Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat is Burnout?Common Signs of BurnoutBurnout vs. DepressionHow to RecoverTime to Recover
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What is Burnout?
Common Signs of Burnout
Burnout vs. Depression
How to Recover
Time to Recover
Learn more about burnout in this article, including how to spot its signs and symptoms and recover from it.
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What Is Burnout and How Bad Is It?
The World Health Organization defines burnout as unmanaged, chronic workplace stress that includes:
That said, some argue that our understanding of burnout shouldn’t be limited to just the workplace. Students can experience burnout in academic settings, and unpaidcaregivers—like parents of young children or those caring for aging loved ones—can also experience burnout.
Burnout can affect your mental and physical health as well as your work and relationships.
Below are some of the most common signs and symptoms of burnout, which can help you determine if you or someone you care about is experiencing it.
1. Exhaustion
Exhaustion is one of the most recognized symptoms of burnout and is considered the “core” of the syndrome.
2. Feelings of Dread and Lack of Motivation
You can also feel a sense of dread and demotivation associated with your work (or school, or caregiving) when you’re burned out.
According to the Work in America survey, 26% of workers in the United States don’t feel motivated to do their very best, and 18% have a feeling of being ineffective.
3. Your Mind Wanders
You may find your mind wandering while you’re at work, making focus and completing your assigned tasks difficult.
4. Difficulty Sleeping
Burnout can also affect sleep quality. Sleep and burnout may have a bidirectional relationship, meaning that it can make sleep quality poor and that poor sleep quality can lead to burnout.
Improving your sleep—through strategies like mindfulness and sleep hygiene—could help with burnout symptoms.
5. Inconsistent Appetite
Your appetite could also be a sign of burnout. You may find yourself skipping meals and having no appetite at all, or you may be mindlessly eating comfort foods, even when you’re not hungry.
According to one study, frequent consumption of healthy foods—like low-fat dairy, vegetables, fruit, berries, and white meat—was associated with lower levels of burnout.However, it’s unclear whether following a healthy eating pattern prevents burnout or burnout itself leads to less healthy eating habits.
In either case, it seems that there is an association between burnout and the food we eat, so a change in your eating habits could be a sign of oncoming burnout.
6. Cynicism and Irritability
Cynicism and irritability are important symptoms of burnout.You may think negatively about your work or be more irritable. According to the Work in America survey, 19% of American workers experience irritability or anger with their co-workers and customers, which is a sign of burnout.
7. Feeling Useless
Feeling useless is another sign of burnout. Burnout affects your efficacy at work, or in other words, your ability to get the work done.It can lead to a vicious cycle of feeling useless and like you can’t do anything right.
8. You’re Depressed
Burnout anddepressionhave overlapping symptoms, such as impaired concentration and loss of interest in what you’re doing.Studies have also found a strong correlation between burnout and depression, meaning that these two conditions often occur at the same time.
9. Frequent Headaches
Headaches are another possible sign of burnout. In one study of 3,406 participants, 65% of participants with burnout experienced frequent headaches. This was compared to 41% of those who did not have burnout, making headaches a possible physical symptom of this syndrome.
10. Gut Pain
Gastrointestinal (gut) symptoms can be physical signs of burnout. In the previously mentioned study of 3,406 participants, the following gut symptoms were reported among people with burnout:
In all cases, this was significantly more than the participants who did not have burnout, indicating that stomach symptoms could be a sign of burnout.
11. Turning to Other Comforts
When you feel burned out, you may turn to other comforts as a coping mechanism. These comforts aren’t always healthy and could include reliance on alcohol, drugs, comfort foods, overexercise, and more.
12. Vision Changes
Changes in your vision are a possible sign of burnout. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, stress over a long period can raise theintraocular pressure(the pressure inside the eyeball) and lead to vision symptoms such as:
Burnout vs. Depression: Are They the Same Thing?
A significant difference between burnout anddepressionis that burnout is related to overwork and stress, whereas depression can affect all areas of your life. Burnout and depression are different, but they do have some overlapping symptoms, including:
Burnout is not a medical condition but rather a syndrome that occurs when you are chronically stressed at work.
Depression, on the other hand, is a serious mood disorder that affects your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
It’s possible to have burnout and depression at the same time, but it’s also possible that burnout could be misdiagnosed when you really have depression, and vice versa.Getting an accurate diagnosis is essential to getting the most helpful treatment.
How to Recover From Burnout
Recognizing that you’re experiencing burnout is the first step toward recovery. Below are suggestions for recovering from burnout.
Rethink Your Screen Time
Excessive screen timeis bad for your health and increases symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem.For people with burnout, screen time may also be linked to overworking—whether working on the go or monitoring work emails to come in at all hours of the day.
Setting boundaries and consciously reducing screen time may help with burnout symptoms.
Focus on Self-Care
Self-care practices can be an essential tool for dealing with burnout. People who are burned out are often asked to do too much in their workplaces without enough thought given to their emotional health.
Try to carve out time outside of work for things that make you feel better and more like yourself, such as hobbies, time with loved ones, rest, or exercise.
Take a Break
Taking a breakcan be one of the most powerful tools in recovering from burnout. These work factors often trigger burnout:
Taking a break from work—whether that’s quitting overtime work, taking a one-week vacation, or taking a multi-month sabbatical—can all help you cope with the effects of burnout.
Be Open to Change
Be open to change in your work and home life. Burnout is not usually a problem with you as an individual; it’s a sign of a systemic issue in your employment. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your health is to leave the environment that is causing you burnout and find a new working environment that will foster your mental health.
Talk With a Mental Health Professional
Consider talking with amental health professionalabout your experience with burnout. Even though burnout isn’t considered a medical condition, it can significantly impact your quality of life and contribute negatively to your mental health. A mental health professional can help you develop coping skills and ways to relieve stress.
How Long Does Recovering From Burnout Take?
The length of time recovering from burnout takes depends on whether you’re still exposed to the environments and expectations that caused the burnout in the first place. Recovering from burnout takes longer if you’re still in an environment that is overworking you.
Summary
Burnout can be challenging to identify because it’s become common in American working life. Signs and symptoms range from exhaustion and lack of motivation to headaches, blurry vision, and gut problems. If you’re struggling with burnout, consider talking to a mental health professional so you can rule out the possibility of depression. A mental health professional can also help you develop coping strategies and next steps for recovering from burnout and returning to feeling like yourself.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Burnout and stress are everywhere.American Psychological Association.2023 Work in America Survey.World Health Organization.Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon"Liu Z, Xie Y, Sun Z, et al.Factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students: a cross-sectional study.BMC Med Educ. 2023;23:317. doi:10.1186%2Fs12909-023-04316-yGérain P, Zech E.Informal caregiver burnout? Development of a theoretical framework to understand the impact of caregiving.Front Psychol. 2019;10:1748. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2019.01748Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS.Examining the evidence base for burnout.Bull World Health Organ. 2023;101(11):743-745. doi:10.2471%2FBLT.23.289996Sleep Health Foundation.Burnout and sleep.Penttinen MA, Virtanen J, Laaksonen M, et al.The association between healthy diet and burnout symptoms among Finnish municipal employees.Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2393. doi:10.3390%2Fnu13072393Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K.The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Psychol. 2019;10:429219. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284Chen C, Meier ST.Burnout and depression in nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;124:104099. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104099Hammarström P, Rosendahl S, Gruber M, Nordin S.Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023;168:111217. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111217American Academy of Ophthalmology.Surprising links between stress and the eyes.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Depression: Learn More — What Is Burnout?2020.Perlis RH, Green J, Simonson M, et al.Association between social media use and self-reported symptoms of depression in US adults.JAMA Netw Open.2021;4(11):e2136113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36113Edú-Valsania S, Laguía A, Moriano JA.Burnout: a review of theory and measurement.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(3):1780. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031780
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Burnout and stress are everywhere.American Psychological Association.2023 Work in America Survey.World Health Organization.Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon"Liu Z, Xie Y, Sun Z, et al.Factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students: a cross-sectional study.BMC Med Educ. 2023;23:317. doi:10.1186%2Fs12909-023-04316-yGérain P, Zech E.Informal caregiver burnout? Development of a theoretical framework to understand the impact of caregiving.Front Psychol. 2019;10:1748. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2019.01748Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS.Examining the evidence base for burnout.Bull World Health Organ. 2023;101(11):743-745. doi:10.2471%2FBLT.23.289996Sleep Health Foundation.Burnout and sleep.Penttinen MA, Virtanen J, Laaksonen M, et al.The association between healthy diet and burnout symptoms among Finnish municipal employees.Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2393. doi:10.3390%2Fnu13072393Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K.The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Psychol. 2019;10:429219. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284Chen C, Meier ST.Burnout and depression in nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;124:104099. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104099Hammarström P, Rosendahl S, Gruber M, Nordin S.Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023;168:111217. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111217American Academy of Ophthalmology.Surprising links between stress and the eyes.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Depression: Learn More — What Is Burnout?2020.Perlis RH, Green J, Simonson M, et al.Association between social media use and self-reported symptoms of depression in US adults.JAMA Netw Open.2021;4(11):e2136113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36113Edú-Valsania S, Laguía A, Moriano JA.Burnout: a review of theory and measurement.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(3):1780. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031780
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association.Burnout and stress are everywhere.American Psychological Association.2023 Work in America Survey.World Health Organization.Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon"Liu Z, Xie Y, Sun Z, et al.Factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students: a cross-sectional study.BMC Med Educ. 2023;23:317. doi:10.1186%2Fs12909-023-04316-yGérain P, Zech E.Informal caregiver burnout? Development of a theoretical framework to understand the impact of caregiving.Front Psychol. 2019;10:1748. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2019.01748Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS.Examining the evidence base for burnout.Bull World Health Organ. 2023;101(11):743-745. doi:10.2471%2FBLT.23.289996Sleep Health Foundation.Burnout and sleep.Penttinen MA, Virtanen J, Laaksonen M, et al.The association between healthy diet and burnout symptoms among Finnish municipal employees.Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2393. doi:10.3390%2Fnu13072393Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K.The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Psychol. 2019;10:429219. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284Chen C, Meier ST.Burnout and depression in nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;124:104099. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104099Hammarström P, Rosendahl S, Gruber M, Nordin S.Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023;168:111217. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111217American Academy of Ophthalmology.Surprising links between stress and the eyes.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Depression: Learn More — What Is Burnout?2020.Perlis RH, Green J, Simonson M, et al.Association between social media use and self-reported symptoms of depression in US adults.JAMA Netw Open.2021;4(11):e2136113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36113Edú-Valsania S, Laguía A, Moriano JA.Burnout: a review of theory and measurement.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(3):1780. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031780
American Psychological Association.Burnout and stress are everywhere.
American Psychological Association.2023 Work in America Survey.
World Health Organization.Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”
Liu Z, Xie Y, Sun Z, et al.Factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students: a cross-sectional study.BMC Med Educ. 2023;23:317. doi:10.1186%2Fs12909-023-04316-y
Gérain P, Zech E.Informal caregiver burnout? Development of a theoretical framework to understand the impact of caregiving.Front Psychol. 2019;10:1748. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2019.01748
Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS.Examining the evidence base for burnout.Bull World Health Organ. 2023;101(11):743-745. doi:10.2471%2FBLT.23.289996
Sleep Health Foundation.Burnout and sleep.
Penttinen MA, Virtanen J, Laaksonen M, et al.The association between healthy diet and burnout symptoms among Finnish municipal employees.Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2393. doi:10.3390%2Fnu13072393
Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K.The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Psychol. 2019;10:429219. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284
Chen C, Meier ST.Burnout and depression in nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;124:104099. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104099
Hammarström P, Rosendahl S, Gruber M, Nordin S.Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023;168:111217. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111217
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Surprising links between stress and the eyes.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Depression: Learn More — What Is Burnout?2020.
Perlis RH, Green J, Simonson M, et al.Association between social media use and self-reported symptoms of depression in US adults.JAMA Netw Open.2021;4(11):e2136113. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36113
Edú-Valsania S, Laguía A, Moriano JA.Burnout: a review of theory and measurement.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(3):1780. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031780
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