Burnout: beyond tiredness

There is a tiredness that goes away after a weekend. And there is another kind that comes back on Sunday afternoon, even though you slept, even though you rested, even though you have just come back from holiday.

It has a name and it is recognised. In 2019 the WHO included burnout in its international classification (ICD-11). It describes it as the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It does not consider it an illness but an occupational phenomenon, with three sides:

• Exhaustion: you feel you have no energy left.
• Distance: you care less and less about your work, or you feel cynical about it.
• Reduced effectiveness: you can't perform the way you used to, and you notice it.

It is more common than it seems. In Switzerland, the 2022 Job Stress Index found that 30% of working people felt emotionally exhausted, the highest figure since 2014. Worldwide, the WHO estimates that depression and anxiety cost 12 billion working days every year.

Signs to pay attention to

• You wake up drained, even after a full night's sleep.
• Everything irritates you or, on the contrary, nothing moves you.
• You struggle to concentrate and forget things.
• You sleep badly, your head or your back hurts.
• You stop doing the things that used to look after you: seeing friends, moving, truly resting.

Recovery takes time, and it is possible

Recovery is rarely quick. A review published in 2023 notes that in the Netherlands, sick leave for burnout lasts around 10 months on average. In the same review, the only approach that clearly improved return to work included meetings with the employer, not just with the person.

That is why in therapy we look at both sides: what is happening at work and what is happening inside you, such as high self-demands, difficulty setting limits or the need to prove yourself. We do it without blame, to understand how you got here and what needs to change.

If you have physical symptoms or feel very unwell, please also see your doctor. And if you have been carrying more than you can for a while, the first session is free and comes with no commitment.