Burnout and mental health

Burnout is when you feel emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted from excessive demands at work or in your personal life. It can affect anyone, including those doing unpaid caring duties.

Symptoms of burnout can include feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, negative about your work, and less effective in your work. Preventing burnout is about noticing the signs early. This way, you can make changes before things get too overwhelming.

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Try our Burnout Check-In Tool to see how you're doing

Take a short burnout quiz to measure how you’re feeling about work and get some practical tips to help you recover a healthy work-life balance.
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Beyond Burnout

Register for our free webinar on preventing and recovering from burnout.

Wednesday July 16, 2025 at 12pm to 1pm (AEST)

What does burnout feel like?

People experience burnout in different ways, but it’s useful to be aware of the common signs, especially if you’ve been feeling this way for a while.

You might feel:
  • isolated and trapped

  • irritable
  • a lack of your usual energy or motivation
  • less satisfied with work
  • exhausted or drained
  • a sense of procrastination
  • disengaged from work you used to value
  • you’re not sleeping like you usually do
  • headaches and body pain
  • a feeling of building stress that won’t go away.
You might even find it hard to function at all. This can have a big impact on your mental health and wellbeing. There are things you can do to help you manage.

What is stress?

Stress is a major contributor to feelings of burnout, and you can experience stress in many different ways – emotional, psychological and physical.

Understanding how stress can feel is a great step towards managing your response to it, and getting some balance into your life.

What causes burnout at work?

There are many different factors that can contribute to burnout.

  • Bullying, harassment and other poor workplace behaviours, which cause significant work-related stress for those affected.  
  • Excessive or prolonged stressor related to workload, lack of support, unclear job expectations, and poor working conditions.
  • Mental health conditions can increase vulnerability to burnout, as normal levels of stress become overwhelming due to poor emotional health.
  • Burnout can also contribute to the development or exacerbation of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
No matter what kind of work you do, the risk of stress and burnout exists. That risk is greater if you work in a caring industry such as healthcare, emergency services or education.

Working together to prevent burnout

Preventing burnout is a shared responsibility between workplaces and employees.

There are many resources available to help create a mentally healthy workplace that reduces excessive or harmful demands on staff.
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Reach out for support

Talking about what you're going through with other people might feel hard. It’s important to try. If you feel up to it, reach out to someone you trust, whether in person or by message.

Visit the Beyond Blue Forums

You can chat anonymously online with others who are going through a similar experience. 
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Learn how to get mental health support

If you’re concerned about your mental health, support is available. 

Geoff's story

How to manage burnout and balance work and life

Workplaces have a responsibility to protect staff from excessive demands that cause burnout. The tips below explain some ways you can reduce your chances of burnout through a range of communication, coping and self-care strategies. 
  • Prioritise your wellbeing

  • Cut extra hours

  • Take breaks

  • Leave work at work (make time for fun)

  • Review your boundaries

  • Consider flexible working arrangements

10 tips for avoiding burnout at work

  • Take regular breaks throughout the workday to recharge.

More tools to check-in with your mental health

Everyone’s mental health journey is different. We all experience ups and downs, so it’s important to do regular check ins.

We have some simple tools to help you assess your mental health. You can choose the one that’s right for you and get the resources and support you need.

More resources for burnout and mental health at work

The Essential Network (TEN) for healthcare workers

TEN is an e-health hub developed by Black Dog Institute for healthcare workers. It provides resources and support to help you manage burnout and maintain good mental health.

Find out more about TEN

National Emergency Worker Support Service

This service is free and confidential. It provides mental health support for all emergency service workers and volunteers. It was developed by the Black Dog Institute and UNSW Sydney.

Learn more about the National Emergency Worker Support Service

Educator wellbeing, Be You

A hub of resources that can help build and maintain educator wellbeing. These tools, fact sheets, guides and videos are for use by both individuals and learning communities.

Find resources on Be You’s Educator wellbeing page

 

NewAccess for Small Business Owners (NASBO)

NASBO is a guided self-help mental health coaching program. It’s free, confidential and convenient.

Learn more about NewAccess for Small Business Owners
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