What Happens When You Suffer from Burnout

Burnout is a term that is thrown around a bit too much, making it easy to forget how serious true burnout is. Burnout is a horrible experience. I know, because I am recovering from it.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a state of complete physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that’s caused by repeated, excessive stress, like a high-pressure job, caregiving for elderly parents, or any other on-going, high-stress situation. 

One tough week at work doesn’t cause burnout. Months of stressful weeks cause it.

If you are burned out, you become disengaged at work. Other symptoms include:

• Difficulty concentrating and focusing
• Reduced productivity and creativity
• Forgetfulness and impaired memory
• Feeling overwhelmed by even simple tasks
• Increased procrastination

It is often confused with depression, but it is not the same.

Depression is a serious mental health condition that isn’t caused by any one stressor. It leaves you feeling sad, hopeless, and uninterested in anything that you used to bring you joy. Medication and therapy are often prescribed to relieve it.

The cure for burnout? Taking a break – from work, from caregiving, from whatever is causing you stress.

What happens when you suffer from burnout?

Last year, I started noticing that my stress would increase on Sunday nights, which was odd. That had never happened before. Then I recalled how many clients over the years – clients who were not happy in their jobs – told me they’d get really stressed on Sunday nights.

I also noticed that when I walked into my office and sat down at my desk, I immediately wanted to get up and leave. That baffled me. I am one of the fortunate few who love what they do and are energized by their work. 

Another thing I noticed was the effect of taking time off. If I took a three-day weekend, I was my old, happy self. As soon as Sunday night rolled around, the energy and happiness drained away. 

Earlier this year, I shared these challenges with a colleague who knows me well. I thought she was going to tell me that I just no longer loved my job. But she said, “You are burned out.” 

I responded with a shrug, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“No, Joan,” she replied. “I am serious. You are suffering from burnout. Just read about it and see if it pertains to your experience.” 

So I started reading about burnout.

I had every single symptom of burnout.

Most noticeably was how detached from my job I had become. The passion for and joy I derived from my work was gone.

I couldn’t accomplish anything unless I was outside, away from work. Instead, I found that I was just staring at my email and didn’t have the energy to answer them. They kept piling up, but I couldn’t do anything about it.

Burnout from work was starting to spillover into my entire life. I had zero interest in going anywhere and doing anything. That was very alarming. 

My final a-ha moment? Realizing the enormous toll that caregiving for my elderly parents was taking. They lived two states away, and though I was coordinating care with my two sisters, I was managing too much. 

However, once I realized it was burnout, I was relieved. I finally knew what was wrong and why I’d been feeling this way for a year. 

How to recover from burnout

1: Take a break from whatever is causing you stress

You need to get a break from your stressor and stop doing the things that are overwhelming you. Of course, you need to work to make money, so you can’t just quit your job. 

Take every single day of PTO now, before burnout gets worse. If you can, take a three- or four-day weekend at least once a month. Even better: If you are able to take a sabbatical, take it.

Once I knew what was happening, I told my assistant. The next day, she emailed me: “I looked at your schedule for the next three months, and with very little shifting, you can take a week off every month.” 

I burst into tears when I read this email. And I do not cry easily!

2: Delegate everything you can and say no to anything new

I started to share more and more work with the coaches on my team and delegated tasks I didn’t need to do. I also started saying no a lot, continually moving as many people as I can from Zoom to phone meetings, and ignoring my laptop all weekend (I used to practically sleep with it).

3: Ask for help before it gets worse

Tell your boss that you need help now. You have to tackle burnout before it gets worse. Trust me: Unless you start making changes, it will get worse. Burnout doesn’t go away.

In my case, I talked to my sisters and told them I had to pull back on some of the things I was managing for our parents. They were also burned out, so that was a tough conversation. But knowing I have their support and that we can also talk to each other about it makes caregiving much easier. 

I am seeing a lot more signs of burnout in my clients this year. As soon as I notice it, I tell them that they have to get a handle on this now. And we immediately start brainstorming ways for them to tackle it.

Burnout builds in stages; it slowly creeps into the next stage and the next. Each stage comes with more symptoms, and the longer it lasts, the harder it is to repair. You really want to catch it sooner than later.

How to help someone on your team who is burned out

While it’s important to recognize burnout in yourself, you also need to recognize it in your team. And it is likely that at least one person on your team is suffering from burnout.

According to Glassdoor, employee reviews mentioning burnout jumped 32% from 2024 to 2025. 

As a leader, you are in an ideal place to notice burnout. Look for behavioral changes:

• Is a team member not replying to emails when they are normally on top of things? 
• Has John, the funniest person on your team, suddenly grown quiet during meetings? 
• Did Suzanne miss her last three deadlines when she always submits her work early?

These are all red flags.

Just to be clear, burnout is not missing one deadline in a 12-month span. Burnout builds slowly over months. Just like I didn’t notice it in myself, they might not be able to notice it either.

During your next one-on-one with a team member you think is suffering from burnout, say, “I’ve noticed this and this about you recently, and that makes me concerned.”

See what they say. You can outright ask them if they think they’re burned out. 

This may be a hard conversation to have for you, which is understandable. If you’re worried about someone on your team, but you don’t know how to start the conversation, get in touch. We are happy to provide guidance. 

If you are suffering from burnout, a coach can help you put a recovery plan in place. Please don’t wait – reach out for help today! You can reach us at info@winningwaysinc.com.