Click here to learn more about Neuro-Thrive Brain Support
But this isn’t news to practicing psychologists. Though people are certainly more partial to talking about burnout in the world of business, depression might be a more appropriate name to describe this constant state of exhaustion. Dr. Chloe Goldstein, a clinical psychologist practicing in NYC, explains the differences and similarities.
How do I know if I’m feeling burned out?
“Burnout can come up in lots of different ways,” Dr. Goldstein begins. “Professionally it can come up if you’re feeling overworked and putting in a lot of effort you don’t feel rewarded for – your motivation can go down for things that felt rewarding, and you feel exhausted, or like you don’t want to engage.”
“I think that if you’re starting to notice that you are feeling frustrated at things that you might not have before,” Dr. Goldstein continues, that’s when you know you’re starting to burn out. This can also be accompanied by a level of “disengagement,” or “feeling like you can’t motivate yourself in the same way.” The clinical word for this is “anhedonia,” which coincidentally is also a symptom of depression.
“Burnout can come up in the form of anger also. Sometimes, if you’re feeling burned out, you can feel aggravated or angry with things you need to get done, or things that are otherwise just expected of you – things you used to be able to do easily.”
As for discerning whether you’re feeling burned out or depressed, it’s safe to say that you could be using the language you’re comfortable with to talk about whatever you’re feeling, but in reality, there are more similarities than differences between the two conditions.
“I think there might be less stigma seeking help for burnout,” Dr. Goldstein says, especially those who have preexisting thoughts about mental health or come from a culture in which it’s less acceptable to get therapy. “You don’t necessarily need to feel like you’re being diagnosed with a psychological disorder per se.”
Is there a general increase in burnout?
“I have definitely seen a pretty significant increase in things that might be related to burnout,” Dr. Goldstein says, both among her practice and others. “Especially related to balance working from home, being potentially a caretaker at the same time, and having to balance things in a way that you’ve never had to do before. I think people have definitely struggled over the past year, and there’s been a significant increase in anxiety and depression.”
Dr. Goldstein cites the increase in depression and anxiety in burnout partially to a lack of balance between home and work life and the lack of opportunities for people to be able to leave their homes in the ways they used to.
“I think that for many people who continue to work in the same role they were before the pandemic hit, they were expected to be able to figure out how to fulfill all their job responsibilities in a new setting with different circumstances,” Dr. Goldstein says. In a way, one must attempt to be flexible and adapt to their varying responsibilities within a more rigid, confined physical location, causing some inherent tension. “It’s a combination of having to figure out how to fulfill their job responsibilities and home life responsibilities, and to be stuck at the same time.”
What do I do if I’m burned out?
If you’re experiencing burnout, especially professionally, there are a number of self-care tips you can try to relieve some of the stressful symptoms of your struggles, such as irritability, exhaustion, anhedonia or low work productivity.
“I think some things that can help is to really make sure you’re setting aside regular time for yourself,” Dr. Goldstein notes. It should be “something that you enjoy doing,” like a hobby, sport or activity. “Keeping in touch with people in your life is also very important,” Dr. Goldstein continues and can help relieve some of the burdens of loneliness that come with feeling overwhelmed by burnout. “If you’re really experiencing a significant increase in depression symptoms, you should definitely seek therapy.”
“I think burnout is definitely something people can recover from, but it can be really hard to identify for some people, as is depression. Therapy can be a really useful tool for that as well.”