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Burnout result · CBI 75–100‘The Captain in the Storm’: your burnout result, explained
“If I let go for a second, everything falls apart.”
Your answers land in the high band of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory framing (roughly a 75–100 average out of 100). You’re holding everything — family, work, everyone’s emotions — and quietly running on empty. This is the high end of burnout, and it’s the version dads least often say out loud. You don’t have to white-knuckle it: this level is worth taking to a professional, and doing that is a strength move, not a failure.
What this result means
At this band the tank isn’t low — it’s empty, and you’re running on the fumes of sheer will. You wake up already tired, ordinary days feel like more than you can manage, and you may feel trapped, like it won’t ever let up. The ‘Captain in the Storm’ keeps steering because it feels like the whole thing sinks the moment they stop. That’s an exhausting, lonely place to be — and it’s the one fathers are most likely to keep to themselves.
Please hear this clearly: a high score isn’t a verdict on you as a dad. It’s a signal that the load has badly outrun your recovery, for long enough that your body and mind are telling you so. It’s serious, but it’s also a known state that gets better — usually faster than it feels like it will — once you stop carrying it alone.
Where this score sits
The check averages your answers into a 0–100 burnout level and maps it to one of four dad archetypes. You’re in the highest band:
- 0–34 The Zen Dad — tank still refills
- 35–54 The Navigator — coping, but running low
- 55–74 The Opener — a moderate burnout load
- 75–100 The Captain in the Storm — high burnout (you are here)
What to do next
The single most important move at this level is to stop carrying it alone. Talk to a GP or therapist — that’s the step that changes the trajectory, and reaching for it is strength, not weakness. Alongside that: protect some genuinely off-duty time, even small pockets of it, and let your partner carry a piece of what you’re holding instead of absorbing it all silently. You are not meant to run a household, a job, and everyone’s feelings on an empty tank.
A lot of the weight in this season sits between you and your partner, and that’s often where the first bit of relief comes from — one small move at a time, which is what Regular is built for. But at this band, the app is a companion to real support, not a replacement for it.
Burnout and depression overlap. A high burnout score can look almost identical to depression — the exhaustion, the flatness, the loss of interest, the sense of being trapped. This self-check can’t tell them apart, and it isn’t a diagnosis. A GP or therapist can, and can help either way. Taking the mental-health check is a good next step too.
If you or someone in your family is ever in immediate danger, call your local emergency services, or find mental-health support in your country.
When to get help
Now is a good time — not once it gets worse. If the exhaustion, low mood, or sense of being trapped has been around for two weeks or more, or if you’ve lost interest in things you used to care about, please talk to a GP or therapist. It’s the most effective thing you can do, and it’s a move plenty of strong people make. If you or someone in your family is ever in immediate danger, call your local emergency services, or find mental-health support in your country.
FAQ
What does a high burnout score (CBI 75–100) mean?
You’re holding everything — family, work, everyone’s emotions — and quietly running on empty. On the CBI framing this is the high band, the ‘Captain in the Storm’. It’s the version dads least often say out loud, and it’s worth taking to a professional. This self-check is not a diagnosis.
Is high burnout the same as depression?
No, but they overlap heavily and can look almost identical — exhaustion, flatness, loss of interest, hopelessness. That overlap is exactly why a high score is worth taking to a GP or therapist, who can tell them apart. A self-check can’t diagnose either.
What should I do if I scored in the high burnout band?
Talk to a GP or therapist — a strength move, not a failure. Protect real off-duty time, and let your partner carry a piece of what you’re holding. If it ever feels like too much, find mental-health support in your country via search, and call your local emergency services in an emergency.
Regular helps new dads rebuild closeness with their partner through small, science-backed moments — not big talks — in the first year after a baby.
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