Burnout is real. What was once considered only a buzzphrase or piece of self-help lingo has now become a daily term that we are all oh so familiar with. It is a state of deep exhaustion, not simply physically from a lack of sleep, but an emotional and mental drain that leaves us feeling we truly have nothing left to give.

What is Burnout?

Burnout doesn’t refer to a temporary tiredness or a singular bad day, it is the feeling of running on empty for weeks or even months at a time.

This is what makes burnout so tricky. By entering a state of burnout, You are not just hitting empty on your daily fuel tank but experiencing a state of complete depletion of all your energy reserves. Imagine you are a portable charger. You start each day full of energy, and by the end of the night, you need to plug back in to recharge for tomorrow. A burnout is not just when you, the portable charger, run out of juice. It means your entire electricity grid is out. You’re ‘plugging in’ at night as usual, but waking up just as drained as the night before.

Once burnt out, you need to replenish those mental and emotional reserves before you’re going to feel ‘normal’ again. And that takes dedicated work.

This can lead to devastating long-term effects. In the workplace, burnout can lead an employee to drop in productivity and focus, despite them inputting the same amount (if not more) of energy, effort, and time into work as before. A burnt-out person might feel they are suddenly unable to complete the simple tasks they were doing just weeks before, leading to lower self-esteem and heightened frustration. Being burnt out can also contribute to internal challenges and mental health struggles like depression and anxiety, not to mention having a serious impact on your relationships both personal and professional.

What are the stages of burnout?

With the stresses of work, caregiving, finances, and literally just trying to keep our s*** together, so many of us are working in auto drive AND overdrive. We simply don’t have time to stop and take stock of our mental, emotional, and physical energy, and so often we have no idea that a burnout is coming until it’s here.

Luckily, there are signs to look for to indicate if someone is on track to burnout. To identify them in yourself, it’s important to make time to check in with your mind and body as frequently as possible. For some of us, that’s through meditation or journaling. For others, it may be more realistic to simply practice being honest with ourselves in the moment. Look over the following symptoms and honestly ask yourself if they feel familiar.

If they do, it might be time to make a change.

Symptoms of Burnout

1. Aversion to Routine: The activities that used to feel easy or enjoyable suddenly seem like a chore. You want to stay an extra 5 minutes in bed, look forward to days that veer from your usual schedule, and find yourself wishing for something/anything to change.
2. Losing Track of Time: Disassociation can often lead to minutes or even hours slipping by unnoticed. Particularly on ‘days off’, you notice that you’re losing time without actively doing anything. You end each evening with a feeling of ‘what even happened today’.
3. General Dissatisfaction: When was the last time you felt excited about something? What is an element of your daily life that brings you joy and energy? Suppose you’re struggling to answer these questions. In that case, you could be experiencing a period of general dissatisfaction where although you don’t feel actively upset or depressed, you are experiencing a passive and constant lack of fulfilment.
4. Feelings of Hopelessness: Not only are you lacking in satisfaction, but you might also be experiencing a loss of hope for that joy to return in the future. Often burnout can occur when someone feels they are stuck in a cycle of exhaustion, possibly forever. There is always a solution although at this moment it may be hard to see.
5. Insomnia or trouble sleeping: Despite feeling tired, the stress of burning out often contributes to disordered and difficulty sleeping. In turn, this adds to the feelings of overwhelm, leading to a cycle of exhaustion, stress, and dropping productivity.

Burnout in Freelancers

Freelancers can be even more susceptible to burnout than those in a traditional work setting. Acting as your own boss has amazing advantages, but it also easily leads to someone never fully ‘clocking out’. Freelancers can often have a tendency to work evenings and weekends, constantly responding to client messages or being ready to ‘hop on a call’. When we don’t work, we don’t get paid, so ‘taking a break’ isn’t necessarily an option.

Without the structure of an office or HR department, freelancers can also lack a built-in support system. When things go wrong, there is no one else to lean on. As independent contractors, it becomes far too easy to punish ourselves for ‘not doing enough’ or failing. In reality, a freelance business is subject to fluctuation due to multiple factors outside of our individual actions. It isn’t possible to control the market, clients, or time of year and carrying the responsibility for every business dip can quickly deplete our mental energy stocks.

Equally, when things go well and business is booming, freelancers can become overwhelmed by managing every aspect of their business. Beyond just completing the task at hand, a freelancer must deal with client communication, multiple project management, invoicing, and administrative tasks. This juggling act can be overwhelming and lead to burnout if not managed effectively.

You’re burnt out but still need an income. Now what?

I’ll level with you. The usual burnout advice to:

• Take a break
• Start a new project
• Go on vacation

Doesn’t apply to 99% of people. If you’re burnt out, it’s probably for a reason. You have responsibilities that you can’t just walk away from. That makes sense, that is valid, and that is real. Whether it’s your freelance workload, caring for your family, or working on yourself, it’s okay to feel like you have no choice but to keep moving forward, despite being completely burnt out.

I’m not going to tell you to stop. I am going to help you catch your breath, open your eyes, and start seeing an easier path ahead. This is the panic guide to how to deal with burnout while still working:

1. Accept that you are burnt out. This probably isn’t what you want to hear. But annoyingly, the only way for you to start feeling better is to admit you’re feeling bad. You’ve read the symptoms above, if they feel familiar, you’re probably in burnout or at least on the edge of it. Before moving forward, you need to take a moment to really embrace exactly how you’re feeling, no matter how out of control it might leave you feeling.
2. Identify the source of your burnout. It might sound obvious, but there are different types of burnout. To identify yours, it might be helpful to consider the categories of physical, emotional, or mental. Which of those words resonates the most? Next, to explore the source, consider what moments of the day energise and drain you the most. The more specific you can be the better: replace ‘work’ with precise elements like workload, client outreach, or fluctuating income. Once you can pinpoint the areas of your life most contributing to your burnout, it can be easier to begin shifting your daily life to better support them. If client communication is a huge drain on your energy, it could be worth considering hiring a VA. Alternatively, you could reschedule your workday to complete all client responses in one session at the start of your morning to get it out of the way.
3. Create and protect a pocket of time for you. Let’s continue on this theme of restructuring. If you cannot remove anything from your schedule, maybe you can reorganise it in a way that feels better. I will always advocate for starting your day with the activity that energises you most. For me, that’s going for a walk or doing 20 minutes of language study before I clock into work. For you it could be enjoying your morning coffee, hitting the gym, or even scrolling social media. Whatever it is, finding 10 minutes in the morning to protect a self-care action can and will make a difference. If the morning isn’t realistic in your day-to-day, see if you can fit a 10-minute pocket during your lunch break or immediately after work. You deserve to make time for activities that energise you. I know you can find 10 minutes to do it. You deserve more than 10 minutes. Protect it. Put it in your calendar, and commit to that time for you.
4. Variation is the key. Burnout frequently manifests as dissatisfaction and aversion to your everyday routine. To combat that, you need to start embracing diversity in your day. If possible, take on projects that are going to challenge you in a new way, and explore new services that can push you back into a creative headspace. Equally, try and change up your life outside of work by starting a new form of exercise like switching gym sessions for running or attempting a brand new recipe. Even if the only change you have the bandwidth for is ordering dinner from a different restaurant, it can and will make a difference in your day. You want to try and shock your mind out of ambivalence with new experiences in order to break out of the depressing monotony you might be stuck in.
5. Start saying no. I saved the scariest step for last. This is what might feel the most unattainable to you right now. Once again, I am not going to tell you to stop. I am going to advise you to start practising turning down future energy drains. It is really hard to say no. For freelancers, it is easy to sit in a scarcity mindset and convince ourselves that more work will never come if we turn something down. As a friend, partner, or family member, we can feel an emotional responsibility to take on the needs of others. You have to remind yourself that no one can do it all, and if you try to, you’re going to end up being forced to stop everything. You still have control right now, you need to start saying no.

If all else fails…

Extreme periods of burnout should be taken seriously. If you don’t feel the above steps are realistic or possible for you in your current situation, it might be time to look for external help. If you’re experiencing creative burnout, you can work with a coach to push through mental blocks and discomfort, but for more extensive life burnout, you may want to consider speaking to a mental healthcare provider.

The good news is that burnout does not and will not last forever. Your mind is working hard in the background to rebuild those energy supplies and to heal itself. You are on the path to growth, even if you cannot see it right now.

If you want to learn more about burnout and burnout recovery work with a creative coach, you can reach out to me directly for advice and further reading.