Burnout at work

Tiredness a weekend does not fix

Having a heavy week and reaching Friday with no energy left is common. Burnout is something else: the exhaustion does not go away over the weekend or even on holiday. You rest and, on Monday morning, you already wake up drained just thinking about work.

It does not appear overnight. It builds up slowly, often in people who give a lot, find it hard to say no and feel that everything depends on them. That is why it is usually noticed late, when it is already weighing on the body, the mood and relationships.

Three main signs

The first is exhaustion: no physical or mental energy, sleep that does not refresh you, headaches or body aches, getting ill more often. The second is pulling away from work, a cynicism that does not feel like you, the sense of no longer caring, or being irritated with colleagues and tasks all the time.

The third is the feeling that you are not achieving anything, that nothing you do is enough, even when you work longer hours. Anxiety, low mood and wanting to withdraw often come along too. If the low mood spreads into the rest of your life, it is worth talking to a professional, because depression may be part of the picture.

What tends to feed burnout

Burnout says more about the work than about the person. It grows when the workload is bigger than the time available, when you have little control over how you work, when effort goes unrecognised, when the team offers little support, or when the work goes against your values.

A lack of breaks weighs heavily too. Being reachable on your phone at all times, answering messages at night, eating lunch at your desk and running from one meeting into the next keep your body on alert all day, with no room to recover.

What is within your reach

Start with breaks. Short pauses through the day, a brief walk, lunch away from the screen. Set a time to finish work and switch off notifications after it. Rest is not a reward for getting everything done, it is part of what lets you keep going.

Look honestly at your list and choose what truly matters today. Not everything is urgent, and not everything has to be perfect. Practising simple phrases such as "I cannot take this on now, I can look at it on Thursday" helps protect your time.

If you can, talk to your manager about workload and deadlines, with concrete examples. Often other people do not know how much you are carrying. Outside work, make time for people, sleep, movement and things you do just because you enjoy them.

When to get help

If the exhaustion lasts for weeks, disrupts your sleep, health and relationships, or if you feel you cannot go on, see a health professional. A psychologist can help you understand what is happening and plan changes, and a doctor can check your physical health and, if needed, recommend time off.

If thoughts of hurting yourself or that it is not worth carrying on come up, get urgent help. The help area of the app shows the crisis contacts where you live. No job is worth your life.