Are you just tired or heading for burnout? The warning signs experts say to look out for

Kat Storr

Published: October 30, 2026 at 12:08 PM

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Feeling constantly exhausted? Experts reveal how to tell the difference between everyday tiredness and burnout, and the warning signs you shouldn't ignore.

Many of us have busy and stressful lives, which can involve caring for children and ageing parents, working and trying to see friends and family. It can feel like we’re on a non-stop hamster wheel, always having to think about what comes next and who needs what. We’re also living in a time of global and political instability, which can have an impact on our energy levels and mental wellbeing.

Therapist and mental health and resilience trainer Carol Hickson says the problem with living in such a demanding world is that a lot of us “respond by pushing harder – another coffee, working longer, scrolling to switch off or telling ourselves we'll rest when everything is done”. Whether we realise it or not, this is often the last thing our nervous system needs and this is what leads to us becoming exhausted, and even burnt out.

There are a lot of similarities between being worn out and being burnt out. Both affect our mental and physical health and ability to carry out our day-to-day responsibilities. But being burnt out is a much more serious issue which can require medical intervention.

What’s the difference between being worn out and being burnt out?

Mental health

If you’re worn out you might struggle to concentrate at work, have brain fog or overthink things. Your moods might fluctuate from being angry and irritable to distracted and sad. Brain health expert Nicola Hunt says our brains work very differently when we’re worn out, compared to during burnout. “You can be worn out, but still care,” she says. “Hearing about somebody else's tragedy triggers emotions in you. If you are burnt out, then it's common to feel detached, cynical, or emotionally flat.” Hickson says it can also be “hard to think straight, concentrate or even assemble coherent thoughts” when you’ve reached burn out. These symptoms will be there from the moment you wake up, not just after a busy day.

Hunt says how we feel about ourselves also changes when we’re burnt out. “It's harder to be objective so you feel that nothing you do is right, nothing you do is enough. Even if, when you look at it objectively, you are achieving and performing well. You no longer feel a sense of satisfaction. And the same goes for joy. You withdraw from things you enjoyed and from people whose company you enjoy.”

Dr Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist and author of Burnout, says people's behaviour can also change when they’re burnt out. This could include “using substances to numb or switch our brain off like alcohol, escapism through doom scrolling, buying things we don't need or reaching for comfort foods”.

Some of these mental health challenges can lead to depression, which is why it’s important to talk to someone you trust. Your GP will be able to look at your wider health, what’s causing the burnout and give advice on how to ease your symptoms.

Shot of a young businesswoman looking stressed out while working on a laptop in an office at night

Physical health

Dr Plumbly says there are some key physical differences between how our bodies react to being worn out or burnt out. When we’re worn out we might feel physically tired and achy but it usually eases with good sleep, healthy eating and some self-care.

In burnout, chronic stress, combined with a lack of self-care, may cause “slower recovery from illness or catching more colds, stress-related issues flare up like eczema, migraines, back ache”. Hickson says some people “may struggle to get out of bed or off the sofa and, at first, it can feel a bit like having flu”. You might also experience changes to your sleep pattern and appetite which can cause you to gain or lose weight. You might also experience heart or nervous system problems such as palpitations, dizziness or chest tightness.

Top view of a young woman lying in bed covering her face with a pillow.

Recovery

Many of us have had times when life has gotten too much and we just need to take our foot off the gas, ask for some help and have some early nights. This will usually give our energy levels a boost. Hunt says this works if you’re worn out, but if you’re burnt out rest “won’t be enough”.

“If you are worn out, having a break, a quiet weekend or a holiday genuinely helps. And you'll often find that this break was all you needed for your motivation to return,” she explains. “If you're burnt out, that isn't the case. You may feel slightly better during your holiday, but you don't return refreshed, and the time off hasn't fixed anything.”

How can we avoid and ease burnout?

The key to not reaching burnout is being able to look at your work and lifestyle and recognise the warning signs we’ve outlined above. None of us have an infinite store of energy to draw from so learning to ask for help and say ‘no’ to commitments can be really helpful. Dr Plumbly says: “Manage your energy through pacing. I encourage my clients to pause between activities to check in with their needs and respond before crashing to the next task – e.g. a stretch, to eat something.” She adds that stress management techniques can also help such as box breathing or meditation.

But Hickson says if you’ve reached the point of total depletion then it’s time for a “hard stop”. “All that recovery time you’ve been telling yourself you don’t have time for is no longer optional. Both the body and brain require a total reset.” This might involve taking time off work, or asking for help with childcare or other responsibilities. Hickson explains that our nervous system needs to get back on track through a “multi-disciplined approach” which “starts with good food, hydration, time outside, gentle movement, and time away from screens”. And as we said above, medical or psychiatric support may also be needed.

Work life balance concept. Two wooden blocks with work life text balancing on a scale.

Do we glamorise stress?

One sentence many of us say to friends is “Next week will be quieter” but the truth is, it rarely is. We’ve become accustomed to living life at a pace which means we’re always trying to be productive. This can mean that being stressed or tired ends up becoming something of a badge of honour.

Counsellor and psychotherapist Georgina Sturmer agrees that stress is something which can become glamorised. “Many of us have an internalised message that being busy, productive, helpful and useful will make us likeable and loveable. And it’s this internal barometer that can drive us towards achievement, perfectionism, productivity, and people-pleasing, even to our own detriment.”

She says social media only fuels this comparison culture. “We might think that we are just mindlessly scrolling but as we scroll through our feed, we are noticing what everyone else is up to. And not many people are posting reels about how they sacked off their responsibilities to have a well-deserved duvet day.” Some of us might even start to judge, inwardly or outwardly, friends who do listen to their bodies and stop. This inability to be able to rest is especially common among women who are carrying the mental and emotional load in their families.

Sturmer says it’s this deep-rooted “internal approach to stress, productivity, and achievement” that many of us need to acknowledge and address so that we can stave off burnout and the health problems that go along with it.

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How to stop stress eating: 10 tips from an expert
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Kat Storr

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