people should stay long enough to see if a job is working for them, rather than staying in denial or “self-gaslighting” themselves into thinking they are in the right place.
“You have to like see how your co-workers are dealing with their job and [think], 'Am I in a healthy environment? Or am I gaslighting myself?” he said.
On quiet quitting
Angel questioned whether quiet quitting is an effective response to workplace fatigue. She stressed that while this may help manage workload, it is "not the solution that my generation thinks it is," especially if it affects the quality of their output.
Baus echoed this, saying that while quiet quitting may begin as a way to protect one’s peace, it can eventually become limiting.
"It might not be a healthy thing to subscribe to if you are not pushing yourself to your full potential," he said. "You're bound to fail in some things, and you're bound to not get what you want, but you have to understand that that is part of the deal if you want to pursue what you love and be great at something," he mused.
Having worked as a manager for years, Luchi pointed out that employees work for the company, not for themselves.
"We hired you because you're supposed to help us meet our goals... so if you quiet quit, we would rather you quit. Quit already," she said.
At some point in the podcast, Angel talked about the tendency of others to hold back from being good at their job to avoid taking on more tasks. For Baus, this reflects the culture of productivity, where people aim to be valuable at work but, in doing so, can also become vulnerable to exploitation.
Touching on overtime work, Luchi shared her thoughts on when it becomes problematic. "I think that exploitation comes when the company does not hire more people to do the growing volume of work tapos they just make people go OT. 'Yun mali talaga 'yun for the record."
Drawing boundaries
There are times when people love their work so much that they forget to take a break. Angel, a freelance Gen Z writer, recalled struggling to set boundaries during the pandemic as she kept taking on more work despite already feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.
Similarly, Raco noted that freelancers and content creators rarely experience real downtime, as they are often thinking about how to turn everyday moments into content.
To draw boundaries, Baus suggested knowing what environments are motivating yet manageable, and being confident enough to communicate their needs to others.
From an expert’s perspective, Tan said addressing burnout starts with acknowledging that something is wrong: "We have to acknowledge that there's a problem and we have to set boundaries for ourselves by having rest, proper sleep, some self-care, exercise in support of what we are experiencing mentally and physically. And sometimes, it would also require professional help when dealing with burnout."
Angel noted that addressing burnout should involve a systemic solution, not just individual effort. "If after all of that, mataas pa rin 'yung presyo ng bilhin, hirap ka pa rin to get to work, hindi pa rin sapat 'yung bayad sa 'yo, no matter how much you recharge internally, if the outside factors don't change, you're still burnt out," she said.
Raco suggested opening up to friends, saying it helps to have a “voice of reason.” Luchi added that it's important to be sensitive to people who carry responsibilities as family breadwinners.
On whether walking away takes bravery, Baus said it depends on the person and their situation. “I think every resignation is a heavy decision to make,” he mused, describing it as a deeply personal decision shaped by many unseen factors.
But whatever one's reason for leaving, Raco suggested figuring out the next step. “No matter how brave you are, you can’t just have no backup plan. Don’t just quit."
Watch the full episode below.
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