A Profit and Loss Statement for Your Life

HAVE YOU EVER COME HOME at the end of a day too worn out to cook or even order dinner, and fallen asleep with your clothes on? That point of being too tapped out to better your own condition is known as “resource depletion.” It’s part of a theory called “conservation of resources,” a way of thinking about stress, trauma and burnout that has become increasingly influential since psychologist Stevan Hobfoll introduced it in 1989.

Everyone needs food and sleep, but the specific damage a “Hungry Night” does depends on each individual’s circumstances and resources. Consider three different people:

Alex is a 56-year-old ER nurse who planned to move into a less demanding job before the pandemic struck. She is married with a teenage child. She has nights like this several times a week and resents her husband Lonnie for not picking up slack at home.

Miguel is a 22-year-old immigrant