Burnout: when work stress wears you down from within
Exhausted at the thought of the office every morning, fed up with work, feeling nothing is going right. It isn't just laziness.
Burnout is a kind of exhaustion that develops from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. The World Health Organization describes burnout in its classification of diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon, not as a separate illness.
Three sides of burnout
- Extreme exhaustion: energy doesn’t return even after rest.
- Mental distance from work: irritation, indifference or negativity towards work, colleagues or clients.
- Reduced effectiveness: feeling that nothing is going right and your work has no value.
Who is most at risk
Burnout can happen in any profession. But it is more common in demanding jobs that involve serving people, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, bankers and call centre staff.
Why it happens
Research has linked six workplace factors to burnout:
- A workload beyond your capacity
- Lack of control over your own work
- Not getting proper recognition or pay for your effort
- Lack of good relationships with colleagues
- Unfair treatment
- A mismatch between the work and your values
In other words, burnout is not just a personal weakness; the workplace environment is responsible too.
What you can do yourself
- Draw a line between work and rest. Set a time limit for checking work messages after office hours.
- Take short breaks during work, and use your leave instead of saving it up.
- Look after your sleep, food and exercise.
- Talk openly with your supervisor about your workload.
- Share your feelings with a trusted colleague, friend or family member.
Burnout or depression?
Burnout is mainly tied to work, and things feel somewhat better on holiday. But if low mood, loss of interest and tiredness spread to every area of life beyond work, it may be depression. In that case you can take the PHQ-9 test and talk to a professional.