Enneagram and Workplace Mental Health: Preventing Burnout by Type

Your personality type is burning out at work in a specific, predictable way. And nobody's talking about it.

Think I’m wrong? Check your stress symptoms against your Enneagram type below. I’ll bet money they match.

Here’s the thing: workplace mental health isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each type has its own burnout formula, its own recovery recipe, and its own path to thriving. I’ve watched hundreds of people transform their careers once they understood this. Time to join them.

The Burnout Blueprint: Your Type’s Kryptonite

Every type has a workplace kryptonite—the specific condition that breaks them. Know yours, and you can dodge it. Ignore it, and you’re headed for a crash.

The Control Freaks (8, 9, 1): Lose control, lose your mind

• Type 1: Can’t fix the broken system
• Type 8: Someone else calling the shots
• Type 9: Forced to pick sides

The Recognition Seekers (2, 3, 4): No validation, no vitality

• Type 2: Your help goes unnoticed
• Type 3: Your achievements mean nothing
• Type 4: Your uniqueness is irrelevant

The Security Scanners (5, 6, 7): Uncertainty equals emergency

• Type 5: Resources depleting fast
• Type 6: Can’t trust the leadership
• Type 7: Trapped in monotony

Type 1: The Perfectionist’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re killing yourself trying to fix a broken system. Stop.

Your Kryptonite

• Broken processes nobody else cares about
• “Good enough” being the standard
• Watching incompetence get rewarded
• Your standards being called “unrealistic”

Early Warning System

Body tells truth first: TMJ, back pain, tension headaches Then comes the rage: Everyone’s an idiot Finally, paralysis: Can’t start because can’t perfect

Survival Tactics That Actually Work

The 80/20 Rule:

• 80% perfect on 80% of tasks
• 100% perfect on 20% that matter
• Document which is which

The Anger Release:

• 5-minute rage journal daily
• Physical outlet mandatory (boxing, running)
• “That’s not my circus” mantra

The Strategic Perfectionism:

• Pick ONE thing to perfect per week
• Let everything else be B+ work
• Track compliments on B+ work (spoiler: nobody notices)

What You Need From Your Boss

• Clear success metrics upfront
• Regular feedback, not annual reviews
• Permission to improve processes
• Recognition for quality, not just speed

Red Alert: When you start dreaming about spreadsheets, you’re already in burnout. Get help.

Type 2: The Helper’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re everyone’s unpaid therapist. Invoice them.

Your Kryptonite

• Your help taken for granted
• Cold, transactional culture
• Being seen as “just” support
• Nobody asking how YOU are

The Martyr Spiral

1. Help everyone with everything
2. Skip lunch to help more
3. Resent everyone secretly
4. Explode or collapse
5. Feel guilty, repeat

Break the Cycle

The Helper’s Invoice:

• Track EVERYTHING you do for others
• Show boss monthly “invisible labor” report
• Use data to justify raise/promotion

The No Script:

• “I’d love to help, but I’m at capacity”
• “Let me check my commitments first”
• “Who else could support you with this?”

The Self-Care Non-Negotiables:

• Lunch break = your time, door closed
• One selfish ask per week
• Monthly “what I need” meeting with boss

Managing Up

Tell your boss: “I perform best when my contributions are visible and valued. Let’s create a system for tracking and recognizing the collaborative work I do.”

Code Red: When you fantasize about everyone failing without you, you’re cooked. Time for boundaries or exit strategy.

Type 3: The Achiever’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’ve become your LinkedIn profile. Remember who you actually are?

Your Kryptonite

• Public failure of any size
• Being average at anything
• Success that feels hollow
• People seeing through your image

The Achievement Addiction Stages

1. Work becomes identity
2. Relationships become networking
3. Rest becomes “lazy”
4. Crash becomes inevitable

Reality Checks

The Success Audit:

• List your last 10 wins
• Note which ones you actually enjoyed
• If it’s less than 3, you’re performing success, not living it

The 5pm Test:

• Leave at 5pm for one week
• Track what actually breaks (hint: nothing)
• Use data to reset boundaries

The Feeling Schedule:

• Set 3 daily alarms
• Ask “What am I feeling?”
• No “fine” or “busy” allowed
• Write actual emotion

The Performance Paradox

Here’s what nobody tells you: Vulnerability gets you promoted faster than perfection. Leaders want humans, not machines.

Try this: Share one failure in your next meeting. Watch how people connect with you.

Danger Zone: When coffee becomes meals and achievements become empty, you’re 30 days from collapse. Act now.

Type 4: The Individualist’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re dying inside at a job that doesn’t see you. They never will. Move on.

Your Kryptonite

• Corporate fakeness everywhere
• Your depth seen as “too much”
• Assembly-line work expectations
• Being just another cog

The Existential Death Spiral

Week 1: “This job lacks meaning” Week 4: “My life lacks meaning” Week 8: “I lack meaning” Week 12: Complete shutdown

Survival Mode

The Meaning Injection:

• Find ONE project that matters
• Make it your underground mission
• Document its impact religiously
• Use it as portfolio for next move

The Emotion Forecast:

• Track moods like weather patterns
• Notice triggers and cycles
• Plan big tasks for “high pressure” days
• Protect “low pressure” days

The Authenticity Audit:

• Rate each day 1-10 for authentic expression
• Below 5 for a week? Start job hunting
• Below 3? Leave within 90 days

The Creative Lifeline

You NEED creative expression like others need coffee:

• Morning pages before work
• Lunch break art/writing
• Evening passion project
• Weekend deep dives

Warning: When everything feels gray and nothing sparks joy, you’re not depressed—you’re in the wrong environment. The cure isn’t therapy; it’s a new job.

Type 5: The Investigator’s Burnout

Bottom Line: Open offices are killing you slowly. Get a door or get out.

Your Kryptonite

• Forced fun team building
• Meetings about meetings
• Small talk requirements
• People who “just drop by”

The Energy Bankruptcy

You start with 100 energy units daily:

• Each meeting: -20
• Each interruption: -10
• Each “quick question”: -15
• Open office noise: -30
• Do the math. You’re in debt by 10am.

Fortress Building

The Boundary Bible:

• “I’m in deep work until 2pm”
• “I’ll respond async via Slack”
• “Let’s handle this via email”
• “I have a hard stop at…”

The Competence Shield:

• Become irreplaceably expert at ONE thing
• Document it extensively
• Train others minimally
• Use expertise as meeting repellent

The Basic Needs Checklist:

• Phone alarms for food/water
• Standing desk timer
• Bathroom breaks scheduled
• Yes, this is necessary. You forget you have a body.

Managing Your Manager

“I produce my best work with 4-hour uninterrupted blocks. Here’s data showing my output triples with this arrangement.”

Red Flag: When you fantasize about working in a bunker, you’re already too depleted. Take a week off or find remote work.

Type 6: The Loyalist’s Burnout

Bottom Line: Your anxiety about job security is creating actual job insecurity. Stop the spiral.

Your Kryptonite

• Leadership that changes direction daily
• “We’ll figure it out as we go”
• Hidden agendas everywhere
• No clear backup plans

The Anxiety Algorithm

1. Boss seems off in meeting
2. Create 47 disaster scenarios
3. Lose sleep planning contingencies
4. Perform poorly from exhaustion
5. Create actual problem
6. “I knew it!”

Security Systems

The Certainty Documentation:

• Email summary after EVERY verbal agreement
• “Just to confirm…” is your best friend
• Save everything, organize by date
• CYA file updated weekly

The Trust Test Protocol:

• Give people small tests before big trust
• Track who passes/fails
• Build alliance with reliable ones
• Have 3 mentors minimum (diversify risk)

The Worst-Case Playbook:

• Actually plan for worst case
• Make it detailed and specific
• Include action steps
• Review monthly, not daily
• Having a plan kills the spiral

The Authority Hack

You test authority because you need to know if they’re reliable. Try this instead: Ask directly: “What’s your leadership philosophy on X?” Their answer tells you everything.

Emergency Signal: When you’re checking job boards at 2am, creating doomsday spreadsheets, or testing your boss daily, you need intervention—therapy, new job, or both.

Type 7: The Enthusiast’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re running from pain straight into burnout. The pain always catches up.

Your Kryptonite

• Same thing every day forever
• Negative Nancy colleagues
• “We’ve always done it this way”
• No growth opportunities

The Chaos Pattern

Monday: Start 5 new projects Tuesday: Start 3 more Wednesday: Forget first 5 exist Thursday: Panic about deadlines Friday: Start weekend project to avoid work projects

Focus Hacks

The Project Portfolio:

• Maximum 3 active projects
• 3 in queue waiting
• Everything else in “someday”
• Review weekly, shuffle monthly

The Completion High:

• Gamify finishing (literally)
• Completion = points
• Points = rewards
• Make finishing more fun than starting

The Pain Schedule:

• 30 minutes daily for “boring stuff”
• Timer on, no escape
• Reward immediately after
• Build tolerance gradually

The Dark Side Protocol

You avoid negative emotions like they’re poison. But here’s the thing: unfelt pain becomes chronic anxiety.

Try this: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Feel something negative. Don’t fix it, don’t flee. Just feel. Build to 10 minutes.

Danger Signal: When fun feels forced, when you’re juggling 20 things and enjoying none, when substances become “necessary” for fun—you’re not avoiding burnout, you’re in it.

Type 8: The Challenger’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re fighting everyone and everything. You’re winning battles but losing the war.

Your Kryptonite

• Weak leadership you can’t respect
• Being controlled by incompetence
• Forced vulnerability exercises
• Injustice you can’t fix

The Rage Cycle

1. See injustice/incompetence
2. Take over to fix it
3. Do everyone’s job plus yours
4. Exhaust yourself
5. Rage at everyone
6. Isolate and repeat

Power Moves

The Strategic Battle Map:

• Rate every conflict 1-10 importance
• Only fight 8+ battles
• Let others lose the small ones
• Save energy for wars that matter

The Trust Investment:

• Find 2-3 competent people
• Delegate real responsibility
• Let them fail small
• Build your army

The Vulnerability Weapon: Here’s what nobody tells you: Strategic vulnerability is power. Try this: Share one struggle with your team. Watch them rally. That’s real strength.

The Body Warning System

You ignore your body until it forces you to stop:

• Chest pain = slow down today
• Back out = forced rest incoming
• Insomnia = fighting too many fronts
• Listen or be benched

Managing Yourself

As a Type 8, I learned this the hard way: You can control everything and accomplish nothing, or control a few things and dominate.

Code Red: When you trust no one, do everything yourself, and your body’s breaking down—you’re not strong, you’re stupid. Get help or get out.

Type 9: The Peacemaker’s Burnout

Bottom Line: You’re so busy keeping everyone happy, you’ve forgotten you exist.

Your Kryptonite

• Being forced to pick sides
• Aggressive conflict daily
• Your input ignored repeatedly
• Competing urgent priorities

The Invisibility Spiral

Week 1: “I’ll just go with the flow” Month 1: “My opinion doesn’t matter” Month 6: “Do I even have opinions?” Year 1: “Who am I?”

Presence Practice

The Priority Triangle:

• Only 3 priorities allowed
• Write them on a triangle
• Everything else gets “That’s not in my triangle”
• Update weekly, not daily

The Opinion Generator:

• Set 3 daily opinion alarms
• When it rings, have an opinion about ANYTHING
• Share it with someone
• “I think the coffee is too weak”
• Practice having preferences

The Anger Permission Slip:

• You’re angry. You just call it “frustrated” or “tired”
• Daily anger check: What pissed you off?
• Write it, say it, or punch a pillow
• Anger is data, not danger

The Wake-Up Protocol

You’re asleep at your own life. Here’s the alarm clock:

• Morning: “What do I want today?”
• Lunch: “What’s working/not working?”
• Evening: “Did I show up today?”

Last Resort: When you can’t remember the last time you said no, when Sunday scaries last all week, when you’re everyone’s support but your own—you’re not keeping peace, you’re keeping everyone else comfortable while you disappear.

The Manager’s Cheat Sheet

Stop managing everyone the same way. Here’s what each type actually needs:

Type 1: “Here’s the standard. You decide how to reach it.” Type 2: “Your help yesterday made this possible. Thank you.” Type 3: “Success includes your wellbeing. Both matter.” Type 4: “Your unique perspective is why you’re here.” Type 5: “Work from home. Email me updates.” Type 6: “Here’s the plan, the backup, and why it won’t fail.” Type 7: “Three projects max, but make them interesting.” Type 8: “You run this. I’ll back you up.” Type 9: “Your opinion matters. What do you think?”

The 3-Question Diagnostic

Ask your team these three questions:

1. “What drains your energy fastest?”
2. “When do you do your best work?”
3. “What makes you want to quit?”

Their answers tell you their type and their needs.

Remote Work Reality Check

Who thrives remote:

• Type 5: Finally, peace
• Type 4: Can be authentic
• Type 9: Less conflict exposure

Who struggles remote:

• Type 2: No one to help
• Type 3: Harder to be seen
• Type 6: Security anxiety spikes
• Type 7: Distraction paradise

Who needs balance:

• Type 1: Office = work, home = rest (keep it separate)
• Type 8: Need some in-person dominance opportunities

The 30-Day Burnout Recovery Plan

Week 1: Stop the Bleeding

• Take 3 things off your plate
• Say no to everything new
• Leave on time every day
• Sleep 8 hours minimum

Week 2: Identify Your Kryptonite

• Track what drains you
• Notice your stress patterns
• Find your type above
• Pick 2 survival tactics

Week 3: Build New Boundaries

• Implement your tactics
• Communicate needs to boss
• Start looking for exits if needed
• Add one recovery ritual

Week 4: Decide Your Future

• Can this job work with your needs?
• If yes: Negotiate changes
• If no: Start exit strategy
• Either way: Boundaries stay

The Bottom Line Truth

Your job should energize you more than it drains you. If it doesn’t, you’re in the wrong job, wrong role, or wrong company.

Here’s what took me 20 years to learn: You can’t overcome your type’s kryptonite through willpower. You can only:

1. Minimize exposure
2. Build recovery systems
3. Find environments that fit
4. Leave ones that don’t

The Nuclear Option

Sometimes the job is the problem, not you. If you’ve tried everything above for 90 days and nothing’s better, you have two choices:

1. Accept slow death
2. Plan your escape

I recommend option 2.

Final Reality Check

Most workplace mental health issues aren’t mental health issues—they’re job-fit issues. You’re not broken. You’re in the wrong environment.

Stop trying to fix yourself. Start finding where you fit.

Need crisis support? Get help now. Dealing with workplace trauma? Read this. Considering medication? Understand your options.