We help people develop and grow with life's challenges

Stress and Burnout

About stress and burnout

Stress is a normal part of life. Short-term stress can be useful, sharpening focus and motivating action. But when stress is persistent, excessive, or builds without enough recovery, it can erode wellbeing, affect physical health, and eventually lead to burnout.

Burnout is a state of chronic exhaustion that goes beyond ordinary tiredness. It tends to develop slowly, often in people who care deeply about what they do, and can affect anyone: workers, parents, students, and carers.

How stress and burnout can show up

  • Persistent exhaustion: Fatigue that does not lift with sleep or rest, and a sense of running on empty.
  • Reduced performance: Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or keeping up with tasks that used to feel manageable.
  • Emotional depletion: Feeling flat, irritable, disconnected, or unable to care about things that used to matter.
  • Physical symptoms: Headaches, muscle tension, stomach issues, or getting sick more often than usual.
  • Withdrawal: Pulling back from work, relationships, hobbies, or social life to cope.
  • Cynicism: A growing sense of detachment or negativity toward your work, role, or situation.

Further information

Stress and burnout are not signs of weakness or failure. They are signals that demands have exceeded available resources for too long. Recovery takes time and usually requires more than a holiday. Understanding what is driving the stress, rebuilding sustainable habits, and addressing underlying beliefs about worth and performance are often all part of the process.

Self-help ideas

  • Build non-negotiable recovery time into your week, treating it with the same priority as work.
  • Identify your biggest stressors and consider which are modifiable.
  • Limit after-hours work communication where possible.
  • Talk to someone you trust about what is happening.
  • Move your body regularly, even gently, as this directly reduces physiological stress.

When to seek professional support

  • Exhaustion is not improving despite rest.
  • Work or study performance is affected in ways that are starting to have consequences.
  • You feel emotionally numb, detached, or unable to find satisfaction in things you used to enjoy.
  • Stress is affecting your sleep, relationships, or physical health.

How we help

  • Understanding the specific drivers of your stress and what needs to change.
  • Building sustainable habits and boundaries that support recovery.
  • Working on perfectionism, people-pleasing, and other patterns that fuel burnout.
  • Developing practical stress regulation skills for day-to-day use.