What Is Burnout? 6 Signs and How To Recover

If you’re feeling exhausted and sluggish, and even simple tasks feel overwhelming, you may be experiencing burnout.

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Though burnout is often associated with job stress, it can also stem from — and affect — many areas of your life, as well as take a toll on your health.

Psychologist Adam Borland, PsyD, says there are ways to recognize burnout and take steps toward recovery.

What is burnout?

Burnout is “physical, emotional or mental exhaustion, accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance and negative attitudes toward oneself and others,” as described by the American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology.

It’s not a medical condition, and it can be tough to describe. In fact, you may not realize you’ve hit burnout until you’ve crossed the line between “really tired” and “too exhausted to function.” And if you’re the kind of person who likes to stay busy, you may not even notice when you’re doing too much.

“If you’re used to going 100 miles an hour and then suddenly take your foot off the gas, you’re still going 85,” Dr. Borland illustrates. “But you may feel like that’s not good enough — precisely because you’re so used to going 100.”

Burnout and depression aren’t the same thing. But they can resemble one another (and can even show up together).

Usually, burnout is tied to a specific situation or environment, like work, while depression doesn’t always have a clear trigger. And stepping away from the source of your burnout can often bring relief. With depression, that’s less likely.

To understand the difference, imagine that you’re about to go on a nice vacation.

“Once you’re away from the source of your burnout, you’re able to relax and enjoy your vacation,” Dr. Borland explains. “But if you’re experiencing depression, you most likely won’t be able to do that. Your depressive symptoms accompany you on your trip.”

Signs of burnout

Burnout looks different for everyone, but it can lead to serious physical, mental and emotional effects. Common signs include:

Fatigue: Fatigue is a key symptom of burnout. You might feel like sleeping all the time or find that even simple tasks take longer to complete.
Apathy and dissatisfaction: Everyone has days when they don’t want to go to work. But with burnout, these feelings persist. Dr. Borland says, “You may feel like, ‘What’s the point? Is my work making a difference? Do I even enjoy what I’m doing, or am I just going through the motions?’”
Mood changes: Burnout affects the way you feel, which can also affect how you treat others. You may be more irritable and on edge than usual. Small stressors may lead to frustration and even angry outbursts.
Changes in eating and sleeping patterns: You may eat more or less than usual or deviate from your typical diet. You may also find yourself sleeping more or less than usual or at different times than usual.
Tension headaches: When prolonged stress leads to sleep problems and causes your muscles to tense up, this type of headache is common. It feels like pressure on your forehead and temples.
Other physical symptoms: Burnout has also been shown to cause symptoms like back pain and gastrointestinal issues, ranging from constipation to diarrhea.

What leads to feeling burned out?

Burnout is often driven by long periods of stress without giving yourself enough time to recover.

Some factors can increase your risk of burnout, like:

Working long hours or being constantly “on”
Difficulty setting or maintaining boundaries
High personal expectations or perfectionism
Ongoing life stressors alongside work demands

“Many of us have a difficult time maintaining necessary boundaries, especially given the technology that plays a significant part in our work today,” Dr. Borland notes. “We’re often expected to be accessible 24 hours a day.”

Stages of burnout

Various professional models of burnout name as few as three stages to as many as a dozen. But they all have one thing in common: “They show that burnout doesn’t happen all at once,” Dr. Borland states. “It develops gradually.”

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North are credited with developing one of the most popular models, the 12 stages of burnout. But today’s mental health providers often break it down into five simpler stages:

Honeymoon phase: You feel driven, capable and willing to push yourself. At this point, stress feels manageable, and you may even take pride in being busy or productive. Even if you’re tired, it doesn’t register as a concern.
Onset of stress: As demands increase and stress builds, you notice occasional exhaustion or trouble concentrating, but you push through it. This is that “going 100 miles an hour” feeling.
Chronic stress: Persistent stress starts to take a clearer toll on your mood, energy, sleep and overall well-being. Rest doesn’t feel as restorative, and it becomes harder to refill your figurative tank.
Burnout: When full-fledged burnout takes hold, physical and emotional exhaustion are pronounced, motivation plummets and daily tasks can feel overwhelming.
Habitual burnout: If burnout goes unaddressed, symptoms like exhaustion and detachment start to feel like the norm. To truly shake it, you’ll need to make intentional changes to your routines and boundaries.

“You might not even recognize burnout in its early stages,” says Dr. Borland. “It’s usually only once burnout has really taken hold that people say, ‘Wait, something is really off here.’ That’s because we’re so used to going at that 100-mile-an-hour clip.”

How to recover from burnout

Burnout can affect many areas of your life and even cause health problems. But thankfully, there are ways to cope with and even overcome this often-debilitating state.

These tangible steps can help you get back on a better path.

Build in breaks. To help identify and prevent overload, make a habit of checking in with yourself throughout the day — every day. “Take a step back and ask: ‘How am I doing emotionally? What about physically?’” Dr. Borland advises.
Enforce work/life boundaries. Job burnout is so common because we often have a hard time saying no. “So many of us have a difficult time finding the necessary boundaries to manage personal life and work demands,” he says.
Establish a daily routine. To help enforce your work/life boundaries, set aside consistent times for non-work activities, like sleeping, eating and being with family and friends.
Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and meditation can help you stay grounded in the present moment. “It’s all about trying to be as emotionally present as possible,” Dr. Borland says.
Move your body. Exercise offers countless health benefits, including improving mood, sleep and more. Whether you join the gym, start walking on your lunch break or do jumping jacks in your office, every little bit can help.
Find fulfillment elsewhere. Hobbies, volunteer work and social connections can provide balance and perspective. “It’s important to say, ‘OK, I’ve put in a hard day’s work. Now, it’s time to stop and attend to the parts of my life that are fun and relaxing,’” Dr. Borland encourages.
Work with a therapist. Seeing a therapist is often a good first step to tackling burnout and learning coping strategies. “We focus on how to refill that tank,” he says. “And having a safe place to talk about it can be life-changing.”

Remember: Focusing on yourself isn’t selfish. It’s an important means of staying well so you can do all the things you need to do — including being there for others.

“I often remind my patients that to be the best friend, spouse, parent or child, they have to attend to their self-care,” Dr. Borland reinforces. If your tank is empty, you can’t be the type of person you want to be for the others in your life.

Final thoughts

Burnout is common, especially during prolonged periods of stress. But it’s also reversible.

“It takes work,” Dr. Borland acknowledges. “But it comes down to establishing a meaningful daily routine and creating and maintaining boundaries so you can tend to your health and well-being, while also attending to your other responsibilities.”

Recognizing the signs of burnout early and making small, intentional changes can help you restore balance and protect your physical and emotional well-being.

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