Common Signs of Burnout and Tips to Help You Recover

It’s unlikely anyone can get through life and work without some stress. But when that stress becomes chronic and unmanaged, it can lead to burnout — a state characterized by emotional exhaustion and feelings of detachment and lack of personal accomplishment that can impair not only job performance but overall well-being.¹

While everyone has bad days at work and in life, one study found that more than 8 out of 10 employees were at risk of burnout.²

Stress may be inevitable, but burnout doesn’t have to be so long as people can recognize the signs and take the steps to address it.¹ Here are some of the common signs of burnout, some possible causes and ways to cope.

What Is Burnout?

Unlike depression or anxiety, which are recognized mental health conditions, researchers argue that burnout is not a single state but more of a syndrome in which multiple symptoms recur over time. Burnout is most commonly reported after prolonged, unmanaged job stress and it affects workers across all professions, notably physicians.³ Yet even other professions, such as teachers and first responders, are also candidates for burnout.⁴ However, other life stressors, such as caregiving and stressful educational experiences, particularly those that are prolonged, can also lead to burnout-like symptoms.⁴

While there is a laundry list of signs that are often attributed to burnout, mental health and organizational psychologists tend to focus on three main symptoms to help diagnose the condition: exhaustion, cynicism (also called depersonalization) and inefficacy.¹ Feeling disconnected, disengaged and unable to carry out regular work can be signs that you’re experiencing burnout.

Understanding the Signs of Burnout

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between mental health conditions like anxiety or depression and burnout, as their symptoms often overlap.⁴ However, mental health professionals use tools such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory — developed in 1981 — along with cognitive therapies to identify root causes and guide people toward effective change.¹

Another tool, the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), organizes burnout complaints into the following categories:³

• Cognitive impairment (lowered capacity to regulate cognitive functions)
• Emotional impairment (reduced ability to regulate emotions)
• Exhaustion (an extreme or severe fatigue or loss of energy)
• Mental distance (withdrawal and detachment)

Additional signs of burnout

Beyond these core symptoms, individuals may also experience a range of other signs associated with burnout, including:⁵

• Constant exhaustion that is not relieved by rest
• Detachment, lack of motivation or emotional numbness
• Difficulty focusing, concentrating or making numerous mistakes
• Dreading responsibilities or work that you once enjoyed
• Irritability, anxiousness or feeling overwhelmed more of the time
• Frequent physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive problems or muscle tension.

Burnout can significantly affect a person’s body, mind and ability to function effectively at work. Its impact may include:⁶

• Occupational effects. Decreased job satisfaction, reduced professionalism, absenteeism, impaired job performance, lower productivity, and lack of commitment to an organization.
• Physical effects. Exhaustion, insomnia, headaches, and gastrointestinal disorders.
• Psychological effects. Depression/despair, social isolation, exhaustion, and mental health conditions such as suicidal ideation.

The Difference Between Burnout and Other Mental Health Conditions

While burnout and depression share many overlapping symptoms, they are not the same. Burnout is usually linked to specific roles or responsibilities and often improves with rest or a reduction in demands.³ In contrast, depression typically affects all areas of a person’s life and doesn’t simply go away by taking a break.⁵

Possible Causes of Burnout

Some of the more common causes of burnout relate to the demands and stressors of the work or context itself or the environment surrounding it, including:¹

• A lack of supportive job resources (such as social support, feedback and autonomy)
• Conflicts with colleagues
• Coping skills under stress
• High or poorly designed job demands (especially those with high physical or psychological costs)
• Heavy workload
• Long hours
• Work pressure or time pressure to get work done
• Work-home interference (otherwise known as work/life balance)

Ways to Cope With Burnout

The first step to coping with burnout is recognizing that you are experiencing it, followed by making some changes. Burnout does not tend to get better without intervention, so if you know you’re suffering from it, it’s important to look into strategies to break the cycle, including:¹

• Cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy or counseling
• Increasing relaxation
• Mindfulness techniques
• Positive reframing
• Seeking social support

On a practical level, this can include the following actions:⁷

1. Prioritize self-care. Take time to tend to and nourish your body, mind and spirit through activities and behaviors that fill you up.
2. Rebuild your energy. Burnout depletes. Identify what will help you build your energy back up, from better eating habits to good sleep hygiene.
3. Set good boundaries. Look at the areas in your life where you are doing or giving too much and pare back thoughtfully.
4. Practice mindfulness and relaxation. Mindfulness techniques, which bring you deeply into the present moment, and relaxation activities — such as yoga or massage — can reconnect you to feelings of joy and peace.
5. Activate a support network. Whether you make more time for friends, join a professional network of people who know what you’re going through or just reach out to loved ones, support can be key to helping you feel better.
6. Rediscover your passions. If you’ve overcommitted or overperformed in a work or other context, it can help to redirect energy back to the things that bring you personal joy or meaning.
7. Seek professional help. Never be afraid to reach out for professional support to help you build skills and scaffolding to get through a difficult time.

Burnout Recovery Timeline

If you’re experiencing burnout, you’re likely in a hurry to feel better. So what might you expect in terms of a recovery timeline?

First, you need to understand the recovery process, which includes addressing:⁷

1. The mental impacts. It may take a while to regulate your emotional state, your motivation and/or your ability to focus.
2. The personal impacts. Your self-worth or sense of achievement may have taken a hit. You will need time to recover these.
3. The physical impacts. From improving your sleep to calming your nervous system, this can take time.

You may need anywhere from a month to a year to fully recover. One therapy collective recommended the following expectations:⁷

• Mild to moderate burnout. Four to eight weeks
• Severe burnout. Three to six months (with professional support)
• Complex burnout that affected you physically. Six months to a year

Recognizing Burnout Is a Step Towards Recovery

While the effects of burnout can be startling and discouraging at first, trust that recovery is possible, and interventions could make a big difference. If you recognize symptoms of burnout, consider prioritizing self-care to help you feel better as quickly as possible.

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Author Bio

Jordan Rosenfeld has been freelance writing for 21 years about finances, health, education and more. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Billfold, Good Magazine, GoBanking Rates, Daily Worth, Quartz, Medical Economics, The New York Times, Paypal, The Washington Post and more.