How long does burnout last?

Have I got burnout?

Burnout appears to be increasingly common, especially in workplaces such as healthcare settings. If you think you may be struggling with burnout, ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I feeling too exhausted to do my job properly?
• Am I avoiding going into work or avoiding certain tasks or people once I’m there?
• Do I feel negative or cynical about my job, my organisation or the people I work with or for?
• Have I made more mistakes than usual? Or am I working slower than ordinarily?
• Do I dream of leaving my job or organisation?
• Have I been physically unwell more often over the recent months?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then it may be worth considering if you are experiencing burnout. For more information you may want to consider our blogs on burnout versus depression and what causes burnout.

How long will I suffer from burnout?

How long you might suffer from burnout is a difficult question to answer as it depends on a number of factors including:

• The support you have inside your organisation
• The support you have in your personal life
• Your own mental wellbeing, resilience and general health
• Other stressors and responsibilities you have including caring responsibilities
• How much you prioritise self-care
• If you are able to take a break from your job to recover

Your experience of burnout may be very short if, for example, you are supported by your manager / employer to take a break from your role and they facilitate your return to work in a gradual manner with ongoing support, plus you have few additional stressors in your life, value self-care and have at least one supportive personal relationship. However, if the opposite is true and you have many stressors in your life which result in difficulties looking after yourself and maintaining your own wellbeing, plus you feel unsupported by your organisation then it is possible that your experience of burnout may last longer. Organisations that experience a high degree of staff sickness, stress and turnover may indeed have colleagues who feel themselves in this position.

Getting support for burnout

What is important in your recovery from burnout is that you are permitted the time and space to recover, instead of feeling rushed into returning to work. Your organisation is vital in supporting your recovery and they may find it helpful to seek support from Burnout UK.

Burnout UK was founded by Dr Julie Hannan and provides online courses for people to overcome and prevent burnout. Courses are written by Psychologists and approved by the British Psychological Society. Courses help you identify stressors that you face in your work and home life that might be contributing to your burnout and reshape areas of your life which are depleting you by developing new strategies to support your recovery and strengthen your resilience and wellbeing for the future.