Last year, I burned out hard.
I'd been struggling for a few years, juggling my role as the primary earner, constantly moving as part of my digital nomad life, and trying to figure out where my freelance writing career was going. Then, after completing an intense project and living with unusually bad depressive episodes, I knew I needed a break—a long one.
As someone with multiple chronic mental health conditions, I'm no stranger to burnout. The signs were all there: I was tired all the time, anxious about money, and worried about my health.
That's not to say those are the only signs of burnout—it looks different for everyone. But there are some common themes to watch out for. Here are 10 common signs of burnout and what you can do about it.
The information provided in this post is for informational purposes only. The author is not a medical professional and this post does not constitute medical advice.
Table of contents:
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by chronic stress. In other words, it's a warning sign that you're dealing with too much.
While burnout is most commonly associated with the workplace (usually referred to as occupational burnout), that's not the only source of hitting your stress ceiling. Burnout can also appear in other areas of your life, including parenting, caretaking, and romantic relationships.
Left unchecked, burnout can negatively impact a whole host of things like your memory, creativity, and attention span. What's more concerning, it can contribute to high blood pressure, heart conditions, and alter the structure of your brain—making it easier to develop anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.
Burnout vs. depression
Before we dive in, it's worth clarifying that burnout and depression are not the same thing.
According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), depression is classified as a serious mood disorder, whereas the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) explicitly states that burnout is not a medical condition.
Of course, this is putting things very broadly. If you want to get into the specifics of the differences between burnout and depression, this Psychology Today article is a great place to start.
10 signs of burnout
So, what does burnout look like, exactly? It's different for everyone. Here are some of the major signs of burnout to look for.
Fatigue. This physical or emotional exhaustion goes beyond feeling tired and can affect your ability to function in daily activities. You might feel low on energy, stop exercising, sleep more, and experience brain fog.
Insomnia. You may have difficulty falling or staying asleep. You may also have recurring dreams or nightmares and wake up feeling tired or unrested.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms. This may look like picking up old habits like smoking, drinking, or recreational drugs to help you function. You may also notice new ones, like undereating, overeating, or avoiding any social interactions.
Mood swings. Look out for increased irritability, difficulty controlling your own emotions, and strong reactions to small things. You may have road rage, cry often, or find yourself in frequent arguments with coworkers, family, and friends.
Cynicism. You may develop a more negative outlook on life, leading you to struggle with self-doubt and starting or trying anything new, be overly critical of others, and alienate people with your pessimistic attitude.
Cognitive dysfunction. Burnout can seriously affect brain function. You may have trouble focusing or concentrating on tasks, have a short attention span, get confused or lost, or notice your short-term memory getting worse.
Illness. Burnout can also manifest physically. You might develop unexplained aches or pains, get sick more often than usual, and feel dizzy or nauseous.
Anxiety. A common reaction to stress, anxiety can show up as racing thoughts, jumpiness, tense muscles, and a tendency to flip-flop between tasks. You may feel your heart pounding, have trouble breathing, or experience panic attacks.
Reduced work performance. Your work may be impacted by other symptoms of burnout. For example, if you constantly wake up feeling unrested, it may be difficult to focus at work resulting in poor job performance.
Apathy. Also referred to as anhedonia, apathy is a loss of interest, enjoyment, or pleasure in life and activities. You might stop celebrating birthdays or holidays or let go of favorite hobbies.
Am I stressed, exhausted, or burnt out?
According to psychologist Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter: "You don't wake up one morning and all of a sudden 'have burnout.' Its nature is much more insidious, creeping up on us over time like a slow leak."
In my experience, the leak looks like this: signs of burnout start off as signs of stress. Then, if the stress persists, your body begins to signal that you're exhausted. And finally, left unchecked, you hit burnout.
Here's an overview of what the progression may look like for common signs of burnout. (For a deeper dive, check out my podcast mini-series, Bettermental.)
Symptom | Signs of stress | Signs of exhaustion | Signs of burnout |
|---|---|---|---|
Fatigue | You're less energetic and prefer to relax over getting stuff done. | You feel tired most days and find anything but basic life tasks difficult. | You are physically and emotionally drained and dread doing everything. |
Insomnia | You sometimes have trouble falling or staying asleep. | You regularly have trouble falling or staying asleep one or more nights a week. | You struggle to fall or stay asleep more often than not, possibly even nightly. |
Unhealthy coping skills | You feel better after having a drink or cigarette. | You begin having a glass of wine or smoking after a stressful day to relax before bed. | You feel as though you're incapable of relaxing without having a drink or smoke. |
Mood swings | You're more irritable than usual and blame it on stress. | Your mood is unpredictable and it's starting to affect your relationships. | You have frequent outbursts, cry a lot, and small inconveniences can trigger major reactions. |
Cynicism | Your formerly optimistic perspective has been replaced by pessimism. | You think trying is pointless and no one does anything right. | Your constant negative and critical attitude has alienated others, isolating you from friends and family. |
Cognitive dysfunction | You struggle to focus and get easily distracted. | You find it harder to complete projects you used to find simple and misplace objects more often. | You have difficulty completing any tasks, zone out regularly, and can't recall recent conversations or where you put things. |
Illness | You start to notice random aches and pains you can't explain. | You have frequent headaches and either call in or work from home more often. | You’re often sick because of a weakened immune system. |
Anxiety | You feel tense, on-edge, and can feel your thoughts racing. | You are constantly tired from feeling so wound up all the time and imagining worst-case scenarios. | You have regular anxiety or panic attacks at home and at work. |
Reduced work performance | You struggle to complete some of your tasks. | You regularly miss task deadlines and constantly feed drained. | You dread going to work, struggle to complete projects, and have an ever-growing to-do list. |
Apathy | Your favorite activities seem like a lot of work and not worth it right now. | You don't feel like spending time with others. | You feel like doing anything is pointless and can't drum up the energy to take care of yourself. |
This chart was compiled using data from Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, and Bettermental.
Identifying the source of your burnout
Sometimes, the source of burnout might be obvious. But when you have a lot going on, it can be trickier to pinpoint the culprit. Here are some of the most common sources of burnout.
Work. Too much work? Feeling out of your depth? Looming deadlines, toxic environments, and inconsistent schedules are a few of the reasons people may experience chronic stress at work.
Family or home obligations. Burnout can begin at home. For example, if you're caring for aging parents or raising kids on your own, the stress of that can trickle into your daily work.
Health issues. Perhaps you're dealing with the side effects or aftereffects of a serious illness. Or you're learning to manage an acquired disability. People with chronic health issues may also burn out quicker because of ongoing stressors they already live with.
Social or environmental issues. Financial troubles, daily microaggressions, and major events like a global pandemic all impact your mental health and can cause or exacerbate ongoing stress.
3 steps to address burnout
There's no magic fix for burnout, but there are ways to address it. Depending on where I'm at in the burnout cycle and my state of health, I like to divide my response into a few steps:
Get to stability
Troubleshoot the problem
Take preventive action for long-term care
This also helps me prioritize other things going on in my life. If I'm in crisis mode, I know my health takes top priority and other things like socializing have to be put on pause. As I stabilize and move forward, I can re-examine my goals and to-dos.
1. Get to stability
The initial step is all about getting yourself to a place of mental safety and stability as quickly as possible. Otherwise, symptoms of burnout can begin to limit your ability to function, disrupt your daily routines, and impact your overall health.
A key question to ask yourself: What do I need to put in place right now to reduce damage and start recovery?
For example, when I'm really struggling, I know I have to stop whatever I'm doing and take a break. I'll also ask my partner to take on a larger share of our chores so I can focus on recovery.
Depending on the source(s) of your stress, here are some possible short-term solutions to help you get back on solid ground.
If you can, take sick or vacation days. If you don't have any days left, talk to your manager or HR department about taking a sabbatical, extended leave, or family and medical leave (FMLA).
Ask your support network—for example, a parent, partner, or friends—for help with necessary tasks like cooking, childcare, or walking your dog.
Book an emergency appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss further treatment and options.
Fair warning: It may take longer than you might think to get to stability. It can take weeks or months of slowing down before you feel ready to move on to the next step. Adjust your expectations and be gentle with yourself.
2. Troubleshoot the problem
Once you feel ready, start thinking through the source of your burnout and what solutions you can put in place.
Here are some ideas to help you with recovery:
Talk to your manager about temporarily reducing your workload, working from home, or having a more flexible schedule.
Take a step back from any side hustles or volunteer work.
Automate chores—for example, use a grocery delivery service or sign up for a prepared meals service.
3. Take preventive action for long-term care
Burnout is your body's way of telling you that something in your life isn't serving you well—whether that's working a highly lucrative but mentally taxing job or saying yes to every after-work social.
The last step of managing burnout is taking proactive measures to prevent it from happening again. Here are some examples of preventive actions you can take for long-term wellness:
Consider switching jobs or industries.
Reassess the division of household chores or caregiving responsibilities between you and your partner.
Request accommodations at work for an illness or disability.
Whatever the solution, the point is to listen to what your body is telling you, find the source, and make those changes so you can continue to make a full and permanent recovery.
It's ok to not be ok
I won't pretend that self-managing burnout is easy—it's not. If you're not seeing a lot of improvement, speak to a medical professional. They may be able to identify any underlying mental or physical health conditions that are contributing to your burnout and help you form a plan for the future.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in December 2017 by Jessica Greene. The most recent update was in July 2024.
