- What Is Burnout?
- Take our Burnout Test
- Find a therapist for burnout near me
Key points
- Burnout typically comes from chronic ongoing workplace stress that has not been managed or mitigated.
- Gaming on a planned day off can be a reasonable way to step away from work and recover before burnout sets in.
- Video games can pose a very real problem for people who gravitate toward escapism and avoidance.
November brings two highly anticipated video game releases: the remake of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and “Grand Theft Auto VI,” arguably the most anticipated video-game release of all time. In the months leading up to these releases, news coverage has described employers planning around expected absences as some employees take time off just to play these games on release. The reaction to this notion from much of the general public has been disapproval, but I would argue that this disapproval is misplaced. Taking planned time off for an activity a person enjoys is not the lapse in responsibility it is perceived as, and can in fact be helpful in promoting mental wellness.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a syndrome of mental exhaustion, emotional distance, or cynicism toward one’s job, and reduced professional effectiveness. It typically comes from chronic ongoing workplace stress that has not been effectively managed or mitigated. The idea is that work generates fatigue that an individual would normally recover from. Over time, this fatigue intensifies, and the recovery is no longer sufficient, causing the individual to start the next day at a deficit that compounds over months. It starts to bleed through into other areas of life, like relationships, social engagement, and general wellness.
It is problematic because it will continue until the underlying stressors are more effectively managed or reduced, and the syndrome correlates with other health concerns like depression, insomnia, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
What improves burnout?
Three approaches have provided the most consistent evidence for reducing burnout.
The first is changing the work structure itself. Interventions like reducing workload, increasing staffing, adjusting schedules, and improving teamwork have all shown reductions in burnout. This is a systems approach and not necessarily something within the control of the individual.
The second thing that improves burnout is individual stress management. This includes mindfulness training, stress-management programs, and small group collaboration.
The third approach is psychological detachment from work outside of work hours. Being able to deliberately turn off the “work brain” and focus on the “home brain” is associated with less exhaustion and better overall well-being.
How does this apply to gaming?
The last approach—being able to mentally detach from work—is generally accomplished through taking time off. However, not all time off leads to recovery. For recovery to occur, the time off needs to result in mental disengagement from work; it must involve some sort of activation energy; it must be relaxing; and it must be a decision within an individual’s control.
This blog is generally focused on using popular culture and video games in ways that can be productive and supportive for mental health management. I would posit that choosing to take a day off to play a video game that makes you excited is really just a deliberately timed vacation that has the potential to result in recovery.
Taking a day off to play “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” not only brings excitement and anticipation, an emotionally healthy experience; it also provides mental disengagement from ongoing stressors, replacing those stressors with a positive experience in a deliberate fashion. Choosing to take a day off to play a video game is no different than taking a “mental health day” or pre-scheduling a long weekend for vacation.
- What Is Burnout?
- Take our Burnout Test
- Find a therapist for burnout near me
The real concern is whether or not this type of behavior is akin to avoidance. Video games can pose a very real problem for people who gravitate toward escapism and avoidance. However, escapism and avoidance are typically reactive behaviors. Planning a day off ahead of time is a proactive behavior. This distinction realistically comes down to the timing. Is the gamer taking the day off at the last second because they’d rather play the game instead of fulfilling their obligations, or is this a deliberate and planned activity? The latter could be seen as a healthy habit and a preventative option to protect against burnout; the former, a symptom of burnout itself.
Gaming on a planned day off can be a reasonable way to step away from work and recover before burnout sets in. If the time away doesn’t help, the stressors driving the burnout likely need to be addressed directly.
1. Panagioti M, Panagopoulou E, Bower P, et al. Controlled interventions to reduce burnout in physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(2):195–205.
2. West CP, Dyrbye LN, Erwin PJ, Shanafelt TD. Interventions to prevent and reduce physician burnout: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2016;388(10057):2272–2281.
3. Wendsche J, Lohmann-Haislah A. A meta-analysis on antecedents and outcomes of detachment from work. Front Psychol. 2017;7:2072.
4. Sonnentag S, Fritz C. The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. J Occup Health Psychol. 2007;12(3):204–221.
