"But actually ah, my heart feels very heavy when I go to work. I dread going to the office."
"It's like this weight in my chest. I forgot the last time I felt happy."
Burnout. It often begins with routines that seem necessary: pushing through, staying dependable, keeping up, not letting your team down, and telling yourself you need to hold on for just a bit more. This is also why burnout is so easy to miss at first. Burnout often builds quietly under the surface while you keep performing as if everything is manageable. Then, over time, the signs become harder to ignore: feeling like you're running on empty, losing interest in hobbies you once loved, and withdrawing slowly, quietly, from those around you. People experiencing burnout often report feeling emotionally numb, disconnected from work, withdrawn from relationships, and no longer restored by rest.
Why Does Burnout Happen?
Burnout usually develops when long-term work-related demands exceed recovery, support, and control. It is more likely when people work toward goals that they perceive are no longer meaningful. Factors driving burnout can therefore include:
- Chronic overworking
- Inadequate rest/recovery
- High self-expectations
- Low control over workload
What Are Some Signs of Burnout?
Common signs include:
- Persistent fatigue
- Difficulty in focusing
- Increased anxiety
- Reduced motivation or interest at work
- Emotional numbness
- Irritability or cynicism
- Social withdrawal
- Headaches, muscle tension, heartburn, gastrointestinal symptoms, or poor sleep
Burnout may manifest as a mix of exhaustion, detachment, and decreased productivity. These symptoms can appear alongside physical fatigue, brain fog, flat affect, cynicism, and/or maladaptive beliefs of hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness.
In everyday life, people often describe burnout less as "I'm stressed" and more as:
- "I feel emptied out."
- "I'm still doing things, but I've checked out emotionally."
- "Even rest doesn't seem to fix it."
- "I don't feel like myself anymore."
However, burnout is often missed because it hides behind words people respect: hardworking, committed, responsible, resilient, dependable. It can also hide behind physical symptoms. Indeed, chronic burnout can keep the body's stress response elevated for long periods, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, weaker immune function, and disrupted sleep. Headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and persistent muscle tension are common as well.
How Does Therapy Help with Burnout?
Therapy can help by slowing the cycle down enough to understand what is actually happening. That may include identifying what is driving the burnout, how your body and emotions are responding, what you may be ignoring, and what may need to change. In practical terms, therapy often helps with:
- Recognising early warning signs
- Emotional regulation
- Setting boundaries
- Modifying unhelpful work or caregiving patterns
- Rebuilding a sense of choice and meaning
The key point is that burnout recovery is not only about "coping better." Sometimes it is also about stopping the life pattern that keeps producing the burnout in the first place.
What Can You Do Next?
If your burnout is mild and recent, start by taking it seriously earlier than you think you need to. Look honestly at sleep, workload, recovery time, boundaries, physical symptoms, and how emotionally detached you have become.
If burnout is persistent, affecting your functioning, or making you feel unlike yourself, consider getting support. Talk to someone you trust, reduce what you can, and consider counselling or therapy before your symptoms worsen further.