Understanding Burnout: Signs, Causes, and Ways to Cope
By Cydnei Quinn, LPC Pending
Life can ask a lot of us. Between work, school, relationships, family responsibilities, and the pressure we place on ourselves, it can sometimes feel like there simply isn’t enough time or energy to keep up with everything. Over time, constantly pushing through without enough rest or support can leave us feeling exhausted, disconnected, and overwhelmed. This is where burnout can begin to take hold. Understanding what burnout looks like, what contributes to it, and how it affects our everyday lives can be an important first step toward recognizing when we need to slow down, ask for support, and make space for ourselves.
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and/or mental exhaustion that can happen when we feel overwhelmed or stretched beyond our capacity for an extended period of time. Along with exhaustion, you may notice a lack of motivation, decreased performance, difficulty concentrating, or changes in your mood. Burnout often develops gradually, which means it can sometimes go unnoticed until you are feeling completely depleted.
Signs of Burnout
Burnout can show up differently from person to person, but there are some common signs to look out for. These may include extreme fatigue that doesn’t improve with sleep, having a “short fuse” or feeling more irritable than usual, decreased sleep quality, changes in appetite, headaches, decreased interest in activities you normally enjoy, and other physical symptoms such as pain or gastrointestinal (GI) issues.
Sometimes, these signs can be easy to dismiss or explain away. You may tell yourself that you’re simply tired, having a difficult week, or need to push through until things calm down. Paying attention to these changes, however, can help you recognize when your mind and body may be asking for additional support.
What Causes Burnout?
Burnout can develop for many different reasons. Some common contributing factors include working long hours or spending extended periods in a state of mental alertness, perfectionism, increased work and life demands, and difficulty setting or maintaining boundaries.
Often, burnout isn’t caused by one single thing. Instead, it can build over time as demands continue to outweigh the time, energy, and resources you have available to meet them.
Stress vs. Burnout vs. Depression
Although depression, burnout, and extreme stress can share some similar symptoms, they are different experiences.
Depression isn’t necessarily connected to a particular event, environment, or situation. It can sometimes develop without a clear trigger and may feel as though it has appeared unexpectedly. Burnout, on the other hand, is generally connected to specific situations or areas of life, such as work, school, caregiving, or home life, and tends to develop over time.
Stress is another experience that can overlap with burnout. Stress often involves feeling like there is too much pressure to manage in a particular situation or environment. Unlike burnout, however, stress may improve when you are able to rest or step away from the stressful situation.
With burnout, rest can certainly help, but it may not be enough on its own. Recovery may require making meaningful changes to your routine, responsibilities, boundaries, or environment. In some cases, you may even need to step away from the situation contributing to your burnout.
If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing is burnout, stress, depression, or something else, talking with a mental health professional can help you better understand what you’re going through.
Burnout at Work
One of the most common places people experience burnout is at work, and this can include school or academic work as well. Certain circumstances can increase the likelihood of experiencing work-related burnout.
Some risk factors include heavy workloads, long hours, difficulty maintaining work-life balance, working in a helping profession such as healthcare, and feeling that you have little control over your work.
Job-related burnout can also develop when you have too much—or even too little—to do, don’t feel that you have a voice in your work, aren’t given clear expectations, experience ongoing conflict with others, don’t have adequate support, or struggle to separate your work life from your personal life.
How Burnout Can Affect Your Ability to Work and Care for Yourself and Others
When you’re experiencing burnout, even everyday responsibilities can begin to feel much harder than they once did. The combination of exhaustion, stress, and emotional overwhelm can make it increasingly difficult to care for yourself, do satisfying work, and be present for the people you care about.
You may find yourself spending less time with family and friends, neglecting self-care or personal hygiene, or turning more often to distracting activities such as watching television or scrolling through social media instead of engaging in activities or relationships that normally bring you connection and enjoyment.
Burnout can also affect how you feel emotionally. Common feelings associated with burnout include sadness, apathy, anxiety or panic attacks, irritability, overwhelm, boredom, and numbness.
These changes don’t mean that you’re lazy, uncaring, or not trying hard enough. Sometimes, they are signs that you’ve been carrying more than you have the capacity to carry for too long.
Tips for Reducing and Preventing Burnout
Burnout can feel never-ending when you’re in the middle of it, but there are resources and strategies that can help. Recovery doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, and what works will look different for everyone. Small, consistent changes can still make a meaningful difference.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries can help protect your time and energy. This might mean not accepting more responsibilities than you can realistically handle, prioritizing the most important tasks, learning to say no when necessary, and making intentional time for yourself.
Practice Self-Care
Taking care of your basic needs is an important part of preventing and recovering from burnout. Getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining social connections can all support your overall well-being.
Ask for Help
You don’t have to manage everything on your own. Asking for help might mean delegating tasks to others, reaching out to friends or family, talking with a therapist, or letting someone you trust know that you’re having a difficult time. Reaching out can make a heavy load feel a little more manageable.
Take a Break
When possible, give yourself permission to step away. Take your lunch break, get some fresh air, plan a vacation or small getaway within your means, and create separation between your work hours and your personal time. Even small moments of rest can give your mind and body an opportunity to reset.
Acknowledge What You’re Going Through
One of the hardest—and most important—steps can be acknowledging that you’re having a difficult time. When you’re burned out, it can be easy to criticize yourself or assume that you’re being lazy, unmotivated, or unproductive.
Instead, try to view burnout as information. Your mind and body may be telling you that something needs attention, that you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, or that a change is needed. Recognizing what you’re experiencing isn’t a sign of weakness. It can be the first step toward giving yourself the support and space you need to recover.
If you are experiencing burnout and are looking for help, our team at Owens Counseling & Therapy is here to help. You don’t have to wait until you’re completely exhausted to take care of yourself, and you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Whether that means taking a break, asking for help, talking with someone you trust, or seeking professional support, taking care of yourself is a meaningful part of moving forward.
With offices in Collinsville, Lake in the Hills, St. Charles, and Schaumburg, Illinois (plus telehealth), our team is easily accessible and ready to support you to prevent burnout!
View the list of our clinicians to see who you feel like you would connect with the most.
Contact us to schedule an appointment now!