Recognising Burnout: What Your Mind and Body Are Telling You

Modern life can feel like a constant juggling act, and for many of us, that’s taking its toll. Long hours, blurred boundaries between work and home, and the pressure to always be ‘on’ are leaving more people feeling completely burnt out. Burnout isn’t just a buzzword; it’s something more and more of us are facing. 

In fact, Mental Health UK says it’s no longer a one-off issue, it’s something that’s affecting more and more people across the workforce. 

Their Burnout Report 2025 is packed with insights, based on polling over 4,400 adults in the UK (including 2,436 workers). It explores how people are really feeling, what’s driving burnout, and the biggest culprits, like heavy workloads, feeling unsupported and blurry work-life boundaries. 

In today’s work culture, many people push themselves to their limits without realising they’re headed towards burnout. But the good news? You can spot it early and take steps to recover.  

Burnout can be many signs, mentally and physically.   

Mental Symptoms of Burnout: 

• Emotional exhaustion 
• Irritability 
• Detachment  
• Low motivation 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Feeling helpless or trapped 
• Increased anxiety 
• Low self-esteem 
• Sense of depression 
• Withdrawal from others 

Physical Symptoms of Burnout: 

• Chronic fatigue 
• Insomnia or disrupted sleep 
• Frequent headaches 
• Muscle pain or tension 
• Stomach issues 
• Increased illness 
• Heart palpitations or chest tightness 
• Shortness of breath 
• Changes in appetite 
• Dizziness or fainting 

Mental Signs of Burnout 

Burnout can sneak up on you before you recognise there was a "physical" effect. One of the first signs can often be emotional exhaustion, which can leave you feeling exhausted and without energy to do the things you want to do (or once found pleasant). Even the smallest of tasks may seem overwhelmingly difficult, and the things you would normally use to cope perhaps no longer work. 

Many people who experience burnout feel separated from work or the tasks they are doing. It could be that you experience critical thoughts, such as "what's the point?" or you become more judgmental about yourself or others and find your outlook on life is beginning to change. This separation can be your protective response to mental exhaustion that is likely linked to overwhelming ongoing stress. 

You may or may not experience cognitive symptoms such as fogginess, forgetfulness or becoming distracted. When your mind is always "clogged," it will contribute to forgetfulness, make it harder to "think," prioritise what the most important tasks are, and limit important decision making. Being less productive will likely lead to self-doubt which will usually lead to even more stress adding up. 

Burnout can display itself in feelings of anxiety and depression. You may notice that you are simply worrying, feeling let down, or feeling a sense of helplessness. It is thoughts like these that may cause someone to give up on their social life but not because they need a break, but because even small social interactions feel emotionally draining. 

If you are able to recognise burnout symptoms early, then you have an opportunity to step away, look at what is surrounding you and start over before you reach exhaustion. 

Physical Signs of Burnout 

Burnout can manifest in physical symptoms before we even realise it.  

One of the most frequent results of burnout is disruptive sleep. You may find it hard to fall asleep because you can’t shut your mind off or you wake up hours later with overloaded thinking that won’t let you fall back asleep. 

For others, sleep is excessive but no amount of sleep feels like you’ve had rest. You leave bed feeling heavy and unready for the day even if you sleep all night. Burnout can disrupt your sleep cycle altogether and leave you feeling exhausted, while caught in a cycle that makes recovery difficult.  

Your body can hold tension without your knowledge like headaches, tight shoulders, a stiff neck, or even soreness in your jaw. The opposite may also be true in that the absence of these results may indicate that stress is building up. For some people, stress goes straight to the stomach which sometimes allows them to have nausea, bloating, or even just the feeling of an unsettled stomach. 

Again, if you start noticing that you are getting sick more often such as sickness with the common cold lasting longer or coughs or illnesses that feel long since childhood, this could also be a sign of stress. Chronic stress can and does suppress your immune system leaving your body vulnerable to colds and bugs you wouldn't normally consider contagious. 

When it comes to burnout, typically you will see appetite changes; either an increase in appetite due to emotional eating while coping with stress, or you even may see a decrease to the point where you ask yourself ''What happened to my appetite?" If you are sometimes dizzy, shaky, or even out of breath approximately when you feel overwhelmed; please trust that your body is reacting to you feeling pressure to succeed. 

Burnout is a serious reaction to long-term stress, expressed through emotional, mental and physical symptoms. The quicker you can identify the signs of burnout, the sooner you can take steps to relieve it. Set boundaries for yourself, prioritise rest for yourself and get help and support if needed. It’s your reminder that burnout is not a sign of weakness, but rather a message that it’s time to change something.