Understanding Burnout: The Importance of Identifying & Treating Burnout
Overworked, tired, frustrated with a packed calendar … at some point, we’ve all felt overwhelmed with our work or personal life. But what happens when being overwhelmed turns into burnout? Even more so, how do we know when we’re just tired or stressed out versus totally burned out? Here we’ll look at the importance of identifying and treating burnout in order to take effective, actionable steps for greater balance.
First, What Is Burnout?
The term “burnout” was devised by Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North, psychologists who created the phrase to describe a state of complete and overwhelming exhaustion that results in chronic physical, emotional, and/or mental fatigue. While it’s not an official medical diagnosis, burnout can negatively impact your life by affecting mood, relationships, and physical health.
Burnout is often mistaken for other mental health disorders, such as chronic stress or depression, and even physical conditions like anemia or thyroid imbalances. Or, it’s sometimes seen as something everyone deals with, so we just need to push through it with a quick fix or a little willpower. These misconceptions prove why it’s imperative to understand potential causes and take note of symptoms for an accurate diagnosis.
Causes of Burnout
People most often attribute burnout to their jobs. Working late nights, trying to meet untenable deadlines, and dealing with toxic environments can all lead to chronic stress that shuts down the body. Over time, though, the concept of burnout has been attributed to more areas of life, including demanding school schedules and caregiving for a family member, among others. Below are examples of situations that may contribute to burnout:
Work-Related Causes of Burnout:
- Hostile or high-stress environment
- Unrealistic/demanding deadlines
- Overwhelming workloads
- Lack of leadership support
- Poor work/life balance
Other Causes of Burnout:
- Caregiving for a loved one
- Overloaded personal schedules
- Bad sleep habits
- Isolation/lack of support system
- Mental health disorders like OCD
Burnout vs. Depression
Depression, along with other mental health issues like anxiety, is often mistaken for burnout because they share common symptoms. A mental health professional can help you get to the root of your struggles, but if you are navigating symptoms on your own, remember that depression is a medical diagnosis due to complex biological and psychological factors, and burnout is a psychological syndrome typically resulting from prolonged overexertion in a specific situation.
Overlapping Symptoms of Burnout & Depression Include:
- Low or depressive moods
- Chronic fatigue or problems sleeping
- Changes in appetite or eating habits
- Loss of joy in favorite hobbies or activities
- Feeling worthless, sad, or empty
- Difficulty concentrating or reduced motor function
- Thoughts of self-harm
- Unintentional weight changes
- Restlessness
- Physical pains (body aches, headaches, cramps, digestive problems)
Burnout vs. Anxiety
Like depression, anxiety can be confused with burnout. Unlike depression, anxiety symptoms are often in direct contrast with burnout, so it’s important to know the differences.
Burnout vs Anxiety Symptoms:
- Energy – Apathy vs. racing thoughts
- Emotion – Detachment vs. edginess
- Mindset – Not caring vs. caring too much
- Physical – Fatigue vs. racing heart
An easy way to remember the differences is: anxiety is “too much” and burnout is “not enough.”
Burnout Comes in Stages
Regardless of the cause, burnout develops over time, meaning it can sneak up on a person before they realize it’s a problem. That’s why North and Freudenberger developed their 12-Stage Model of Burnout, identifying the progressive stages of burnout to help people better identify when symptoms and behaviors may be concerning:
- Perfection Drive: The initial phase, where the urge to be flawless or constantly prove your value begins to dominate your thoughts and actions
- Workaholic Patterns: Shouldering everything yourself, working excessive hours, and letting relationships and personal needs fall by the wayside
- Neglecting Well-Being: Failing to care for basic needs by losing sleep, skipping meals or eating poorly, and never fully resting
- Rising Tension with Others: Increased conflict with coworkers, friends, or family as fatigue, stress, and irritability build
- Shifting Priorities: Work and achievement overshadow relationships and self-care, creating a sense of being stuck in an unhealthy cycle
- Denial of Warning Signs: Overlooking declining mental and physical health, worsening attitudes, and reduced effectiveness, often accompanied by growing resentment
- Social Withdrawal: Pulling back from loved ones and activities unrelated to work, sometimes turning to substances to cope
- Noticeable Behavior Shifts: Emotional volatility, irritability, cynicism, impulsive actions, emotional numbness, or avoidance
- Loss of Self: Identity becomes tied solely to productivity or results, leading to emotional detachment and a sense of worthlessness outside of achievements
- Emotional Hollowing: Deep fatigue takes hold, paired with anxiety and a growing sense of emptiness
- Depressive State: Exhaustion deepens into despair, self-criticism, and a near-total loss of motivation
- Total Burnout: Full physical and emotional breakdown, signaling an urgent need for support and intervention
Treating Burnout
If you’re experiencing burnout, it’s vital to take action for both your physical and mental health. Untreated burnout could result in lasting ailments like heart disease, chronic pain, and weight struggles, along with impacting professional and personal relationships.
Ways to Treat Burnout:
- Acknowledge What’s Happening: Admit to yourself that you’re burned out and take time to determine the cause.
- Create Distance Where You Can: Once the source is determined, step back if possible. This doesn’t have to be permanent. Simply taking a few days off can make a meaningful difference.
- Communicate Your Needs: Even if a full break isn’t an option, share what you’re experiencing with supervisors, family members, or others involved to find ways to reduce pressure.
- Commit to Meaningful Change: Decide what needs to change, whether that’s a new job/role, asking for support, or building healthier routines. Be intentional and consistent about following through on those decisions.
- Focus on Self-Care: Prioritize rest, exercise, and nourishment, while incorporating calming practices like stretching, reading, or quiet downtime to help your body recover.
- Get Professional Help: Stay connected with people who make you feel safe. Professional support, such as therapy or counseling, can also provide tools to manage stress and prevent burnout from returning.
How Therapy Helps Burnout
When professional help is needed for burnout, therapy can provide the safe and supportive environment you need to heal. A therapist will work with you and your needs to develop a treatment plan incorporating therapeutic modalities designed to reframe unhealthy thoughts and build coping skills.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of psychotherapy that challenges unhelpful thinking by finding the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, then providing coping skills to improve emotional regulation. For people experiencing burnout, CBT helps you identify and reframe negative emotions and behaviors while equipping you with the tools to improve your environment. For example, if your thought was “I’m a horrible manager and can’t handle leading a team,” CBT will help you understand this thought as an exaggeration and reframe it as “There are problems in the workplace right now, but I can handle them one at a time through proper time management.”
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT works similarly to CBT in that it acknowledges negative thoughts and emotions, while teaching you to accept them and live life according to your personal values. Through ACT, a person with burnout would be encouraged to accept feelings like fatigue, stress, and overwhelm without self-judgment, and to remember the values that help them do their job well, even in the face of chronic stress.
Mindfulness Therapy
Mindfulness helps you become better attuned to your thoughts and emotions, building an awareness that teaches you how to better acknowledge what you’re feeling and how to cope with negative responses – and how to appreciate joy. For someone experiencing burnout, Mindfulness helps them recognize the symptoms but not be overwhelmed by them; instead, the symptoms are acknowledged as just that while the person still takes pleasure in moments throughout their daily life, such as spending time with family.
Overcome Burnout with Professional Help
Once you identify symptoms of burnout, or suspect you may be experiencing them, it’s important to reach out sooner rather than later. SOL Mental Health specializes in psychotherapy and compassionate therapy modalities like CBT, ACT, and Mindfulness to help you feel better, sooner. Contact us today to start identifying the root causes of burnout, develop coping strategies, and restore balance in your life.
-----
Resources:
Burnout or Depression? Here Is How to Know
Healthline
What to know about burnout vs. depression
Medical News Today
