Burnout: how to tell if that's what it is, and what to do

Work used to feel good at least some of the time, and now Monday starts on Sunday evening. What burnout is, how it differs from ordinary tiredness, and what helps, going by research rather than inspirational posts.

Coffee doesn't wake you up anymore, vacation ends before the rest begins, and when someone asks how work is going, you'd rather say nothing. If that sounds familiar, the problem may not be laziness or your character.

Burnout gets talked about so much these days that it's easy to write it off as a trendy complaint. But it has a fairly strict definition, and knowing it helps, because what you do next depends on it.

What is burnout?

In 2019, the World Health Organization added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases, not as a medical condition but as an occupational phenomenon. By the WHO definition, burnout results from chronic workplace stress that hasn't been successfully managed, and it has three features:

• exhaustion: the feeling that your energy has run out;
• mental distance from your job: work brings out cynicism and irritation, and you want to keep it at arm's length;
• reduced effectiveness: you do your job less well than you used to.

One important detail: according to the WHO, burnout is specifically about work. If you're drained in every area of your life, it may be something else, depression for example.

Signs of burnout

Beyond the three main features, people with burnout often describe:

• dread on Sunday evening at the thought of Monday;
• irritation over small things, especially at work;
• sleep that doesn't leave you any more rested;
• the urge to put off everything work-related, even the easy stuff;
• feeling like you need a vacation right after a vacation.

Researchers measure burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a questionnaire developed by psychologist Christina Maslach. Online burnout tests can give you a rough idea, but not a diagnosis.

Burnout vs depression vs tiredness

Vacations have their own meta-analysis: people really do feel better after time off, but the effect wears off within a few weeks of going back to work. If the job itself is the cause, a vacation doesn't remove it.

If you've been drained for a long time and in every area of life, you've lost interest even in things you love, and your sleep and appetite are off, don't wait for it to pass on its own: it's worth seeing a doctor or a therapist now. And if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, call your local emergency number or a crisis line. In the US, you can call or text 988.

What causes burnout?

Psychologist Christina Maslach, who has studied burnout since the 1970s, and her colleague Michael Leiter identified six areas where a job can clash with the person doing it:

• workload: more to do than can be done, month after month;
• control: nothing depends on you, yet you're responsible for everything;
• reward: your effort goes unrecognized, whether in pay, credit or a simple thank-you;
• community: there's no support around you;
• fairness: the rules don't apply to everyone equally;
• values: you have to do things that go against what you believe.

Burnout isn't a sign of weakness. It's a response to conditions where rest, influence over what happens, or anything in return has been missing for a long time.

How to recover from burnout

Call it what it is

Burnout is easy to mistake for laziness, and then you start pushing yourself harder. That's like spurring on a horse that's already worn out: it won't run any faster. If you're not sure whether it's laziness, check the lazy, tired or apathetic table.

Write down everything on your plate

When it all lives in your head, the load feels endless. A list shows how much there really is, and then you can work with it: what to hand off, what to postpone, what to drop entirely. For picking out what really matters, see our time management tips.

Talk about the job, not just about yourself

Research points to an uncomfortable fact: changing the work itself helps more than advice aimed at the person. In a 2017 meta-analysis, programs that changed how doctors' work was organized reduced burnout noticeably more than programs that taught doctors to cope with stress. In another review, the share of doctors with burnout fell from 54% to 44% after various programs. So a conversation with your manager about workload, deadlines and the limits of your role isn't complaining. It's part of the way out.

Switch off after work

Psychologists call this psychological detachment: not checking the work chat in the evening and not replaying tasks at bedtime. In a meta-analysis of 86 publications covering about 38,000 employees, people who were good at switching off reported less exhaustion and slept better. In practice, that means work chat notifications only during work hours, and the laptop goes in your bag, not on the kitchen table.

Hold on to the basics: sleep, movement, people

It sounds obvious, but these are the first things burnout takes away. Getting enough sleep, going for a walk and seeing people who are easy to be around aren't rewards for finishing your work. They're what makes the work possible.

Get professional help

A psychologist or therapist can help you figure out what exactly is going on and what can change. If there are signs of depression, see a doctor: burnout and depression often show up together.

Parental burnout

The WHO only talks about burnout in the context of work, but researchers also describe parental burnout: exhaustion from the role of parent, emotional distance from your kids and a loss of joy in parenting. The same things help: sharing the load, finding even short breaks and not being shy about asking for help.

How to keep from burning out again

• Plan your days with slack and leave room for the unexpected: here's how.
• Keep one to three main tasks in your plan, and treat the rest as optional.
• Say no to extra things before they turn into obligations.
• Watch for the early signs: Sunday dread, irritability, sleep that doesn't restore you.

StarDo can help you keep all your tasks on one list and see how many there really are. But if you're in the middle of burnout, hold off on promises in Stars: pressure is the last thing you need right now. Their time will come once your energy is back.

Frequently asked questions

Is burnout a medical condition?

Not by the WHO definition. It's an occupational phenomenon, not a diagnosis. But it can come with conditions that do need treatment, such as depression.

Can you burn out from school?

The WHO describes burnout only in relation to work, but researchers also study academic burnout: students can have the same exhaustion, cynicism and sense that nothing is working. Similar things help: a lighter load, enough sleep, and a talk with a professor or a counselor.

How long does burnout last?

There's no single timeline: it depends on whether the conditions that caused it change. If the job stays the same, one vacation usually isn't enough.

Burnout is a signal that your conditions and your energy stopped matching a long time ago. It's worth listening to, not drowning out with coffee.