What burnout and boreout have in common is that they leave you exhausted, feeling empty, and unable to cope with the demands of work and life. Early symptoms such as demotivation, anxiety, and sadness can, if left unchecked, lead to depression.

Burnout is when you are overstimulated, and boreout when you are understimulated. In both cases, the way we are stimulated is wrong and doesn’t result in a sense of purpose. We’re less productive and less creative.

Align: ask yourself why you started working at this company or on this project in the first place. Is your work still aligned with your goals and values? If not, time to consider changing projects or changing jobs.

Brainstorm: sometimes it’s hard to come up with solutions on your own. Does the lack of meaning come from the projects, the work style, the team? Sit down with a friend or trusted colleague to come up with ideas for moving forward.

Experiment: don’t take radical decisions while feeling burned out or bored out. Try various small changes at first. One simple step could be to talk to a counsellor.

You don’t find your purpose, you build it. There is no silver bullet and looking for purpose can actually be one of the most fulfilling aspects of life.