Burnout
Burnout is what happens when long‑term stress and pressure drain your energy, motivation, and care, leaving you feeling empty and used up. It is more than “a bit tired” and more like hitting a wall emotionally, mentally, and often physically.
What burnout is
Burnout is a state of deep exhaustion that builds up over time when demands keep taking from you and there isn’t enough rest, support, or reward to refill your tank.
It often comes from work or caregiving, but any long‑running responsibility or stress can lead to it.
How burnout feels
People with burnout commonly describe feeling worn out all the time, even after sleep, and dreading the day before it starts.
A key feature is losing your sense of caring: you may feel numb, cynical, detached, or like you are on “autopilot” just to get through.
Common signs in everyday life
Body: constant fatigue, more illnesses, headaches, muscle tension, sleep problems, appetite changes.
Emotions: irritability, flatness, feeling detached, hopeless, or like nothing makes a difference.
Thinking: brain fog, poor concentration, slower thinking, more mistakes, self‑doubt.
Behaviour: withdrawing from people, doing the bare minimum, procrastinating, using food, alcohol, or screens to escape.
How burnout differs from regular stress
With regular stress, you still feel pressure, but you can see the point, feel some drive, and recover with rest or time off.
With burnout, even rest often doesn’t feel like enough, motivation is very low, and things that once mattered can feel pointless or like “just too much.”
Why burnout happens
Burnout usually comes from a mix of heavy demands (workload, caregiving, financial or family pressure), low control, and not feeling recognised or supported.
Personal patterns like perfectionism, never saying no, or ignoring your own needs can quietly keep you in situations that drain you.
Basic steps to start recovering
Name it: admitting “this is burnout” can help shift from blaming yourself to seeing it as a signal that something has to change.
Lighten the load: reduce commitments where you can, ask for help, renegotiate tasks or hours, and stop saying yes to everything.
Refill your tank: protect sleep, eat regularly, move your body gently, and add small daily things that feel genuinely restoring, not just numbing.
Set boundaries: create clearer limits between work and non‑work time, and give yourself permission to be “off duty.”
Further Reading and References
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