Burnout is not simply fatigue. It is not the gloom that follows a hard day or an exhausting week. Burnout arrives insidiously, often while we are just trying to meet expectations – in our work, in our family life, in our social relationships. Those who burn out are the ones who once burned with great fire. The ones who value what they do, who want to do it well. The ones who have carried the weight of the world for a long time, whether for others or for themselves. Burnout, therefore, is not weakness – rather, as a result of immense energy investment, the fuel eventually runs out.
Who is prone to burnout?
Although burnout can affect anyone, those particularly at risk are:
- Helping professionals (psychologists, doctors, teachers, social workers)
- Perfectionists and those with high expectations
- Empathetic individuals who put the needs of others first
- Those in inflexible or overcommitted life situations
- Those who struggle with setting boundaries – who find it difficult to say no or ask for help
Symptoms
Burnout manifests on physical, emotional, and behavioral levels. Common symptoms include:- Emotional: irritability, cynicism, lack of motivation, joylessness, feeling of emptiness
- Physical: sleep disturbances, headaches, exhaustion, heart problems, weakened immune system
- Behavioral: procrastination, avoidance of work, overworking, withdrawal, outbursts of anger
Burnout is not the same as depression, but if left unaddressed, it can easily lead to more serious mental health issues.
Role overload or role conflict:
Many people try to meet the demands of multiple, often competing roles at the same time. For example, working women may juggle being a mother, a partner, a child to their own parents, and a friend. Under the pressure of the expectation to “succeed everywhere,” balance can easily tip—especially when there is no time for recovery and no space for personal needs. The accumulation of roles drains emotional resources and can trigger an ever-deepening spiral of burnout.
The stages of burnout
Burnout is not a single moment but a process. Following Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North, the burnout process can be divided into several stages, during which internal commitment gradually drains away:
- Excessive commitment – high enthusiasm, overtime work, pressure to meet expectations
- Neglecting personal needs – no rest, self-sacrifice
- Conflicts and avoidance – tensions, withdrawal
- Shift in values – cynicism, devaluing others
- Depersonalization – emotional distancing, indifference
- Emptiness, anxiety, disillusionment – a sense of meaninglessness
- Depression or complete collapse
Burnout, depression, or grief? – Similar feelings, different story
Burnout, depression, and grief often produce similar symptoms: fatigue, withdrawal, lack of motivation, indifference. However, different processes are taking place in the background. It is important to distinguish between them, as each requires a different approach to coping.
Burnout typically develops gradually, whereas grief is connected to a specific loss, and depression often appears as a pervasive and prolonged condition. Recognizing which state one is experiencing is crucial for coping, as each requires a different kind of support.
Burnout among beginners and students
Burnout doesn’t only appear after many years of work. In my research—conducted during my thesis in work and organizational psychology—I found that stress and perfectionism patterns that push students toward burnout can develop already during university years. Career starters often begin their jobs with unrealistic expectations, in unstructured work environments, with little feedback, and experience rapid loss of confidence, which can lead to burnout early in their professional journey.
This is why thinking about burnout should not be the privilege of experienced professionals: the earlier we learn to recognize and name the signs of overload, the sooner we can seek help or make changes.
What can help? – Preventing and managing burnout
Recovering from burnout requires time and attention, but it is possible. It is important to realize that it is not a sign of weakness or “poor performance,” but a consequence of prolonged overload.
Possible steps:
- Self-reflection: Where am I now? What are the first signs?
- Emotional self-protection: setting boundaries, prioritizing personal needs
- Structured rest and recreation: regular activities that provide genuine rejuvenation
- Seeking support: friends, colleagues, professionals (e.g., supervision, psychologist)
- Reframing work: what does it mean to me, and what can I change about it?
- Shift in mindset: performance isn’t always the key
Sometimes it’s enough to simply rethink: why did I start doing all of this in the first place? What was the motivation, the desire, the dream?
As I wrote in my thesis: Preventing burnout is not only an organizational responsibility but also a personal one – involving self-awareness work, setting boundaries, and clarifying values.
References
- Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff Burn‐Out. Journal of Social Issues, 30(1), 159–165.
- Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Burnout. In G. Fink (Ed.), Stress: Concepts, Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior (pp. 351–357). Academic Press.
- North, G. (1990). The burnout syndrome: Key concepts and research. In L. Cooper & I. Robertson (Eds.), International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
- Worden, J. W. (2009). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy. Springer Publishing Company.
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
