is a state of mental vulnerability that is caused by severe mental and physical exhaustion it can be caused by balancing innumerable responsibilities and goals than you can handle or even becoming over-obsessed with learning a new technology or trying to complete a project before the deadline.

Here's an analogy for the same

Dopamine, generally called the chemical of pleasure is also the main chemical responsible for motivation, let's assume that a healthy person has a limited reserve of dopamine in him and represent it with a teacup filled with water(water being dopamine), every time this person overworks themselves the level of water decreases by just a little bit however by taking a good nights sleep and adequate rest this level of water goes back to the brim. now if we introduce the consumption of coffee or any form of caffeine the depth of the teacup increases, in a sense it increases dopamine sensitivity of receptors this in itself isn't worrisome however when adequate rest and sleep are absent the cup keeps getting emptied, such prolonged activity will lead to the teacup becoming empty and this, my friends is an analogy for burnout syndrome.

safe to say burnout is pretty common and there is nothing to feel defeated about. you reached this state because it directly correlates to YOU consistently over-working or as I would put it

"Burning your lifeforce for accomplishing your goal "

sure it sounds pretty corny but it does make a lot of sense.

the ways by which I've combated burnout are:

1. Accepting that feeling of exhaustion and truly stepping away from all forms of activities that require strenuous brain activation

2. spending time in nature like going for jogs, walks or even trail runs. any physical activity which exposes you to the morning sunlight and fresh air of nature will rejuvenate your soul and make you feel ecstatic.

3. reducing Caffeine consumption or eliminating it from your diet till you recover from burnout so that you don't descend into mania. and did I mention you get a chance to correct your sleep cycle?

4. sleeping more: sleep is another important factor, high-quality deep sleep drastically improves burnout recovery by replenishing dopamine reserves in your brain and bringing your baseline dopamine level back to normal. you should aim for around 7-8 hours of sleep.

5. Steering clear of addictive forms of entertainment like social media and television prevents you from falling into a slump(a slump is basically when you start indulging in instant gratification and avoid pursuing your goals).since people are the most mentally vulnerable when they are burnt out it is very easy to develop a bad habit

6. going to the gym: there's a lot of research that supports the argument that by having a healthy physical body, your mind will automatically become healthy and boost your recovery, plus you get to vent out your anger in a safe space.

7. spending time with friends, family or people that bring you peace is a good way to catch up with them and remind yourself of your origin and ease your mind

8. Diet: being a software developer or a tech student in today's world means spending upwards of 14 hours a day on a screen which makes it quite difficult for consuming a healthy and balanced diet, ultimately you are what you eat. consistently eating fast food will make you feel awful there is no sugar coating that reality but it is important to treat our body right and provide it with necessary nutrients and minerals for proper functioning, so Eat healthily.

With the above points, I conclude this blog.

Thank you for reading so far and I hope you found this blog interesting. cheers ^o^