Burnout is described as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by
prolonged stress, overwork, or a lack of fulfilment, often in the context of one’s job or daily
responsibilities. Burnout is heavily associated with stress, as chronic stress can lead to a state
of burnout. Burnout for a lot of people presents predominantly as feelings: overwhelmed,
disengaged, drained and/or mentally exhausted, which can lead to reduced productivity, lack
of motivation, and often low mood, which can impact your overall wellbeing.
Burnout generally has three main components:
i.Emotional exhaustion: Feeling drained and unable to cope with the pressure of your
day-to-day life. Usually, your head is too full to be able to take anything in, and
therefore you feel very mentally exhausted and struggle to engage fully in anything.
ii.Depersonalization: A sense of detachment or feeling negative about your day-to-day
life, you feel essentially numb, this is your body’s natural way of keeping you stable
but can work against you in terms of relatability. This can often lead to people having
less empathy or interests towards elements of their lives, which can often impact your
relationship with others.
iii.Reduced personal accomplishment: A feeling of incompetence or a lack of
achievement, often accompanied by doubts about one’s ability to meet the
expectations or demands placed on them. This often occurs as a result of you knowing
you aren’t giving your all, but always remember, during this time, you are physically
incapable of giving it your all: in fact, you are giving it your all.
Burnout, if left untreated, can have serious long-term effects on both your mental and
physical health, and it’s important to address it early. If you do reach a point of burnout, this
isn’t too concerning, you can still get support by contacting your GP, who will be able to offer
you a variety of treatment options such as: education on stress management, talking therapies,
lifestyle changes (like taking breaks or setting boundaries), and in some cases, changes in
work environment, relationships or job responsibilities.
It is always important to understand the early signs of burnout, as this will enable you to take
a step back, and ensure that you to, slow down, set boundaries for yourself and increase on
your self-care and relaxation routines, before you reach the point of burnout. Burnout can
take a long time to recover from, depending on how long it has built up, can take months to
years to manage, for more information on recovering from burnout,
| Signs of Burnout |
| – Insomnia or changes to sleep patterns |
| – Physical Symptoms (headaches, muscle tension, stomach issues) |
| – Reduced performance or productivity |
| – Difficulty concentration or focusing |
| – Withdrawing or isolating |
| – Frequent illness due to stress compromising your immune system |
| – Decreased satisfaction in life as a whole |
| – Detachment or feeling disconnected |
| – Constant exhaustion / fatigue |
| – Mood Swings / Irritability |
| – Lack of enjoyment from pleasurable activities |
| – Changes to appetite |
| – Cynical about life / work / personal life |
When experiencing burnout, you also go through stages where you are trying to push
yourself, this is generally because you know you can do better, and often also as a result of
not being able to identify the signs of burnout. Therefore, you push yourself past your limits,
further solidifying the burnout!
| Phases of Burnout: Below is a general guide to how burnout impacts you and gradually builds up: – |
| i. You initially feel a string desire to prove yourself, as you are aware that you are capable of more and double down on your efforts, often neglecting yourself and your own needs: – this can sometimes include hygiene. |
| ii. You end up feeling confused, as you are aware you ‘are better than this’, and therefore blame others and deflect from your situation. |
| iii. You distract yourself with studies or work, or a significant project in life, in order to avoid anything else, and are often in denial, telling yourself you are very busy, and can’t deal with other things |
| iv. You then start to withdraw from social circumstances, and your behaviour towards your loved one’s changes, often becoming a bit cold. This is largely due to feeling disconnected, which can often result in unintentionally overlooking others’ emotions |
| v. Depersonalisation usually takes over around this stage and you then start to feel like a shadow of the person you once were, feeling empty, numb, and in times like this, you are quite susceptible to substance misuse. |
| vi. And ultimately, you feel depressed, lost, exhausted and you mentally and physically collapse and succumb to burnout! If this sounds familiar, do not panic, you can get support and get yourself back on track. |
Takeaway
Does this all sound too familiar? If so, maybe it’s time to take a step back and focus on yourself, wellbeing!
Don’t forget to have a chat with your GP, who would be able to support you with signposting to relevant services.
Don’t be afraid to take the necessary steps to take care of yourself, it is not weakness, it is strength and refuels you.
References:
Disclaimer – EthVida is not a healthcare provider, we offer awareness in the form of education, signposting and
advocacy for plant-based medicines. Please note, all advice given is based on various healthcare models that
have been proven to support patients with sustainability and backed by Public Health England (PHE).
Nonetheless, you should run any changes to your routine by your GP as they are your primary carer, it is also
important that any other healthcare professionals involved in your care is involved in your goal planning. Don’t
forget they hold your medical records and would be familiar with you; this will help everyone to be on the same
page and will also enable you to plan more realistically and not overestimate your capacity!
11 April 2026, 6:28 pm
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