Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X & Boomers All Have Completely Different Ideas Of What It Means To Be Exhausted
shurkin_son / Shutterstock For some, thinking you are exhausted is as simple as needing a quiet night at home, while for others, it means being completely burnt out and so overwhelmed that even small tasks feel like climbing a mountain.
We all get tired in this busy world, but depending on how old you are and the values you grew up with, what you believe counts as actual exhaustion is likely to be quite different than what it means to someone who is much older or younger than you are. If you asked Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers for their opinion on the topic, chances are you'll hear vastly distinct definitions.
Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers all have their different ideas of what it actually means to be exhausted.
Baby boomers only say they are exhausted when they have truly reached their limit.
Being exhausted isn't something boomers will admit to lightly. They still get things done and show up whenever they need to, despite running on fumes. They believe rest is something they're only entitled to when they have time, and in most cases, they just say they'll get around to it later.
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They probably won't even call it burnout. Instead, they'll suggest that maybe they need to slow down a little bit or shut their eyes for a minute. At most, they'll likely just push a few things off until tomorrow.
Gen X is often exhausted by everyone else's nonsense.
Gen X also has a habit of powering through no matter how spent they are, but once they're completely drained, they let themselves retreat to some peace and quiet. Being exhausted for them means they're craving a little time when nobody needs anything from them, and they can focus on themselves for a bit.
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They might describe it as taking a moment to decompress by zoning out in front of the TV or getting lost in a hobby. While they know they have things to do, they also recognize that they can't keep going at full speed forever. It's just not sustainable.
Physical exhaustion isn't the only thing that gets to millennials.
For millennials, being exhausted isn't just about their body being tired. It's also feeling like their brain has a million tabs open at once. Even when they finally get a chance to sit down, their mind may still be racing with everything they haven't gotten done yet.
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Taking time to recharge could mean canceling plans and spending an entire evening doing absolutely nothing. What they're looking for is a mental break from being responsible for everything.
To Gen Z, exhaustion means being mentally and emotionally tapped out.
Gen Z thinks being exhausted means way more than just needing sleep. It's feeling like they have too much on their plate and absolutely no desire to deal with another thing. Small tasks like answering a text or deciding what to eat feel weirdly overwhelming when their brain is at maximum capacity.
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There's also a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from being constantly online. Keeping up with social media and everyone else's life updates can make it hard to feel fully off the clock. When they rest, the goal isn't to be productive or recharge only for the next thing. They want to exist for a while without having to accomplish anything.
Kayla Asbach is a writer with a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
