We show up. We smile. We reply to texts, finish assignments, scroll through reels, and tell everyone, “I’m fine.” But deep down, something’s off. Gen Z might be the most connected generation — yet more of us than ever are quietly burning out.
Anxiety feels normal. Exhaustion feels deserved. Sadness is shrugged off as mood swings. And still, we’re expected to keep smiling through it all. Welcome to the quiet crisis of Gen Z burnout — the kind that doesn’t always shout, but slowly wears us down.
What Is Burnout, Really?
Burnout is not a medical or mental health condition. It is a syndrome that can lead to various other disorders if left unchecked for prolonged periods of time. It acts as a stepping stone towards depression and anxiety.
It is recognized by WHO( WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION) as an “occupational phenomenon”, which shows it is common in workplaces. However it can be experienced by various age groups and outside of our typical office setting. Anyone who shoulders responsibilities i.e. a parent, caregiver or even a student . It is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and can occur when we are subjected to long term stress and feel under constant pressure.
It builds up when you’re expected to perform endlessly without a break, while hiding your inner distress.It’s when getting out of bed feels like a war. When the things you once loved now feel like chores. When your body is functioning, but your mind feels foggy, numb, or even detached. For Gen Z, this often goes unnoticed because we’ve gotten really good at masking it. Filtered smiles. Polished posts. And a thousand unsent messages that say: “I’m not okay.”
Why Is Gen Z Specially Affected?
Gen Z grew up in chaos. We've witnessed more in our short lifetime than many did in decades past — a global pandemic, climate crises, economic instability, and a digital revolution all at once. The generational gap between us and our parents is huge compared to what was in between them and their parents. Technology has progressed almost exponentially in a span of some 20 years.
We often hear stories of struggles from our elders. Heart-wrenching stories that bring out the hurdles they faced.
It typically ends in “You’re so fortunate to have access to all these. We never had those. Stop being so lazy! Always giving excuses….” and it turns into a life lesson…
<sigh>
So I would like to call Gen Z “the most misunderstood generation”. Growing up in Economic instability, a global pandemic during our formative years, rising student debt, climate anxiety, and the pressure to “make it” before 25. Add the constant highlight reels on social media and the glorification of hustle culture, and you get a generation that’s both overstimulated and emotionally starved.
And if that’s not enough, we are schooled from nearly when we are able to talk that we need to be either doctor, engineer or a lawyer. That’s it. No other career option exists. Even if you do have one, don’t worry it’s just a phase. You are immature, you don’t know what’s best for you. Your parents do !
And goes your early years doing preparation for a heavily competitive exam with very few government seats (private seats … only if you come from wealthy families). You’re perhaps busy achieving something that is not even your goal. Well that is what happens majorly.
Voila — you're introduced to mental health struggles. Anxiety. Sleeplessness. Disordered eating. Depression.. Mental health issues can’t be seen unless they progress to a severe stage. For the most part of the journey, the individual appears fine.
We’re encouraged to speak up about mental health, but often met with silence or rolled eyes when we do.
The result? A generation silently imploding under invisible pressure — learning to live with burnout as if it’s just a part of growing up.
Burnout Is Not Laziness
Burnout is often invisible. It doesn’t always come with tears or breakdowns. More often, it looks like a person staring blankly at their screen for hours. Taking longer than usual to reply. Missing deadlines not because they don’t care, but because their brain is in survival mode.
But society — especially older generations or high-pressure work cultures — often misreads this emotional depletion as laziness, carelessness, or even weakness.
Burnout is not a character flaw. It’s a nervous system response to prolonged stress.
Psychologists clarify burnout (first introduced by Herbert Freudenberger in 1974)in three stages:
- Exhaustion – feeling drained, unable to cope
- Depersonalization – detachment, loss of empathy or motivation
- Reduced Accomplishment – feeling incompetent or unproductive
But a burnt-out person often started out as passionate, high-performing, and committed.
Sometimes struggling to get out of bed is misinterpreted as ‘laziness’, forgetting tasks or deadlines as ‘careless behaviour’, reduced creativity or focus as ‘lack of interest’ and the count keeps increasing!
Many Gen Zs are pushing through burnout because they’re afraid of being labelled “lazy,” “dramatic,” or “too sensitive.” We internalize it, force a smile, and keep grinding — even as our mental health deteriorates.
This toxic misunderstanding delays healing. Instead of compassion, people offer advice like “just try harder” or “stop overthinking.” But what we need is space to breathe, not more pressure to perform.
How It Escalated?
Sometimes BURNOUT is the result of a lifetime of emotional underdevelopment — the kind that no one warned Gen Z about.
We’re often called the “sheltered generation” — growing up indoors, with working parents, school pressure, and screens as our companions. While older generations climbed trees and cycled around town until sunset, many of us stayed indoors watching cartoons, scrolling YouTube, or waiting for someone to come home.
We didn’t have the natural social growth that comes from real-life play, arguments on playgrounds, or building resilience in safe outdoor spaces. Instead, we grew up too quickly on the internet, too slowly in the real world — and emotionally somewhere in between.
Technology became our friend, our therapist, our escape — and over time, our prison.
Yes, exactly like the adults say, our phones are the beginning of our end. Our comfort and our curse.
We go there when no one else listens. We scroll to distract ourselves from the constant monologue happening in our minds. But every swipe shows us people shinier than us, richer than us, more talented, more beautiful, more together. Their highlight reels slowly eat into our self-worth.
We keep watching — and we keep crumbling.
No generation before us had this kind of constant comparison in the palm of their hand.
How Can Gen Z Tackle Burnout — and How Can Older Generations Support Us?
Burnouts didn’t happen in a day. It wouldn’t be cured in a day or by watching a motivational video. You cannot co-exist with it. It needs to be cured and here are some of the small steps you can take towards healing—
i)Change the mindset that screams constant productivity = worth. It’s not. It’s okay to take a day off. To rest before you run again.
ii)It’s okay to log off. Not every opportunity, post, or DM needs your attention immediately.
iii)Doing things you love that don't involve screens. Go out on walks , plan a meet up with your best friend, cooking, music, and reading books.
iv)Reaching out to a well wisher , perhaps a friend, parent, therapist when things get too heavy to carry.
How Older Generations Can Support Gen Z:
i)Stop mistaking silence for laziness. If a young person is withdrawn, tired, or “not trying hard enough,” ask what's wrong — not what's wrong with them.
ii)Validate emotions without fixing them. We don’t always need solutions. Sometimes, “That sounds really hard — I’m here for you” is enough.
iii)Respect new boundaries. Gen Z values balance. When we say no, take a break, or step back — it’s not disrespectful. It’s survival.
iv)Share your own struggles. Vulnerability bridges the gap. Telling us “I went through something like this” creates safety.
v)Create safe spaces. Whether at home, school, or the workplace, help build environments where rest isn’t earned, it’s honored.
We’re not the lazy generation. We’re the first generation brave enough to say, “This isn’t working.” Brave enough to ask for help. To admit we’re tired. And to imagine a life that’s full, not just busy.
So if you’re reading this — Gen Z or not — maybe pause and ask yourself:
Are you surviving… or are you truly living?