Burnout occurs when you are so overstretched at work that you reach a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Of course, by now, burnout is a familiar concept for many of us. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, it’s likely you know someone who has. As of February 2023, 88% of UK employees claim to have experienced burnout at some point in the last two years.

Burnout can leave us feeling depleted, depressed, anxious and unable to complete even simple tasks. And the worst part? It doesn’t always go away after a break from work, a holiday or even a job change. 

While some people find that they simply need a break to destress and recalibrate, many of us can get caught in a ‘burnout cycle’, in which burnout seems to go away only to come creeping back after a few weeks or months — over and over again.

We spoke to Victoria McLean, CEO and founder of award-winning career consultancy City CV, to find out why so many of us are getting trapped in a burnout cycle and what we can do about it.

What is a burnout cycle?

A burnout cycle occurs when you think you’ve tackled burnout by taking a break, relaxing for a weekend or going on holiday, only to find that the tell-tale signs of burnout begin to come back as soon as you get back into the swing of things at the office.

Getting caught in a burnout cycle can be hugely frustrating, as well as harmful to your physical and mental health. “Burnout is detrimental to your mental health,” says McLean. “It can cause anxiety, emotional exhaustion, low self-esteem and even physical symptoms like headaches and sleeplessness. This can then result in lower productivity and time off work.” 

When it occurs cyclically, it can quickly become unsustainable.

Why is the burnout cycle so common?

According to McLean, burnout cycles are surprisingly common. In fact, she believes that most people who experience burnout never actually tackle the root cause of the problem; instead, they find a Band-Aid solution. So, it’s no wonder it eventually comes back. 

As McLean explains, most of us don’t give ourselves enough time away from the stress of work. In fact, many of us simply trade work stress for domestic stress when we take time away from the office.

“Life is fast-paced – all of life, not just work,” she says. “A long weekend away might not be enough to give you the emotional rest you might need, especially if you have a stressful job. Time off, while cathartic, can also be frantic with family, going out in the evenings and exploring new places. While this is great, it doesn’t amount to a real off-switch. Your mind will probably still be humming when you’re back in the office, even if it’s humming in a more positive way.”

Plus, McLean explains, simply going away doesn’t change anything about your workplace and your relationship with it.

“The moment you step back into your workplace, you’re back in the same environment,” she tells us. “Even if you’ve taken an extended holiday, it’s likely that nothing will have changed that much at work. If you’ve suffered from burnout, going back into the same environment can start that vicious cycle again. You may also have the existential dread of coming back to an uncontrolled inbox – and that makes it tempting to log on every now and then while you’re away, just to keep on top of things so you don’t have a total reset.

“Burnout doesn’t just go away when you go on holiday,” she says. “That’s because the underlying cause of your burnout isn’t being addressed. You need to work out what these issues are for you. It could be workload, unrealistic expectations or your organisation skills. Whatever the reasons, you need to try and resolve them.”

Stopping the burnout cycle for good

As McLean notes, stopping burnout for good is all about making long-lasting changes that get to the heart of the problem – if burnout is a pesky weed that keeps reappearing in your garden, you need to pull it out by the root.

Here are the four steps she recommends:

Identify your burnout triggers

“If you recognise that you’re experiencing burnout, there are several things you can do. Some you can do on your own, others you’ll need support with,” she says. “Firstly, identify what’s triggering or contributing to your burnout. Is it workload, your workplace, boredom, unrealistic expectations being placed on you? The problem is easier to resolve when you know what you’re dealing with.”

Figure out what you can do

Once you’ve realised what elements of your job are contributing to your feelings of burnout, ask yourself if there’s anything you can do to change those things. “What can you do personally? Can you arm yourself with any new skills that might help?” she asks. 

“I recommend trying to boost your resilience. This might mean working on your problem-solving skills, your ability to regulate your emotions, making strong social connections and being more self-compassionate,” she offers. “This will give you a bit of armour against burnout.

“Another more personal thing you can do is stay healthy – take breaks in the day and get outside, drink plenty of water, exercise, cut down on alcohol, stop smoking and get plenty of sleep.”

Speak to your superior

Of course, most cases of burnout can’t be solved by you alone. Often, the problem lies with how the workplace itself is being run.

“You should absolutely speak to your manager,” says McLean. “If you’ve identified things in your workplace that are contributing to your burnout, figure out how these might be resolved and talk to your manager about how you might tackle them together.”

If nothing changes, you might want to look for a new job

After you speak to your manager about your working conditions, your workplace will hopefully become a more reasonable environment to work in. However, if your boss is still placing unhealthy demands on you, it might be time to start looking for a new job.

“If you do this, make sure you ask questions about workplace culture of any new employer or recruiter, read their company reviews on Glassdoor, talk to people who work there – you don’t want to go through the time and effort it takes to find a new job only to discover that the grass isn’t greener; in fact, it’s more parched,” McLean warns.

The most important thing to remember is that burnout stems from our habits at the office. If we don’t take frequent breaks and we stretch ourselves too thin, it will keep on coming back – no matter how many holidays we take. Or, if our workplace is an unhealthy environment that places too many demands on us, the burnout cycle might be inevitable regardless of how many healthy habits we form. 

Finding yourself in an endless burnout cycle may be overwhelming, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be burnt out forever. Once you get to the root cause of your burnout, you might just be able to stop it for good.

Images: Getty