Addressing Burnout: Re-Igniting the Flame
How to stop burning your candle at both ends.
Updated May 30, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
Burnout is an intense, full-body breakdown resulting from longer-term exhaustion. The term burnout was coined by Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, Ph.D., who described it as “a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by a devotion or cause.” And, as another traumatic stress pioneer, Charles Figley, Ph.D., noted, there are “costs of caring” that deserve our attention .
Certain careers (such as those who often interact with human distress, trauma, or grief ) and certain job settings (such as those with more communication breakdowns, unrealistic demands, or lower autonomy) can make people more vulnerable. And research has also shown that burnout is more common among those who are dedicated, high-achieving individuals with high-demand jobs.
Knowing more can be immensely beneficial in preventing and coping with this difficult occupational phenomenon, and several metaphors related to burned-out flames will be utilized to cover several primary domains.
A Light Wind or Continuously Strong Gale: Stress versus Burnout
A candle can tolerate a gentle breeze but can’t generally survive ongoing, targeted strong gusts. Similarly, we might distinguish stress versus burnout.
Stress is a broad term referenced liberally in modern times. Stress can often be observed as over-engagement, busyness, and sometimes a frantic, anxious attempt to complete tasks. An individual might be highly driven to attend to all the problems and get ahead of the overwhelm to feel better.
Burnout is considered a longer-term, chronic state of unmanaged distress, characterized by emotional exhaustion or depletion, with nothing left to give. Professionals who are burned out often present with detachment, emptiness, and blunted numbness. Attentional focus is significantly absent, and work completion will not relieve the burned-out sensations.
Interestingly, some moderate level of stress can increase motivation and focus if tasks are short-term and resolvable, but ongoing stress can turn into burnout. The Yerkes-Dodson Law is a psychological principle that helps differentiate stress from burnout, often presented as an inverted-U curve, highlighting how performance and productivity increase with moderate stress/arousal but only up to a specific point. Pushing beyond the optimal arousal threshold for an extended period can lead to reduced performance and possible burnout.
The Burned-Out Wick May Appear Frozen Like ICE
There are a variety of symptoms that can present in burnout, but an acronym of ICE is proposed here as a succinct way to be on the lookout for 3 primary characteristics of burnout:
Honest, vulnerable reflection of one’s status is required in order to get an authentic evaluation of well-being. If someone is noticing these or related symptoms that are becoming more of a pattern, signaling SOS (Strategies Of Self-Care) may be needed.
Examining the Environmental Context
Candles placed under a strong fan or on an open window ledge in the midst of a hurricane are likely to struggle to stay lit. If we wish for that candle to stay lit more regularly, we might need to make a shift or a modification in the situation.
Similarly, we sometimes need to examine the work environments in terms of workability and sustainability. Many system issues contribute to the risk of burnout, and so blaming only the individual who is burned out would be missing an important part of the equation. Lowering stress is not the same as increasing well-being, and both are required ideally. The external system is considered more responsible for the former (lowering stress factors), while employees themselves are generally more in charge of the latter (increasing well-being).
External or system factors need to be addressed more by those in charge, and a focus on work balance and collegial support has been found to be vital. Some toxic environments may not shift, but others can actually be improved and benefit from authentic feedback from employees.
Considering the FACTS of Internal Recovery
Some candles are wider or taller than others, with different burn rates, but all will ultimately burn out if the flame is left to burn without any breaks. Just as we might blow out a candle at the end of an evening not only for safety but also for reserving fuel for another day, humans need breaks as well.
There are a variety of helpful interventions for changing priorities and perspective for someone who is burned out, and the FACTS mnemonic is a simple yet powerful way to highlight 5 primary domains identified in research as critical to improving well-being in difficult, overwhelming occupational (or life) situations.
Let’s look at the features of FACTS in turn:
Despite knowing the FACTS, this can sometimes be difficult to implement; however, professional support can help.
Re-igniting the Spark
A candle that has burned out can be re-ignited, but sometimes the wick has drowned in a pool of its own melted wax. This might feel like being smothered by occupational overload. But intentional energy to dig our way back out is possible.
Psychological resilience and posttraumatic growth is now widely recognized as achievable in many aspects of life, including in the realm of work overload. This references our ability to “bounce back” effectively. Psychological research shows that capacities for resilience are believed to be shaped by a complex combination of heredity, life experiences, and personality , but some attitudes and actions can strengthen resilience.
Returning to a career in a new or old field following burnout recovery is not about caring less, lowering standards, or stepping away from responsibility. But it is about doing it differently with more attention to the FACTS and holding onto the hopefulness that we can burn that flame confidently once again.
Other Mindful Metaphor blog articles related to stress, resilience, and recovery include:
Coping with stress: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-metaphors/202505/feeling-stressed-out-get-reall-to-cope
Adversity and resilience: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-metaphors/202502/thriving-through-adversity-tap-into-resilience
Recovery steps: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-metaphors/202409/the-rs-of-recovery
Burnout research and references for further reading:
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22 (3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86 (3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Figley, C. R. (Ed.). (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized . Brunner/Mazel.
Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30 (1), 159–165. https://doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x
Freudenberger, H. J. (1975). The staff burn-out syndrome in alternative institutions. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 12 (1), 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086411
Hodgkinson, T. (2004). How to be idle . Hamish Hamilton.
Leiter, M. P., & Maslach, C. (2005). Banishing burnout: Six strategies for improving your relationship with work. Jossey-Bass .
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55 (1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
Shanafelt, T. D., & Noseworthy, J. H. (2017). Executive leadership and physician well-being: Nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(1), 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.004
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.