Living in Germany, I get the opportunity to learn some new English vocabulary. Crazy, right? I have not just learned English words I have never heard before ('handy' as a noun), I have learned new definitions for words that I thought I knew ('shitstorm').Whether or not this should or shouldn't take place is irrelevant, as I am sure this is taking place all over the world as we speak. In any case it is a 'mind-fuck,' as I personally like to call it, for any native English speaker.
'Burnout' is one of these words that I started to hear a lot that didn't sit right with me. Of course I am not the ultimate authority on English but where I am from we almost always used this in reference to sports. When a player has played a sport too often and no longer enjoys playing, he or she is burned out. I suppose it could also be used in reference to work but with the same underlying meaning. In Germany I have found that the definition has expanded significantly. It can encompass sleep disruption, depression, dizziness, depression and anxiety among other symptoms. As far as I gather it is a relatively new concept and it includes a variety of symptoms with the cause most often being the job.
This was really interesting to me because a burnout, though of course undesirable, is seen as an acceptable condition that must be treated. It does not mean that someone is then forever labelled as crazy. It is actually a legitimate reason for someone to take time off of work to improve their mental health and then later return as a rejuvenated and healthy person.
The best translation I can think of for this is a mental break-down. However a break-down is not something that you can easily come back from. You have crossed a line that may label you forever as an unstable person. Thus the options are limited for an American experiencing anxiety and depression. If we absolutely must take time off of work to treat these things, it is shameful so we would never tell our co-workers or boss. So we are forced to continue on with our everyday lives, often abstaining from treatment that might make us healthier happier and better workers/partners/friends etc.
The reason for this disparity is of course not the vocabulary, but rather different cultural perceptions of mental health. I think that Americans in general are not totally on board with whole body health. We often ignore the mental factor completely, which is unfortunate because I believe that this keeps us from contentment. Thankfully there have been quite a few health movements in the USA recently and with traditions like yoga that focus on whole-body health, I think more people will start to pay more attention to their own mental health.
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