Signs You Might Be Struggling with Burnout (Not Just Stress)
Stress is a part of modern life—especially if you’re juggling work, relationships, and personal goals in a fast-paced city like New York. But when stress becomes constant and overwhelming, it can tip into something more serious: burnout. And many people don’t recognize the difference until it starts to affect every part of their life.
Understanding the signs of burnout is the first step to healing. If you’re wondering whether what you’re experiencing is more than just stress, here are the key indicators to look out for, and how therapy can help.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress. It’s most commonly linked to work, but it can also stem from caregiving, school, or even unrelenting pressure to perform in everyday life.
While stress might make you feel temporarily overwhelmed, burnout goes deeper. It can make you feel hopeless, detached, and unable to cope—often with a sense that no amount of rest or time off will make a difference.
Signs You’re Experiencing Burnout
1. Chronic Fatigue
You feel tired all the time, even after a full night’s sleep or a weekend of rest. The exhaustion isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, too.
2. Detachment and Cynicism
You may start to feel numb, disconnected, or apathetic toward things you once cared about. At work, this might look like a sense of dread or irritability toward your job or coworkers. In relationships, it may feel like you’re checked out or emotionally unavailable.
3. Decreased Motivation and Performance
Tasks that used to be manageable now feel overwhelming. You struggle to concentrate, procrastinate more, or feel like you’re constantly falling behind.
4. Increased Anxiety or Irritability
Stress responses like worry, overwhelm, or snapping at others become more frequent. You may feel constantly “on edge” with no clear relief.
5. Physical Symptoms
Headaches, stomach issues, disrupted sleep, and even frequent illness can all be signs that your body is struggling under the weight of burnout.
6. Loss of Joy
Things that once brought you happiness—hobbies, socializing, even your own accomplishments—now feel flat or unfulfilling.
Burnout vs. Stress: What’s the Difference?
Stress
Over-engaged and anxious
Loss of energy
Feels urgent and reactive
Usually short-term
Burnout
Disengaged and emotionally drained
Loss of motivation and hope
Feels hopeless and avoidant
Long-term and chronic
Understanding the distinction helps you determine what kind of support you may need. While short-term stress can often be addressed with lifestyle tweaks, burnout usually requires deeper healing and reflection.
How Therapy Can Help
You don’t have to wait until you hit a breaking point to ask for help. Therapy offers a supportive space to explore the root causes of burnout, understand the patterns that led you here, and begin to make sustainable changes.
At Well Psychotherapy, we work with individuals in their 20s and 30s across NYC who are navigating career pressure, relationship challenges, and identity transitions—all common contributors to burnout. Together, we’ll help you:
Reconnect to your values and needs
Establish healthier boundaries
Learn nervous system regulation tools
Rediscover joy, energy, and motivation
You Deserve Support
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak or failing—it means you’ve been strong for too long without the support you need. The good news? Recovery is possible. You can regain a sense of balance, clarity, and calm—and we’re here to help you do it.
Ready to start your healing process?
Schedule a free consultation with one of our NYC-based therapists.
