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每个人都会时不时地因为工作、家庭或生活而感到压力。但 “千禧一代” 的年轻人说，和出生在其它年代的人们相比，他们承受的压力最大，人们将其称作 “千禧一代的倦怠感”。这种 “新型” 压力的来源是什么？人们是否同意这种 “病状” 的存在？本集BBC Take Away English 聚焦倍感疲倦的 “千禧一代”，介绍这一现象出现的背景及原因。

burnout---from BBC
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Do you often feel stressed? Does the pace of life make you feel like you're continually on the go or at the end of your rope? Are you often so wiped out by work that you struggle to switch off? And are you a member of the millennial generation, who, according to the Pew Research Center, were born between 1981 and 1996? If your answer to these questions is 'yes', maybe you suffer from 'millennial burnout'.

Millennial burnout is a term first popularised by BuzzFeed writer Anne Helen Petersen. Unlike 'regular' burnout, which leaves sufferers feeling physically and emotionally frazzled, run into the ground and overwhelmed, millennial burnout also adds, among other things, 'errand paralysis'. This is when minor tasks, such as cleaning the car, or sending a parcel in the mail, feel impossible. "It's not as if I were slacking in the rest of my life," she wrote. "But when it came to the stuff that wouldn't make my job easier or my work better, I avoided it." So it doesn't get done, which leads to a backlog of tasks and feelings of shame.

In the UK, 74% of us feel so stressed that we are coming apart at the seams, mentalhealth.org reports. So why are millennials tearing their hair out? Millennials feel their problems are 'exacerbated by social media, because of the constant pressure to be living up to your best life,' British psychotherapist Beverly Hills told the BBC. This pressure is made worse when the definition of 'success' seems to have changed. It used to be about earning money, but now it's things like being passionate about work, being super-healthy, holidaying and having amazing experiences, etc. That's a lot to have on your plate and the 'failure' to cope leaves many feeling guilty, ashamed and at their wits' end.

However, the concept of millennial burnout has not gone unchallenged. Many have said that it's merely a form of entitled laziness or the result of poor choices – for example, trying to do too much. After all, as psychoanalyst Josh Cohen writes for NBC, this isn't the first generation to suffer from overwork and exhaustion, nor is it the first to have to adapt to new forms of technology and culture. Could the answer simply be that millennial ambition reaches too far?

The jury is still out on whether millennial burnout is real or not – though it isn't a recognised medical condition. Whether it will become one is unknown. So for the time being, try not to stress about it.

vocabulary

stressed 有压力的
on the go 忙个不停
at the end of your rope 智穷力竭
wiped out 精疲力尽的
suffer from 遭遇到...
switch off 放松
burnout 劳累过度
frazzled [ˈfræzld] 疲惫的
run into the ground 拼命工作，累得筋疲力尽
overwhelmed 难以承受的
paralysis [pəˈræləsɪs] 麻痹症
slack 偷懒
backlog 积压未办的事物
feelings of shame 愧疚感
come apart at the seams 崩溃
tear one’s hair out 焦虑不堪
exacerbate 使恶化，使加重
pressure 压力
live up to your best life 过上你最好的生活
be passionate about 对...充满热情
have a lot on one’s plate 有很多工作要做
cope 处理，应付
at your wits' end 束手无策
adapt to 适应于...

make sentences

1. What a full day! I'm totally wiped out. I feel like I could sleep for a week!

2. I'm sorry, boss, I've got a lot on my plate. I'm already managing three other projects.

3. I've had three children! I can easily cope with one baby for an evening. Go and relax.

4. We exacerbated the problem by borrowing more money than we could pay back.

5. John! Stop sleeping at your desk! I don't want to see you slacking again!

question

True or false: Everyone agrees that millennial burnout is real.

answer

False. Some consider it to be entitled laziness, or the result of poor choices. Nor is it a recognised medical condition.

@BBC Learning English