3 Fast Paths to Firefighter Burnout

How we habitually approach situations and the behaviors we use to deal with the world can either prevent or accelerate burnout. As someone who has worked with firefighters and civilians who experience burnout, here are the 3 habits I see contributing to it.

Quick reminder: I’m a mental performance coach. My perspective is that burnout is what happens when you try to be in two places at once mentally: I hate this job, but I need the money.

It’s typically associated with doing something you don’t actually want to do for a prolonged period of time, and then blaming the resulting fatigue on the situation, circumstances, or other people. But the real issue is that you’ve sold yourself out—and instead of dealing with that directly, you’ve just kept going in a split state for far too long.

Some people don’t tolerate this split for very long and resolve it quickly. Others don’t, based on existing habits they are already running. Three of them in particular work hand-in-hand to get you on the fast track to burnout.

Watch out for these things:

1) People Pleasing

This usually develops when you learn early that performance earns love, validation, or approval. It was a good strategy as a kid but it’s not so useful as an adult.

In the fire service, it shows up as completely losing sight of what you want. You’re so used to putting others first that self-abandonment is automatic. You’re not even considering you.

This is a fast track to burnout because you end up in thinking like: “My family needs the money, so I’ll just keep going.”

But you’re not much use to your family if you’re constantly depleted, resentful, and running on empty. Knock that crap off and be brave enough to fill your cup first.

2) Normalized Dissatisfaction

Are you a “crusty” firefighter? Constantly in a bad mood?

When dissatisfaction becomes your baseline, it’s easy to slide into labeling another bump in the road as burnout and stacking fatigue on top of it. In this case, burnout isn’t new. It’s just a new buzzword for your status quo.

Take a hard look at the pattern: for some people, feeling crappy is all they know and feel comfortable doing. And when that’s true, burnout was never far behind.

The more uneasy truth is that changing it would require normalizing a different perspective like optimism or contentment.

3) Low Risk-Taking

Doing everything “by the book” is a more subtle form of people pleasing.

If it feels unsafe to take a risk, you probably won’t leave the job or make the move needed to break the burnout dynamic of doing something you don’t want to do. It’s scary to choose yourself and listen to your heart when it’s not in it anymore.

Low risk tolerance also tends to over-logic everything. You successfully talk yourself into staying stuck when challenged: “It’s safer to stay here even though I hate it than take a $5,000 pay cut somewhere else.” Is it though?

That’s the same logic that keeps you in the burnout contradiction…but it’s reasonable, so why risk it?

The Solution: Choose Differently

The solution is simple, but not easy: do what YOU actually want to do.

Go all in on what you’ve chosen—or choose something else. But stop living in the middle where resentment builds.

The good news is that in every moment you are making choices whether you realize it or not. Eliminating burnout is one choice away. Start prioritizing your mental wellbeing and stop tolerating situations that keep you divided and unhappy. Committing to one side of the equation or the other will move you forward; you’ll feel relief as soon as you do.

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