How to Recognise Burnout

Burnout is a term often used when prolonged pressure at work leaves someone feeling exhausted, increasingly negative or detached from their job, and less effective in what they do.

It can develop gradually.

You may not suddenly think:

“I’m burned out.”

Instead, you might notice that work feels harder than it used to, your energy has disappeared or you no longer feel like yourself.

What is burnout?

The World Health Organization describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

It describes three main areas:

• feeling exhausted or depleted of energy
• becoming more mentally distant, negative or cynical about your job
• feeling less effective professionally

Burnout specifically relates to the workplace context. Similar feelings outside work can have many different causes.

What might burnout feel like?

Everyone’s experience is different, but you might notice:

• feeling exhausted before the working day begins
• struggling to find enthusiasm for work
• becoming increasingly frustrated or cynical
• feeling emotionally detached from your job
• finding tasks harder to start or complete
• struggling to concentrate
• feeling that your work is never good enough
• making mistakes you would not normally make
• having less patience with colleagues, customers or clients
• finding it difficult to recover between working days
• feeling that you have nothing left to give

You might still be turning up and completing your work.

From the outside, other people may not realise how difficult it has become.

Burnout can creep up gradually

One reason burnout can be difficult to recognise is that people often adapt to increasing pressure.

You stay a little later.

You skip a break.

You answer messages in the evening.

You work through another weekend.

You tell yourself:

“I’ll slow down once this busy period is over.”

But the busy period doesn’t end.

What started as an occasional response to pressure can gradually become your normal way of working.

Why does burnout happen?

Burnout is not simply about whether somebody can “handle pressure”.

Workplace factors can contribute, including:

• consistently excessive demands
• insufficient time or resources
• lack of control
• unclear expectations
• difficult workplace relationships
• feeling unsupported
• conflict between your values and what you are expected to do
• little opportunity to recover from demanding work
• prolonged uncertainty or organisational change

Pressure outside work can also reduce the amount of energy you have available to cope with workplace demands.

Am I just tired?

Everyone has days when they are tired, frustrated or unmotivated.

Burnout is more about a continuing pattern than one difficult day or busy week.

Ask yourself:

• How long have I felt like this?
• Do I recover after time away from work?
• Has my attitude towards work changed?
• Am I becoming more detached or negative?
• Is work affecting the rest of my life?
• Have things I used to manage started feeling much harder?

These questions cannot diagnose what is happening, but they may help you recognise whether something has changed.

Don’t simply try to work harder

When you feel that you are falling behind, the natural response can be to put in more effort.

That can mean working longer hours, skipping breaks or taking work home.

If excessive or prolonged work pressure is contributing to the problem, repeatedly adding more work may make recovery harder.

Try identifying what needs to change, rather than only asking how you can keep doing more.

That might involve workload, priorities, working hours, support, boundaries or expectations.

Talk about what is happening

If possible, consider speaking with your manager, HR team or another appropriate person at work.

Try to describe specific problems rather than simply saying:

“I’m stressed.”

For example:

“I’ve regularly been working beyond my hours because I can’t complete the current workload.”

or:

“I’m finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate and recover between working days.”

Specific information can make it easier to discuss what practical changes may be possible.

Give recovery some space

Rest is important, but recovering from prolonged workplace pressure may involve more than taking one evening off.

Think about whether you are regularly getting opportunities to:

• stop working
• sleep and rest
• spend time away from work-related messages
• do things unrelated to your job
• connect with other people
• take the breaks and leave available to you

You do not have to earn the right to recover by becoming completely exhausted first.

When to seek additional support

Exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep, low mood and loss of motivation can have causes other than burnout.

If these experiences are persistent, significant or affecting your ability to manage everyday life, consider speaking with your GP or an appropriate healthcare or mental-health professional.

Your employer may also provide occupational health, an employee assistance programme or other wellbeing support.

Recognising that something has changed can be important.

Burnout is not something you have to wait to become completely overwhelmed by before taking seriously.

6.1: Work-Related Stress

6.3: Stress or Burnout, What’s the Difference?

6.4: Feeling Overwhelmed at Work

6.7: Managing Workload Pressure

6.8: Starting a New Job and Feeling Anxious

2.6: How to Recognise When You’re Under Too Much Pressure

4.9: Tired All the Time, When Poor Sleep Affects Everyday Life

General information only. This is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare advice.