Burnout coaching

What is burnout?

Burnout refers to a reaction some of us can have to ongoing workplace stress. In some cases, the stress is simply too much; in other cases, it's been poorly managed. Many of us will recognise the description of burnout, a feeling of exhaustion, perhaps feeling cynical about our work and feeling like we’re not doing our best. 

Burnout is more common than you might think. According to the Burnout Report 2025, nine in 10 of us have experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the last year. One in five (21%) of us have needed time off of work due to poor mental health caused by stress.

Burnout has been part of the International Classification of Diseases, as laid out by the World Health Oraganization, since 2019. The WHO describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition. Burnout happens when we experience chronic workplace stress without managing these feelings of stress and overwhelm. If you find yourself feeling like you are exhausted or lacking energy, are mentally distant from your job, feel negative or cynical about work, or find your efficacy is going down, it could be a sign of burnout. 

While burnout is most commonly associated with work-related stress, it can apply in other areas. As an example, there is more conversation happening around autistic burnout, caregiver burnout and activist burnout. Regardless of the source of your burnout, it can easily spill over and affect other areas of your life. Left unaddressed, it can make you more vulnerable to illness and may even lead to depression. For this reason, it is important to take action as early as possible. Working with a burnout coach can help you identify symptoms and sources, learn how to tell the difference between stress and burnout, and find new ways of coping. 

In this video, Happiful took to the streets to see how aware people are of burnout and how to tackle it.

Causes of burnout

Looking at work-related burnout specifically, the causes are typically related to your current job. Perhaps you’re feeling overworked and undervalued in your role right now. Maybe you feel as though you have little control over the work you do and lack a sense of recognition. The demands of your job may be overwhelming, and/or you are working in a high-pressure environment. Alternatively, you may be doing work that feels unchallenging and boring. 

There may be unreasonable time pressures in your job or a lack of communication from your manager, leaving you feeling isolated. You may even feel that you’re treated unfairly at work, experiencing harassment or bullying. 

Other factors that can increase your risk of burnout include not taking enough time off to relax, not having a good support system around you, not asking for help/taking on too much responsibility and not prioritising sleep. Some personality traits can also put you at greater risk, such as being a perfectionist, having a desire for control or being a high achiever. Sometimes, those who struggle with other mental health conditions use overworking as a distraction, which in itself can be detrimental.

Types of burnout

Burnout can be broken down into three main types. 

Overload burnout

This type happens when we feel, as the name suggests, overloaded. Perhaps the most common type, this is the category most people fall into when they experience burnout.

Under-challenged burnout

This is when you are feeling bored in your job and not challenged enough. There may not be room for professional growth, and you may struggle to find learning opportunities. This might also be described as rust-out.

Neglect burnout

Closely linked to imposter syndrome, this type happens when you feel you’re unable to keep up with your responsibilities. You may feel helpless and stuck, unable to move forward. 

Burnout symptoms

Burnout isn’t something that suddenly starts affecting you, it is a gradual process. This means the symptoms can be subtle and harder to spot at first but over time, they build into full burnout.

Getting to know the signs of burnout and increasing your self-awareness can help you notice them earlier, so you can tackle the stress and hopefully avoid burnout. Increasing your sense of self-awareness could involve a regular reflective practice like journaling, mood tracking or meditation. Anything that encourages you to check in with yourself and how you’re feeling is helpful, as this takes us out of autopilot, allowing us to notice when something’s not right.

Here are some of the common burnout symptoms to watch out for:

Exhaustion

Feeling drained of energy is a common burnout symptom. You might notice you’re feeling tired more often and that you don’t have the energy to deal with problems. Chronic stress can also affect sleep, leading to oversleeping or insomnia.

Loss of motivation

With this exhaustion often comes a lack of motivation. You might struggle to see the point in what you’re doing at work and feel uninspired to do tasks. If you are feeling undervalued and unchallenged at work, motivation can quickly dissipate.

Cynicism and distancing

Over time, the build-up of stress can make you feel cynical and negative about your work, the company and even the people you work with. You might notice yourself distancing yourself from others, isolating yourself and feeling alienated from colleagues.

Reduced performance

The effects of long-term stress can, unsurprisingly, have a negative effect on your performance at work. You may notice an increase in mistakes or simply feel you aren’t doing your best.

Using unhealthy coping mechanisms

There are lots of things we can turn to to cope with stress, and, unfortunately, it’s often the unhealthy tools we gravitate towards. You may use alcohol to numb feelings of stress or find yourself scrolling social media for long periods of time to escape. The odd glass of wine and Instagram binge is totally normal, but if you’re using these tools in excess to cope with stress, it may be a sign that you’re headed for burnout. 

More aches and pains

Ongoing stress can take its toll physically, affecting how our body feels. You may experience more headaches, general aches and pains, or notice an increase in digestive issues. If you’re ever concerned about these symptoms, be sure to visit your doctor.

The difference between stress and burnout

As burnout is caused by chronic stress, it’s easy to think that stress and burnout are the same thing. In reality, there are some subtle differences between stress and burnout. When you’re stressed, you may feel as if there’s too much pressure on you and too many demands on your time. You can, however, likely imagine how things will get better once things calm down. 

Burnout can be described as feeling empty and wrung out. Like you don’t have anything more to give, and that there is no end in sight. Those with burnout typically can’t imagine things will get better, or that things will ‘calm down’. 

Most of us can recognise stress quickly, but burnout can creep up on us. The lesson here, then, is for us to not only notice when we’re feeling stressed but to deal with it quickly before it escalates into burnout. 

How to recover from burnout

If you think you may be experiencing burnout, it's time to start making changes. The first step to recovery is to understand what is making you feel overwhelmed and burned out and to speak to someone at work to let them know how you feel. This could mean needing to meet with your manager to discuss your workload and job satisfaction, or speaking with HR if you feel like you are being mistreated. Reaching out to colleagues can also be a big help, as they may have similar experiences and tips they are willing to share. 

If you’ve realised you’re unhappy at your workplace, you may decide now is the time to move on to another role. If you can’t change jobs right now, you may be able to use job crafting to help you find more value in your current role. If you are self-employed, then it’s time to have a good talking to with yourself. Is it time to recruit some help or pull back in certain areas of the business? How can you rekindle the joy that first led you to start your own business?

Try to set up healthy boundaries to protect your energy. This may include logging off work at a certain time, fully switching off from work at the end of the day, saying no to additional tasks when you’re busy and prioritising self-care. 

Outside of work, you can look at how you release stress. Are there any relaxing hobbies you can take up, like walking, reading or meditation? Exercise can be a great way of easing tension and boosting your mood. If you can exercise in nature or with others, even better.

Taking time off where possible and spending it with friends, family and loved ones can also help to reduce stress. This precious time can also give us perspective, helping us recognise the importance of our life outside of work.