About Burnout

Learn what causes burnout, the signs to look out for and how to recover

what is burnout

what causes burnout

symptoms of burnout

At times we can all feel under pressure at work – deadlines, demanding clients, difficult colleagues.

When the demands are greater than you feel you can cope with, you're likely to feel stressed.

If this goes on for an extended period (think months or years) then burnout may not be too far away.

This page explains what burnout is, why it occurs, the symptoms and signs to look for, as well as sharing some pointers on burnout recovery.

What is burnout?

According to the World Health Organisation (1) burnout is a psycho-biological syndrome - a collection of symptoms or signs.

Burnout is described as having three dimensions:

complete physical and emotional exhaustion;
feelings of detachment your job or workplace; and
reduced job performance.

What causes burnout?

Burnout is caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It happens when all coping strategies someone has tried have failed and they become worn out (physically, mentally, and emotionally).

What’s interesting is that not everyone who works in a highly demanding role burns out.

Whilst exhaustion (a natural consequence of intense physical, mental, or emotional demand/strain) is a component, according to research (2) Burnout only results when factors known to support workplace wellbeing are low or lacking.

Mental Wealth Management - Burnout reduction resources

Workplace factors known to reduce the likelihood of burnout

In other words, it’s due to an imbalance.

When job demands (let's call them drainers) are high but protective or supportive resources (what might be called sustainers) are low, workers check-in to Burnout Hotel, a place to recover from exhaustion and futility.

The burnout equation

What are the symptoms of burnout?

Researchers have created burnout audits, called inventories, as a means to identify when someone is suffering from burnout.

The statements below are curated from the Maslach and Oldenburg inventories.

Cynicism

You talk and/or think negatively about the organisation, culture and management
You no longer care about your work or clients
You're no longer interested in your colleagues
You feel resentment towards your colleagues
Your work no longer interests you
You find your job dull

Exhaustion

You are tired before you arrive at work
You feel emotionally drained after work
You are worn out at the end of each work day
You feel constantly under pressure
You have no energy for anything outside of work

Efficacy

You are taking longer to get started and/or do things
You are unable to concentrate, problem solve or make decisions
You are just going through the motions
You are impatient or irritable with co-workers/clients
You feel useless and have lost confidence in yourself

If you can tick most of these, then you may be struggling with work-related stress and on your way to Burnout Hotel. A few of these may also indicate another health condition such as depression.

ACTION! Whether you can tick some or all of the above statements - it's time speak to your manager and EAP provider or other health professional

When I burned out, I had a sense that things were not right. I had not been my life-loving self for some time. I was permanently tired, and everything felt effort-some.

I was going through the motions, witnessing but not engaging, feeling more and more distanced from my role, colleagues, and life in general.

Nothing held meaning and all felt worthless, including me.

Burnout does not go away by itself

Thanks to the resilience of the human body, burnout doesn’t happen overnight. We burn out when we have nothing left (physically, mentally, or emotionally) to deal with the demands of our role.

This means that as soon as you recognise you are no longer coping, it is important to ask for support and not soldier on believing things will come right. The sooner you do, the sooner you recover.

Stress hormones circulating in the blood long term will impact every part of your body and can lead to serious mental and/or physical health issues.

How to recover from burnout

When I work with someone who has burned out or is close to doing so, the first thing I tell them is that recovery is like burning out, it takes a long time.

Mental Wealth Management - Burnout recovery

Burnout recovery requires rest and rediscovery

Your body is worn out so you must remove the stressors and take things easy for awhile. And this means at least a month, not a fortnight off or a long weekend!

Once you're feeling less overwhelmed, overworked and overscheduled, you can begin to piece yourself and your life back together.

For example, you will have made space in your life to cope with the extra demands at work. To do so, you will have let go of activities that you felt were unnecessary but that actually sustained you.

Just as a mobile phone needs recharging, we need these aspects in our lives. They energise and support us.

Mental Wealth Management - burnout refuel activities

Activities that restore and sustain us

During your recovery, it is important to re-find and re-establish the parts of your life that you let go of and make a pledge to never let go of them again.

They are the all important credits to what I call our mental wealth account.

Without them, you are likely to find yourself becoming overdrawn and burned again.