In short
Burnout is the result of long-term workplace stress that hasn’t been managed. It has three signs: exhaustion, feeling cynical or distant from your job, and feeling less effective at it. It is not a medical diagnosis, but it raises the risk of depression, poor sleep and physical illness. Recovery usually means changing the work conditions as well as resting, and trials show that changes at the organisation level work better than self-care alone.
On this page
What is burnout?
The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It has three parts:1
- Exhaustion. Feeling drained of energy
- Cynicism. Feeling mentally distant from your job, or negative about it
- Reduced effectiveness. Feeling that you are no longer doing your job well
The WHO lists burnout as an “occupational phenomenon”. It is not classified as a medical condition, and the term refers specifically to work.1 Many people use the word more widely, for the same pattern in caring roles, parenting or study.
Burnout symptoms
Burnout affects people emotionally and physically, and it changes behaviour.2 Common signs include:
- Tiredness that a weekend doesn’t fix
- Dreading work, and feeling detached from it
- Getting less done, and making more mistakes
- Irritability and a short fuse
- Trouble sleeping
- Headaches, stomach upsets and muscle pain3
- Pulling away from colleagues, friends and family
Want to talk it through?
Talk it through with an Australian doctor online. No referral needed.
Burnout or stress?
Stress usually means being over-engaged: too much pressure, too much urgency. Burnout is what follows when that goes on for too long, and your physical and emotional reserves run down. It tends to creep up, and it is often harder to notice than stress.2 See stress.
Burnout or depression?
They overlap, but they are not the same thing. A meta-analysis found a moderate link between burnout and depression, and between burnout and anxiety, and concluded that they are related but separate.4
A rough guide: burnout is tied to work, and you may still enjoy other parts of life. Depression colours everything. Burnout can lead to depression, though, and studies that followed workers over time found that burnout predicted later depressive symptoms.3 If your mood is low most of the day, or nothing gives you pleasure, see your GP.
What causes burnout?
Burnout researchers point to six areas where a mismatch between a person and their job builds up over time:5
- Workload. Too much to do, with too little time or support
- Control. Little say over how you do your work
- Reward. Not enough recognition or pay for the effort
- Community. Conflict, isolation or poor support at work
- Fairness. Decisions that seem unjust
- Values. Being asked to work against what you believe in
Personal and lifestyle factors add to the risk, and poor sleep is one of the biggest contributors.2
What burnout does to your health
A systematic review of studies that followed workers over time found that burnout predicted:3
- Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and coronary heart disease
- Muscle and joint pain, headaches and prolonged fatigue
- Stomach and gut problems
- Insomnia and depressive symptoms
- More sick leave, and a higher chance of leaving work on a disability pension
Sleep and burnout feed each other. Poor sleep makes burnout more likely, and burnout disturbs sleep.2
How to recover from burnout
Change the conditions, not only yourself
This is the main finding from the research. In a meta-analysis of trials in doctors, programs that changed how the work was organised, such as schedules and workloads, reduced burnout more than programs aimed at the individual, such as stress management training.6 A separate review, also in doctors, found that both kinds help, and that overall burnout fell from 54 to 44 per cent.7
So talk to your employer. They are required by law to reduce your exposure to the things that cause work-related stress.8 Be specific about what needs to change: workload, hours, role or support.
Rest properly
Taking a break from work to reset may be essential. Good sleep matters most. Keep in contact with people, even though the urge is to withdraw, and make room for things you enjoy.2
Look after the basics
Regular exercise, decent food, time outside and less alcohol all help.8 Mindfulness-based stress reduction has small benefits for burnout.9
Get support
Many workplaces have an Employee Assistance Program that offers counselling, usually at no cost to you.8 Your GP can check for depression, anxiety and physical causes of exhaustion, and discuss time off if you need it.
Go back differently
If you return to the same job in the same way, burnout tends to return too. Set limits around your hours, build in breaks, and reduce the factors that caused the problem.2
How long does recovery take?
There is no reliable figure. It depends on how long the burnout had been building and whether the causes change. Expect weeks to months, not days.
When to see a doctor
- Exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest. See why am I always tired?
- Low mood, hopelessness or loss of interest in things outside work
- Trouble sleeping most nights
- Using alcohol or other substances to get through
- Physical symptoms such as chest pain or frequent headaches
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.
Next step: talk to a doctor
Answer a few quick questions and you’ll get an email about your eligibility. A consultation doesn’t guarantee any particular treatment.
References
- World Health Organization. Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases.
- Sleep Health Foundation. Burnout and sleep.
- Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, et al. Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLoS One. 2017;12(10):e0185781.
- Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K. The Relationship Between Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol. 2019;10:284.
- Maslach C, Leiter MP. Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2016;15(2):103-11.
- Panagioti M, Panagopoulou E, Bower P, et al. Controlled Interventions to Reduce Burnout in Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(2):195-205.
- West CP, Dyrbye LN, Erwin PJ, et al. Interventions to prevent and reduce physician burnout: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2016;388(10057):2272-2281.
- healthdirect. Work-related stress.
- Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2015;78(6):519-28.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history. In an emergency, call 000.