Michael Gungor

Burnout Comes from Denying Human Limits

To “avoid being human” often looks like trying to function as a machine—consistent output, minimal needs, no messy feelings. Yet machines don’t grieve, doubt, get sick, or require meaning, while people do. When someone forces themselves to ignore these realities, they may gain short-term performance but lose long-term sustainability. This is why burnout can arrive even in work someone loves. A musician on tour, a nurse pulling extra shifts, or a founder chasing growth can all slip into the same pattern: treating sleep, play, and emotional processing as optional luxuries rather than biological necessities. [...]