When work pressures start to pile up, it’s common for the term “burnout” to crop up in conversation.

But what does burnout actually mean? And how can you distinguish between being simply being busy and experiencing genuine burnout?

We spoke to some experts who pinpointed some key differences to look out for, and also suggested practical ways to manage and overcome this state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion.

How is burnout defined?

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assesses burnout using three core dimensions, which are measured through a set of different questions.

“The first criteria is emotional exhaustion and a sense of energy depletion on a regular basis,” says Dr Somya Pandey, specialty doctor in psychiatry at Cygnet Health Care.

“For a diagnosis, we’re talking about emotional exhaustion at work, not in other areas of life, because burnout is defined by ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases) as an occupational phenomena.”

The second criteria is depersonalisation.

“What MBI means by this is a feeling of being detached from work and becoming more cynical with regards to your work and/or colleagues,” explains Pandey.

Furthermore, the third criteria is a low sense of personal accomplishment.

“For example, you might feel like you are working harder but your performance is going down, and you don’t feel as productive as you used to be,” says Pandey.

What are the key differences between busy and burnout?

“People that have had a tough week or a busy couple of weeks will generally bounce back very quickly. They will recover after a relaxed weekend of downtime and will come back with all guns blazing,” says Dr John Briffa, author of The Performance Prescription: The Science of Sustainable Success.

“However, people with burnout generally don’t bounce back quickly because they are so depleted that a couple of days of rest and sleep doesn’t really revive them.”

Briffa adds that individuals experiencing burnout also sometimes lose their sense of purpose.

“These people generally become a bit detached and a bit cynical about having to work too hard, and can even lose their sense of purpose,” says Briffa.

“Whereas, people who are just busy and tired don’t normally lose their purpose. They can see why they do what they do and can see the value of it.”

A significant fall in productivity can also be distinguishing factor.

“These people often become very unproductive and are not able to maintain the output that they were previously – and this change can be very sudden,” says Briffa.

“They often cannot get themselves either emotionally motivated or physically into a place where they can manage the work so that their output reflects the effort they are putting in.

“Whereas, with people who are just a bit tired and busy, if they need to push through and work through the night, for example, they can manage this.”

Does burnout lead to any physiological changes?

Briffa explains that chronic stress can alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

“When stress, threat or a challenge is sensed by the hypothalamus, it activates the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol,” he explains.

“However, the adrenals are only really designed to cope with a relatively short defined period of stress, so if someone is in a constant state of stress this system can weaken.”

He uses the analogy of a battery and a bank account to explain this process.

“What happen is that these people have run out of battery charge or their bank account has become overdrawn,” explains Briffa. “Therefore, they need to restore the money in their bank account or get the charge back up in the battery and need to spend less than they earn.”

Is there anything we can do to overcome burnout?

“Recovery comes from sleep and proper rest which can add charge back into the battery,” says Briffa. “So, it can helpful to manage sleep and optimise this as much as possible.”

Breathing techniques

“There are certain breathing techniques that can be very helpful for deactivating the stress system in the body,” says Briffa. “For example, slower breathing with an extended out breath.”

Prioritise and schedule tasks

“Prioritise what tasks need your attention, and then plan when these things are actually going to be done,” recommends Briffa.

“This technique helps tell the brain that the task will get done at a certain time, so you don’t have to keep thinking about it or reminding yourself about it.

“Prioritising and scheduling tasks can make the difference between someone staring at the ceiling at 2 o’clock in the morning, or drifting off to sleep at half past 11, which makes a huge difference to recovery.”

Incorporate cognitive rest

“Think about how you can incorporate cognitive rest into your life, and what that might look like for you,” advises Pandey. “Think about when your brain feels like it’s resting and isn’t “switched on” all the time.

“What activities make you feel that way? Is it painting? Is it guided meditation? Is it music? Is it a sports activity, like swimming or tennis?”

When should people seek professional help for burnout?

“If you feel tired all the time, feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself, and take annual leave but that doesn’t help you recover and these feelings persist for days, I would recommend seeking out some counselling or support,” advises Pandey.

“If you keep thinking that you can manage everything by yourself and it keeps getting worse, that could lead to complications of burnout, such as depression and anxiety.”