Dealing with Burnout at work and at home: Tools to take control of your mental health

Dealing with Burnout at work and at home: Tools to take care of your mental health

In 2025, burnout has reached an alarming level across generations, with recent studies showing younger adults being particularly affected. According to Forbes, 81% of young adults aged 18-24 years and 83% of adults aged 25 to 34 years experiencing burnout. [1].

Burnout is not just occasional fatigue. It’s a state of chronic exhaustion caused by prolonged stress that affects us emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially. It affects our work, our performance, our relationships and our overall well-being.

Understanding the signs early and taking deliberate steps to recover is crucial. Structured tools like mental health workbooks and worksheets provide a practical approach to tracking symptoms, reflecting on triggers, and implementing strategies that support long-term recovery.

What is Burnout?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as a syndrome rather than a disorder, resulting from unmanaged chronic workplace stress. In its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), the WHO characterizes burnout by three dimensions:

1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

2. Increased mental distance from one's job

3. Reduced professional efficacy

It's important to note that burnout is not classified as a medical condition or illness but as an "occupational phenomenon" specific to the work context, not experiences in other areas of life.

However, burnout does not start or end at work. Long-term exposure to emotional and physical stressors at home, school, or in caregiving roles can contribute equally to burnout.

In US alone, research shows 66% of American employees experiencing burnout of one form or another in 2025 [2]. According to the Burnout Report 2025 in the UK, 34% of adults reported feeling high or extreme levels of pressure or stress frequently over the past year, and nearly 91% experienced significant stress at some point during the same period [3].

Recent data from the American Psychological Association indicate that over 70% of mothers experience burnout at least once a week. Stay-at-home mothers are especially affected, with nearly one in three describing themselves as constantly exhausted and emotionally drained, while working mothers report stress levels more than twice as high as women without children. Also termed as “mom burnout”, caregivers with newborns or toddlers show higher chances of burnout. Additionally, more than 60% of mothers say they feel guilty or inadequate on a daily basis [4].

For working parents, burnout can take an even heavier toll. A study on working parents found that 65% reported experiencing burnout. Parents with mental health disorders, as well as those with children who have mental health challenges, were significantly more likely to experience burnout. Parental burnout was also linked to an increased risk of child maltreatment, highlighting the serious implications for both parent and child well-being [5].

Students are also highly susceptible. Research shows 50% of college students experiencing academic burnout, with emotional exhaustion reported by 60% of university students and up to 76% of medical students [6].

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout affects multiple aspects of life including your body, mind, and social interactions. Understanding the signs in each area can help you identify burnout early and take steps toward recovery.

Physical Symptoms

Burnout often shows up physically, as your body reacts to prolonged stress. These symptoms can interfere with daily functioning and overall well-being.

• Persistent fatigue or low energy

• Frequent headaches or muscle tension

• Changes in sleep patterns or appetite

• Increased susceptibility to illness

Mental Symptoms

Burnout can take a serious toll on your mental health, affecting your thoughts, and making it harder to deal with your emotions, and ability to focus. Recognizing these signs early can prevent worsening mental strain.

• Emotional exhaustion or irritability

• Lack of motivation or decreased productivity

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Feelings of cynicism or detachment

Social Symptoms

Burnout can also impact your relationships and social life, leading to withdrawal and isolation. Being aware of these changes helps protect your connections with others.

• Withdrawal from family or friends

• Reduced engagement in social activities

• Strained interpersonal relationships

• Feeling isolated or unsupported

What Happens When Burnout Is Not Taken Care Of Early

Ignoring burnout can have serious consequences:

• Physical Health: Chronic stress can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and a weakened immune system.

• Mental Health: Untreated burnout can lead to anxiety, depression, and emotional instability.

• Professional Life: Productivity decreases, errors increase, and career satisfaction plummets.

• Social Life: Burnout can damage relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, creating a cycle of isolation and stress.

The earlier burnout is recognized and managed, the less likely it is to cause long-term harm.

Recovering from Burnout

Recovering from burnout is a gradual and multi-layered process. Understanding each stage can help you navigate your path more effectively and make intentional choices that support your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Here are the four burnout recovery stages:

1. Acknowledgment

The first step in recovery is recognizing and admitting that burnout is present. This involves honest self-reflection and acceptance that your current state of exhaustion, detachment, or emotional overwhelm is real and valid. Acknowledgment may include identifying specific stressors, such as work demands, caregiving responsibilities, or academic pressures and noticing how they impact your mood, energy, and relationships. Without this awareness, it’s difficult to take actionable steps toward recovery.

2. Detachment

Once burnout is acknowledged, the next step is creating both physical and emotional space from the stressors contributing to it. This may include taking breaks, delegating tasks, setting boundaries, or temporarily reducing commitments. Detachment allows the mind and body to rest and recover from chronic stress. Emotional detachment doesn’t mean ignoring responsibilities; rather, it’s about establishing safe boundaries and prioritizing restorative activities like sleep, mindfulness, or gentle self-care routines.

3. Rebuilding

After a period of rest and detachment, the rebuilding stage involves gradually re-engaging with responsibilities in a healthier, more sustainable way. This includes incorporating coping strategies such as structured routines, emotion regulation techniques, and evidence-based practices from CBT and DBT. Individuals might use tools like journaling, task breakdowns, and energy reframing exercises to manage workload and stressors effectively. The goal is to regain confidence, productivity, and motivation without returning to the same patterns that caused burnout.

4. Maintenance

The final stage focuses on long-term habits and strategies to prevent recurrence of burnout. Regular self-check-ins, continued use of mental health worksheets, consistent self-care, and mindful reflection are all key practices in this stage. Maintenance also includes periodically reassessing personal and professional boundaries, adjusting routines as needed, and integrating lessons learned from previous stages of recovery.

Burnout recovery time depends on the individual. Evidence shows that structured interventions during these stages, such as guided journaling, self-assessments, and workbook exercises, significantly improve recovery outcomes for job burnouts, mom burnouts, and academic burnouts. By following a stage-based approach, individuals can not only recover from burnout but also build resilience to manage future stress more effectively.

Practical Strategies to Manage Burnout

Beyond worksheets, these strategies help manage burnout:

1. Micro-Breaks: Take short breaks during work or caregiving responsibilities to recharge.

2. Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices that enhance emotional regulation and stress resilience.

3. Delegation and Support: Ask for help at home or work to lighten your load.

4. Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, and regular physical activity improve overall resilience.

5. Social Connection: Maintain supportive relationships to reduce feelings of isolation.

Integrating worksheets into these strategies enhances their effectiveness by providing structure and accountability.

The Role of Mental Health Workbooks and Worksheets to manage burnout

Mental health workbooks and worksheets are structured tools designed to help individuals understand, track, and manage their emotions and behaviors. It also helps identify triggers, and help people learn how to deal with each emotion. Our mental health worksheets and resources are created by mental health counselors to provide guided exercises, reflective prompts, and actionable strategies grounded in evidence-based therapies. For those experiencing burnout, whether parents balancing caregiving responsibilities, students managing academic pressure, or working professionals handling high workloads, our burnout workbook and worksheets offer a tangible, private way to explore mental health and take proactive steps toward recovery.

Evidence-Based Approaches Used in Our Mental Health Resources

Our worksheets on mental health incorporate techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness exercises, and emotion regulation strategies, all proven to help manage burnout and build resilience:

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Helps identify and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to burnout, such as self-criticism, guilt, or feelings of inadequacy.

• DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): Focuses on building coping skills, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance to manage overwhelming stress.

• Mindfulness Exercises: Encourage present-moment awareness, reduce rumination, and improve relaxation responses.

• Emotion Regulation Techniques: Teach individuals to recognize, label, and respond to emotions effectively, preventing escalation and exhaustion.

These approaches were chosen because burnout is multidimensional, involving cognitive distortions, emotional overwhelm, and physical exhaustion. By targeting all these areas, our worksheets provide a comprehensive and practical self-help path for recovery.

Which Worksheets and Workbooks to Use to Manage Burnout

Our Burnout Recovery Workbook is specifically designed to help manage burnout:

Burnout Recovery Workbook: This 10-page workbook is a structured, self-paced guide designed to help individuals recognize, manage, and recover from burnout. It includes practical worksheets such as emotion and burnout check-ins, task breakdowns, energy reframing, and goal-setting exercises, all grounded in evidence-based approaches like CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and emotion regulation techniques. By combining self-reflection, balance, and self-compassion practices, it empowers users to take control of their mental health, build resilience, and manage burnout in a private, judgment-free space. If you feel burned out lately, give this workbook a shot. 

You can download your copy here **DOWNLOAD BURNOUT RECOVERY WORKBOOK"

Here are other simple one-page worksheets you can try too:

Daily Gratitude Journal Page: A simple one-page reusable gratitude journal that helps you cultivate a more positive mindset each day. 

Daily Productivity Planner: A gentle, easy-to-use daily planner designed to help you organize your tasks, focus your energy, and feel more in control of your day. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want a bit more structure, this worksheet helps you set small goals, track priorities, and reflect on your progress. 

Mini Goal Setting Worksheet: This worksheet helps break big ambitions into small, actionable steps. Achieving these “micro goals” builds momentum, confidence, and consistency. This worksheet helps you turn vague ideas into specific, achievable tasks. By focusing on smaller goals, you can reduce overwhelm and track progress more clearly. Download it here.

These worksheets can be used individually or as part of a bundled workbook, integrating CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and emotion regulation techniques to support recovery.

How to Use Mental Health Workbooks and Make the Most of It

Mental health growth takes time and practice. It requires intentional engagement and persistence. The workbook itself is a tool, and like any tool, it works best when used thoughtfully. Here are the three things you need to do for your mental health workbook to truly support your journey. If you wish to know how effective mental health worksheets and workbooks are, head over to our blog here. To make the most of your mental health workbook, use this approach:

1. Personalize Your Approach: Start with the worksheets that feel most relevant to your current needs.

2. Consistency Matters: Spend 5–15 minutes daily or several times a week completing exercises for the best results.

3. Reflect Honestly: Engage fully and truthfully with prompts—these tools work only if you are honest with yourself.

4. Combine Techniques: Use CBT, mindfulness, and emotion regulation worksheets together to address different dimensions of burnout.

5. Bridge the Gap to Therapy: Workbooks provide a safe starting point, and using them consistently can make professional therapy feel less intimidating when you’re ready.

It’s important to note that these workbooks are supportive tools to help individuals help themselves and are not a substitute for professional mental health care. If burnout symptoms are severe, persistent, or impacting daily functioning significantly, seeking guidance from a licensed therapist or healthcare professional is strongly recommended.

Many people hesitate to seek therapy for various reasons. Students often face the financial barrier of expensive therapy. Working professionals may avoid therapy due to stigma, fearing that admitting burnout could affect their careers. Parents may feel guilty for prioritizing their own mental health while caring for children. Our mental health resources help bridge this gap by providing a safe, judgment-free space to explore emotions, identify patterns, and implement strategies independently, while complementing professional support if needed.

One Step at a Time

Burnout is a complex, multi-dimensional challenge affecting adults, parents, and students alike. Recognizing the signs early, understanding the recovery stages, and incorporating practical tools are essential for regaining balance and well-being. Mental health workbooks and worksheets offer a structured approach to manage burnout, track progress, and create lasting habits for self-care and emotional resilience.

Taking small, consistent steps today can prevent burnout from escalating and help you reclaim control over your life. Explore our free mental health worksheets library to start your journey toward recovery and well-being.

References:

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/02/08/job-burnout-at-66-in-2025-new-study-shows/

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/02/08/job-burnout-at-66-in-2025-new-study-shows/

[3] https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/burnout-report-2025-reveals-generational-divide-in-levels-of-stress-and-work-absence/

[4] https://www.starglowmedia.com/blog/what-is-mom-burnout

[5] Gawlik, K. S., Melnyk, B. M., & Tan, A. (2025). Burnout and mental health in working parents: Risk factors and practice implications. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 39(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2024.07.014

[6] https://wifitalents.com/academic-burnout-statistics/

Additional resources for burnout:

https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery

https://mentalhealth-uk.org/burnout/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout

https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-and-burnout-symptoms-and-causes-3144516

https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/preventing-burnout-protecting-your-well-being