Is burnout and depression the same thing?
Burnout (aka burnout syndrome) is the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that comes from long-term exposure to:
- stress
- emotionally demanding situations
- overworking
- pushing yourself too hard without taking care of yourself and honouring your needs
Burnout occurs when things have gone out of balance, and our stress and activity levels far outweigh the amount of rest we have.
As people, when we keep using up fuel (energy) without adding or recouping any, we eventually burn out. We don’t have the energy we need to keep going.
Symptoms of burnout
- exhaustion
- trouble with thinking or decision making (cognitive dysfunction)
- reduced work performance
- a loss of empathy
- social withdrawal
- restlessness
- irritability
- anxiety
- nausea
- insomnia
Other symptoms include:
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
Causes of depression vs. burnout
Depression is often defined by the internal experience of a person, sometimes occurring without a root cause.
Burnout has a definitive root cause and arises because your external environment has a prolonged negative impact on your physical health and mental health.
Potential risk factors and causes of burnout include:
- long work hours
- high-stakes responsibilities
- unrealistic expectations
- a toxic or fear-based workplace culture
- perfectionism
- low compensation
Short-term burnout recovery
Recovering from burnout can take time, trial, and error. If we try to rush and try to do too much too quickly, then it can sometimes make it worse.
In the short term, burnout recovery is about resting and recovering our energy levels. This can often mean:
- Getting our sleep routines back in check.
- Eating a balanced diet
- Taking some time out to do things that we enjoy.
- Reconnecting with family and friends.
- Meditation/Yoga/Mindfulness
- Assessing our self-care routines and see if we need to get back on top of anything we’ve let slide.
If symptoms persist or if severe symptoms are present e.g., suicidal thoughts/self-harm attempts etc. immediately consult a psychiatrist and seek appropriate treatment.
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