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What is burnout and how to recover? The small shifts that can help
Written byChloe Gray
Reviewed byDr Jade Thomas
Ever felt overwhelmed and unable to cope? Then you could be suffering from burnout. By giving yourself space to rest, reset and realign, you can move forward feeling stronger and more resilient
Summary
1What is burnout?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies burnout as a phenomenon, meaning medical causes of stress, exhaustion and other symptoms...
2What causes burnout?
The causes of burnout are what separate it from other mental health issues. Burnout is caused by chronic, ongoing stress without adequate recovery…
3Signs and symptoms of burnout
Warning signs may include symptoms such as trouble switching off, persistent low energy despite rest, irritability, reduced focus or creativity...
Burnout might feel overwhelming in the moment but it’s far from the end of the story. With the right support, small lifestyle shifts and healthy boundaries, recovery is not only possible – it can be transformative. Many people find that addressing burnout helps them rediscover balance, reconnect with what matters most and build a more sustainable, fulfilling relationship with work and life.
That’s why we spoke to psychologist Dr Jade Thomas, founder of Luxe Psychology Practice, to understand the signs early and taking action is a powerful step toward protecting your wellbeing.
According to the 2025 Burnout Report by the charity Mental Health UK around nine in 10 people in the UK have experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the last year. The good news? With awareness growing and organisations becoming more open to conversations about stress, you’re far from alone. Burnout isn’t a personal failure – it’s a signal that something needs to change and positive change is absolutely within reach.
Burnout may halt you temporarily, but it doesn’t define you – and it certainly doesn’t have to hold you back. The report also found that one in five need to take time off work due to stress, suggesting our overwhelm has reached the point of not being able to cope – a key symptom of burnout.
What is burnout?
Burnout was a word coined in the 1970s by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger and is defined as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that results from long-term work-related stress.1
It was originally used to describe the effects of intense stress amongst those with high-pressure jobs, like doctors and nurses dedicating themselves to the well-being of others, only to find themselves utterly drained, devoid of energy and unable to cope. “Clinically, burnout is understood as a combination of emotional and physical exhaustion, feeling detached or negative about work and reduced ability to perform effectively," explains Dr Thomas.
But nowadays, burnout has stealthily crept into the lives of all types of workers. “It can occur for anyone at any level of work – people can get burnt out just trying to manage the general demands of work-life balance,” she says.
Burnout isn’t just limited to those already in the workplace though – studies have shown that students can experience symptoms of burnout too due to the pressure to perform academically and the stress of exams.2 Another study3 also found that some people don’t actually attribute their burnout symptoms to work, suggesting that stressors outside the office like caregiving, finances or general life overload can be just as draining.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) doesn’t class burnout as a medical condition but as a phenomenon, meaning medical causes of stress, exhaustion and other symptoms need to be ruled out first.4
“Burnout is fundamentally an environmental and systemic issue, not a personal failure”
What causes burnout?
The causes of burnout are what separate it from other mental health issues. While anxiety and depression are conditions that can have a variety of triggers, often specific to each person, the causes of burnout are more clear-cut.5 “Burnout is caused by chronic, ongoing stress without adequate recovery,” explains Dr Thomas.
Common drivers include:
- excessive workload or pressure
- lack of control or autonomy
- poor support from colleagues or leadership
- role conflict or unclear expectations
- mismatch between personal values and workplace culture
- persistent imbalance between work and rest
“Individual factors, such as perfectionism, difficulty setting boundaries or prolonged sleep disruption can make someone more vulnerable, but burnout is fundamentally
an environmental and systemic issue, not a personal failure,” adds Dr Thomas.
Signs and symptoms of burnout
Being able to recognise the signs of burnout is a great first step in tackling its effects. The three main symptoms, as defined by WHO,6 are:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job
- reduced professional efficacy
Dr Thomas warns that there can be early signs of the condition before these full symptoms of burnout are reached. “Warning signs may include symptoms such as trouble switching off, persistent low energy despite rest, irritability, reduced focus or creativity and a subtle drop in motivation or productivity,” she says.
While burnout can have an impact on the body, affecting everything from headaches to digestive problems.7 Dr Thomas goes onto say, “There are no medical biomarkers or blood tests to diagnose it. Instead, psychologists use validated questionnaires and clinical interviews to assess symptoms and rule out other conditions such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders or medical issues.”
“Burnout can have an impact on the body, affecting everything from headaches to digestive problems.”
How does burnout feel?
“Clients often describe burnout as feeling ‘empty’, ‘on autopilot’, ‘overwhelmed by the
smallest things’, ‘numb’ or ‘like the lights are on but nobody’s home.’ Many describe a
sense of losing themselves, their confidence, their spark or feeling ‘stuck’,” says Dr Thomas.
You might also experience physical sensations, with one study7 finding that fatigue, pain and gastrointestinal symptoms are particularly common in burnout. That’s because, according to the study’s authors, sleep disturbance and stress enhance each other and both conditions may result in higher release of cortisol. That can then lead to changes in the digestion – including nausea, gas, indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea and stomach pain – and increased pain sensitivity.
How to recover from burnout
Burnout isn’t a medical condition, so you’re unlikely to be diagnosed with it by your GP. However, it’s important to visit your healthcare provider if you find yourself struggling with pressure, stress and any overwhelming feelings. Your GP will help you determine the cause of your symptoms, advise you and offer treatment options if necessary.
“Burnout recovery involves both rest and change,” says Dr Thomas. “Short-term rest or time off can be helpful but stopping everything without addressing the underlying causes rarely leads to lasting recovery.”
Sometimes, we can feel guilty for taking time off work to recover when we feel stressed or burnt out, or we might feel that we can’t take time out because we have too much to do. This is what researchers have called the recovery paradox.8 When we feel stressed and work is demanding, we tend to start taking fewer breaks and working longer hours to get things finished. This leaves us feeling even more exhausted and less motivated day after day.
6 ways to beat burnout
Recovery is important for your overall health. While it may feel like a daunting or impossible task, Dr Thomas says the following steps can help you recover.
- Rebalancing workload and expectations – that can look like delegating tasks to other people, pausing extra job roles or having a mindset shift around the need to complete everything at once
- Improving boundaries around work – with studies showing that even thinking about your work can hinder your ability to recover, it’s important to take breaks. That might mean setting clear boundaries and detaching from work during your personal time, especially if you work from home
- Prioritising sleep, nutrition, movement and social connection – in one study, participants who prioritised social, physical and creative experiences on the weekend were at a lower risk of burnout than those who worked on their days off.9 Taking care of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing can protect you from stress at work by generally improving overall happiness and resilience
- Therapy or coaching – telling someone that you feel stressed, worried or burnt out is important for your mental well-being as it can help take some of the weight off your shoulders. It also helps to give you coping skills that can manage stress
- Conversations with employers about support – as Dr Thomas noted, burnout isn’t always a personal problem but, most often, a result of excessively demanding external sources. With that in mind, you shouldn’t assume you can fix the problem alone. Research10 suggests that organisationally focused well-being interventions are effective at promoting and maintaining worker well-being
- Taking time off – in small studies,11 taking a holiday from work was shown to help reduce stress, demonstrated by a reduction in heart rate of vacation takers. In addition, time away from work will help to give you the distance you need to detach and relax, away from the pressure of tasks and deadlines
“Stopping everything is sometimes necessary if someone is severely exhausted or unsafe but for most people, a paced, structured approach works better than an abrupt withdrawal,” says Dr Thomas.
How to support a loved one with burnout
Supporting loved ones through burnout can be tough. But getting better often requires help and support from people you love, says Dr Thomas. She recommends:
- listening without minimising their experience
- encouraging them to rest and take things slowly
- offer practical help to reduce their daily load
- gently suggesting professional support if they’re struggling to cope
- maintaining your own boundaries so you can support them sustainably
The final say
Continuous stress without a break can lead to burnout. Avoiding burnout requires managing pressure and expectations with your employer, while also allowing yourself mental and physical distance from work. Burnout can lead to symptoms including exhaustion, so taking time to properly recover is vital for your health.
Looking for more tips on dealing with stress? Discover how to maximise your rest based on your personality type and ingredients that may help support.
Disclaimer – This article provides informational advice and is not a substitute for medical care. Working with experts for accuracy, we take great care to ensure the information is up-to-date and relevant. However, you should always consult your GP or healthcare professional before using supplements or alternative products, particularly if you have medical conditions or are under supervision.
1. Maslach C, Leiter MP. Chapter 43 - Burnout [Internet]. Fink G, editor. ScienceDirect. San Diego: Academic Press; 2016. p. 351–7. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128009512000443
2. March-Amengual JM, Cambra Badii I, Casas-Baroy JC, Altarriba C, Comella Company A, Pujol-Farriols R, et al. Psychological Distress, Burnout, and Academic Performance in First Year College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [Internet]. 2022 Jan 1;19(6):3356. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3356/htm
3. Bianchi R, Lindsäter E, Vollan TE, Tesaker R, Mathisen HH, Øyangen SH, et al. Most people do not attribute their burnout symptoms to work. Journal of Psychosomatic Research [Internet]. 2024 Oct 21;187:111962. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002239992400374X
4. Khammissa RAG, Nemutandani S, Feller G, Lemmer J, Feller L. Burnout phenomenon: neurophysiological factors, clinical features, and aspects of management. Journal of International Medical Research [Internet]. 2022 Sep;50(9):030006052211064. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9478693/
5. NHS. Causes - Depression in adults [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2023. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/causes/
6. World Health Organization . Burn-out an occupational phenomenon [Internet]. www.who.int. 2019. Available from: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon
7. Hammarström P, Rosendahl S, Gruber M, Nordin S. Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023 May;168:111217.
8. Sonnentag S. The recovery paradox: Portraying the complex interplay between job stressors, lack of recovery, and poor well-being. Research in Organizational Behavior. 2018;38(38):169–85.
9. Ginoux C, Isoard‐Gautheur S, Sarrazin P. “What did you do this weekend?” Relationships between weekend activities, recovery experiences, and changes in work‐related well‐being. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. 2021 Apr 17;13(4).
10. Cohen C, Pignata S, Bezak E, Tie M, Childs J. Workplace interventions to improve well-being and reduce burnout for nurses, physicians and allied healthcare professionals: A systematic review. British Medical Journal Open [Internet]. 2023 Jun 1;13(6):1–23. Available from: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/6/e071203
11. Hruska B, Pressman SD, Bendinskas K, Gump BB. Do vacations alter the connection between stress and cardiovascular activity? The effects of a planned vacation on the relationship between weekly stress and ambulatory heart rate. Psychology & Health. 2019 Nov 6;35(8):984–99.
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