The Three Dimensions

Christina Maslach, the researcher who defined burnout, identified three core dimensions.

Emotional exhaustion is the most visible. You feel drained before the day begins, and activities that used to energize you now feel like obligations.

Depersonalization (cynicism) follows exhaustion. When you cannot feel anymore, you stop caring. Colleagues become annoyances and meaningful work feels pointless. The detachment becomes a kind of armor.

Reduced accomplishment is the third. You feel ineffective no matter what you produce, and even real successes feel hollow.

When all three show up together, you are not tired. You are burned out.