06-07-2025
The Poison Pill of Burnout and Churn Out
Toxic resilience is the compulsive need to keep pushing forward, even when rest or retreat is the wiser, healthier choice. Mental health experts describe it as the emotional equivalent of overtraining an injured muscle—a misguided drive that masks burnout as productivity. Delhi-based Maulikta Kohli knows this all too well. At 29, she was a manager at a leading gaming company, juggling 10-hour workdays, a growing creative platform, and endless family obligations. From the outside, her life looked like a carousel of success. But when her sleep began to suffer, she realised something was wrong. 'I thought I was being productive. I didn't realise I was self-bullying in the name of resilience,' she says. For Kohli, and many others, toxic resilience isn't strength—it's a warning sign.
When 'bounce back' becomes backlash
Toxic resilience is not about strength but about suppression. 'It's a culturally rewarded form of self-neglect,' explains Shrestha Mudgal, a research psychologist from Delhi. 'Today's world demands hustling and glorifies emotional endurance, making toxic resilience the silent saboteur. It looks like strength but feels like self-erasure.'
The National Mental Health Survey of India in 2015–16, conducted by NIMHANS, found that approximately 10.6 per cent of adults in India suffer from mental disorders, with a lifetime prevalence of 13.7 per cent. The treatment gap for mental disorders ranged between 70 and 92 per cent for different disorders.
