Women Suspecting Burnout: Top Symptoms to Spot
Photo by Vasilis Caravitis on Unsplash
Not feeling yourself at your job? Countless hours at work, plagued with exhaustion, restless sleep, and another pounding headache.
If things aren’t clicking like they normally do at work – you could be experiencing the onset of burnout.
Many people – women especially – juggle a ton of responsibilities. Managing a full plate at work, keeping up with your home, wrangling your kids, and your faint glimmer of a social life. You don’t have a moment to stop and ask yourself:
Are you burned out?
But what is burnout and how do you know if you have it?
And if what you’re experiencing really is burnout – what can you do about it right now?
To get your questions answered, we’ll need to explore this buzzword term.
What Does Burnout Actually Mean?
Burnout is the onset of deep physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion after going through a long period of chronic stress – specifically linked to your job or your career. The World Health Organization refers to burnout symptoms as “an occupational phenomenon”. (1)
And it’s a growing concern – you’re not the only one questioning burnout. Nearly 82% of workers surveyed in 2024 say they feel at risk of burnout. (2)
And get this – over 25% of employees in the U.S. said they have experienced burnout. (3) Women are experiencing burnout in the workplace more so than men.
In fact, 44% of U.S. based female staffers say they are burned out from their job – compared to only 36% of their male coworkers who feel the same in an exclusive 2024 LinkedIn Survey conducted by Fortune. (4)
What Are the Signs of Workplace Burnout to Look Out For?
The most common symptoms of burnout are both mental and physical. Key symptoms to look for include:
Feelings of deep exhaustion
Feeling unable to cope with daily life
Feeling empty and/or numb
Burnout Symptoms
Burnout is a common result of ongoing chronic stress left unchecked. Often, burnout can occur from juggling an overwhelming amount of responsibilities in your professional and personal life, like parenting, caregiving, relationship struggles, or financial challenges.
Yes, it’s possible to have many overlapping symptoms with various physical and mental conditions, which can make it tough to narrow down.
More extensively, signs of burnout include:
Mental fog: difficulty concentrating, shortened attention span, or decision fatigue
Negativity and detachment: particularly towards your job, your managers, or coworkers
Emotional depletion: feelings of failure or helplessness, low moods, loss of purpose
Irregular sleeping patterns: Insomnia, hard to stay or fall asleep
Body aches and pain: headaches, muscle tension, and general physical discomfort
Gastrointestinal issues: stomach aches, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Less efficient at work: a feeling of little accomplishment, not making a difference
Isolation habits: pulling away from loved ones, family, and friends
If you’re experiencing burnout symptoms, you’re walking through your day with two types of symptoms – both physical and mental.
What Does Burnout Feel Like?
Psychologists say symptoms can include feeling low energy, possibly even stress-eating or skipping meals. (5) You may notice you’re more short-tempered than usual or perhaps everything requires a lot more energy.
At Nurtured Balance Coaching, many who have also experienced burnout commonly mention irritability, dizziness, and crashing out more often. Feelings can be a unique result of the combination of your particular symptoms. Ultimately, if you notice something is off, it’s worth exploring further.
What Does Burnout Look Like at Work?
Regardless if you’re in a “high-stress” field of work or if you are in a managerial role, burnout can look similar across the board. It all boils down to monitoring your levels of exhaustion and flagging low levels of emotional exhaustion.
You may also be putting in the same amount of effort and time in your day-to-day, but notice that your performance is dipping regardless. You may even feel particularly cynical towards your work responsibilities, coworkers, and managers.
Burnout can also look like shutting out coworkers and people you’d normally interact with. Maybe it’s out of the norm for you to skip the free birthday cake – or maybe you’re taking your lunch at your desk more often.
Factors That Lead to Workplace Burnout
A job or career typically considered “high-stress” doesn’t always directly lead to complete burnout. It’s not always the person in back-to-back meetings, working around the clock. That doesn’t mean you’re on a fast track to burnout.
“Really, it’s about managing your stress first.” says Sheena Bloom**, a certified wellness coach and founder of Nurtured Balanced Coaching. Specializing in helping women cultivate a whole-life approach to a modern-day career, Bloom says, “Women tend to put everyone else first before themselves for too long, which is a main driver towards burnout.”
Sure. If you practice stress management techniques often, like yoga or meditation, you’re less likely to experience burnout. But it’s entirely possible to still experience burnout depending on the balance of your professional responsibilities within the backdrop of your life.
Your level of access to support – your close circle, family, chosen family, friends – plays a factor too. Falling out of touch with your support system can be a contributing factor to burnout over time.
Burnout vs. Depression: What Is the Difference?
Ask yourself this: Where and when are you experiencing your symptoms?
It can be tough to tell the difference between burnout and depression because there are many overlapping symptoms. Both can be experienced as mild to severe – and in some cases even debilitating.
The main difference is that burnout is experienced as a result of your job, your career, or a challenge related to your workplace.
Depression on its own is not work-related, but can be felt in every corner of your life. Depression can be experienced as negative feelings and thoughts about all areas of life, not limited specifically to work.
Common Depression Symptoms
Cognitive and physical symptoms
Feelings of hopelessness
Loss of interest in your normal activities and hobbies
Suicidal ideation*
*In severe cases, thoughts of suicide or suicide ideation can be experienced as a result of burnout or depression. If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicidal Prevention Lifeline, or call 988 for support or assistance from a trained counselor. If you’re experiencing immediate danger, call 911.
Am I Burned Out or Just Unhappy at My Job?
It’s common to wonder if you’re really experiencing burnout – or maybe you are truly miserable with your line of work. Are you just over your current career, or could your health require more of your attention?
Here are some helpful questions to consider:
Are you experiencing physical symptoms of burnout? Headaches, stomach problems, panic attacks or backaches. In most cases of burnout, the physical effects will be noticeable. Pure dislike of your current profession is less likely to have physical burnout symptoms.
Would taking some time off help improve how you feel? Sometimes stepping away can help us bounce back more refreshed and inspired to get back to our careers. Sometimes, it doesn’t. Consider evaluating if taking some time would help in some way.
Can you imagine yourself more fulfilled at a different job? If you’re not sure, this may be something worth digging into further. Try asking yourself what would make your work situation more enjoyable or what you could do to improve your situation.
Potential Side Effects of Long-Term Burnout
Prioritizing your health is important; burnout is no exception. When burnout is left unmanaged or unchecked long-term, symptoms can escalate. Depending on your health history and medical conditions, experiencing burnout over time can look different for everyone.
Symptoms can evolve into:
Low immunity
Increased number of panic attacks
Decreased job performance
Weight gain or weight loss
Strain on personal and professional relationships
Mental strain, hypertension
Suicidal ideation
Consult with your doctor if you suspect you are experiencing burnout symptoms.
Top 5 Tips on How to Recover From Burnout
Despite what the term suggests, reversing burnout is absolutely possible. With time, effort and focus, you can take the first steps to climb out of burnout.
Admit to yourself that you are burned out. The first step is to acknowledge your current situation. Don’t judge yourself if you can help it. Accepting you’re going through burnout is a healthy, positive first step.
Seek professional help. Prioritize seeking professional help from your doctor or licensed counselor. By working with a professional, you’re prioritizing yourself and your health.
Draw your boundaries. Establishing your boundaries by saying “no”. Let people know where you are and get clear on managing your energy and time.
Tell your support circle. Letting the people closest to you know will help you enforce your boundaries and tap into the support you need. Call a friend, text your family, just reach out.
Implement stress management techniques. These can be small or big, but most importantly – they must be doable. Take breaks, go for a daily walk, try that spin class. Whatever it is, start with easy, baby steps.
How to Prevent Burnout
No matter where you are, re-evaluating your routine and getting back to the basics is a great place to start. No one ever wants to find themselves in a state of burnout. Taking steps at work and in your personal life can help you avoid burnout territory:
Set a sleep schedule
Prioritize your well-being
Revisit your values and goals
Become mindful of your eating habits
Set a realistic goal for exercise
Identify your stressors
Take regular breaks
Consider speaking with your company manager
Plan some time off
Practice mindfulness or meditation
Considering the rise of burnout among women, prioritizing your physical and mental health is foundational to thrive in every area of your life.
Nurtured Balance Coaching specializes in supporting career-centric women to manage burnout and prioritize their wellness while juggling everyday responsibilities.
Ready to improve your stress management practice now with one small step?
Download a free 3-Minute Morning Meditation and begin managing your unchecked stress.
[ Download Free Mediation ] **
Profile**
Sheena Bloom with Nurtured Balance Coaching is a certified wellness coach with an 8-year holistic practice out of San Francisco, California. Sheena specializes in women’s health, career coaching, and integrative wellness. Sheena has coached top executives in the Silicon Valley at organizations like Facebook, ELANZA Wellness, Adobe, Chegg, and Atlassian.
**This article is a portfolio piece for Jen Ibarra with Stargazer Copy Co. and includes a fictitious company and profile cited.
