Is It Just Burnout, or Is It Something More?
You used to love your work. You used to have energy for friends, for hobbies, for life outside the office. Now you drag yourself through each day, feeling empty, cynical, and exhausted. “I’m just burned out,” you tell yourself. “I just need a vacation.” But vacations don’t seem to help anymore, and you’re starting to wonder: Is this really just burnout, or is something else going on?
At Televero Health, we frequently work with professionals struggling with exactly this question. They’ve hit a wall of exhaustion and detachment that they initially attribute to work stress. And while burnout is real and serious, sometimes what people are experiencing goes beyond occupational fatigue into something that requires different kinds of support.
Understanding the similarities and differences between burnout and other conditions can help you identify the support you need to start feeling better.
What Burnout Actually Is (And Isn’t)
Burnout is a state of chronic stress related specifically to your work or caregiving role. The World Health Organization recognizes it as an “occupational phenomenon” (though not a medical condition) characterized by three key dimensions:
Emotional exhaustion: Feeling depleted, drained, and lacking the energy to face another workday
Cynicism or depersonalization: Developing a negative, cynical attitude toward your work or the people you serve; feeling detached from your job
Reduced professional efficacy: Feeling less competent and successful in your work; noticing a decline in your productivity and capabilities
Importantly, burnout is contextual—it’s a response to chronic workplace stressors like excessive workload, lack of control, insufficient reward, breakdown of community, absence of fairness, or value conflicts. While it can affect your whole life, its roots are in your relationship with your work.
At Televero Health, we see burnout not as a personal failure but as a reasonable response to unsustainable conditions. The problem isn’t your inability to “handle” stress—it’s that no human can indefinitely endure certain work environments without consequences.
When Burnout Overlaps With Depression
One of the most common conditions that overlaps with burnout is depression. The similarities can make them difficult to distinguish:
Shared symptoms:
- Fatigue and low energy
- Sleep disturbances
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Reduced performance at work
- Loss of enjoyment in previously pleasurable activities
These overlapping features mean many people experiencing depression initially attribute their symptoms to burnout. It feels safer, less stigmatized, and more temporary to frame the struggle as work-related exhaustion rather than a mental health condition.
However, depression typically includes some symptoms that aren’t characteristic of pure burnout:
Distinctive features of depression:
- Persistent sadness or emptiness not limited to work contexts
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities beyond work
- Significant changes in appetite and weight
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt that extend beyond professional competence
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
- Symptoms persist even when away from work for extended periods
The key difference is that burnout is contextual and typically improves with changes to the work situation, while depression is pervasive, affecting multiple life domains regardless of circumstances.
At Televero Health, we find that many clients are experiencing both burnout and depression simultaneously—the chronic stress of burnout has triggered or exacerbated depressive symptoms. In these cases, addressing only the work situation without attending to the depression often leads to incomplete recovery.
Burnout or Anxiety?
Anxiety conditions can also present with symptoms that overlap with burnout:
Shared symptoms:
- Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep problems
- Irritability
- Physical tension and fatigue
- Avoidance of work-related activities
However, anxiety typically includes additional features:
Distinctive features of anxiety:
- Excessive worry that extends beyond work concerns
- Physical symptoms like racing heart, shortness of breath, or panic attacks
- Persistent feelings of dread or apprehension about the future
- Rumination and difficulty turning off thoughts
- Avoidance behaviors that extend beyond work contexts
- Heightened startle response or feeling constantly “on edge”
The relationship between burnout and anxiety can be bidirectional—workplace stress can trigger or exacerbate anxiety, while pre-existing anxiety can make you more vulnerable to burnout. Understanding which came first can help guide treatment approaches.
At Televero Health, we work with many high-performing professionals who initially attributed their anxiety symptoms to normal work stress. Recognizing the anxiety component of their experience opened doors to more effective support strategies.
Could It Be Chronic Fatigue or Another Physical Condition?
The exhaustion of burnout can sometimes mask or mimic physical health conditions:
Conditions with overlapping symptoms:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
- Thyroid disorders
- Anemia
- Sleep apnea
- Autoimmune conditions
- Post-viral syndromes
- Long COVID
These physical conditions often include fatigue as a primary symptom but may have additional distinctive features like:
- Post-exertional malaise (symptoms worsening after physical or mental effort)
- Unexplained muscle or joint pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Persistent sore throat
- New patterns of headaches
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Symptoms that don’t improve with workplace changes or rest
If your exhaustion doesn’t improve with changes to your work situation, or if you notice these additional physical symptoms, it’s worth consulting a healthcare provider to rule out underlying medical conditions.
At Televero Health, we believe in the importance of considering both psychological and physical factors when addressing persistent fatigue. While we focus on mental health support, we often collaborate with medical providers to ensure comprehensive care.
The Trauma Connection
For some people, what presents as burnout may actually be related to trauma exposure. This is particularly common in helping professions like healthcare, emergency services, social work, or education, where witnessing others’ suffering is part of the job.
Trauma-related conditions that can overlap with burnout include:
Secondary traumatic stress: The emotional impact of being repeatedly exposed to others’ traumatic experiences
Vicarious trauma: Cumulative changes in worldview that occur from witnessing others’ trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Can develop from either direct trauma exposure or, in some cases, from repeated exposure to others’ trauma
Signs that trauma might be a factor include:
- Intrusive thoughts or images related to traumatic events you’ve witnessed
- Nightmares or flashbacks
- Hypervigilance or feeling constantly on alert
- Strong emotional or physical reactions to reminders of specific cases or incidents
- A sense that the world is fundamentally dangerous or that people can’t be trusted
Trauma-informed approaches differ from standard burnout interventions, focusing on safety, processing traumatic memories, and restoring a sense of meaning and agency.
When Life Transitions Masquerade as Burnout
Sometimes what feels like burnout is actually connected to major life transitions or existential questions:
Mid-life questioning: Reassessing career choices, purpose, and priorities as you enter different life stages
Values clarification: Recognizing that your work no longer aligns with what matters most to you
Identity shifts: Changes in how you see yourself and your place in the world
Grief and loss: Processing losses (of relationships, health, opportunities) that affect your energy and engagement
These deeper life questions may initially present as work dissatisfaction and exhaustion but require different approaches than traditional burnout interventions.
At Televero Health, we often help clients distinguish between circumstantial burnout and these deeper existential or transitional challenges. Sometimes what’s needed isn’t just better work-life balance but a more fundamental reassessment of direction and meaning.
Why the Distinction Matters
Understanding whether you’re experiencing burnout, a mental health condition, a physical health issue, trauma effects, or a life transition matters because it guides effective intervention:
For burnout: The primary interventions typically involve workplace changes, boundary-setting, recovery practices, and addressing organizational factors.
For depression or anxiety: Evidence-based treatments might include therapy, potentially medication, lifestyle adjustments, and specific psychological techniques.
For physical health conditions: Medical assessment and appropriate treatment for the underlying condition are essential.
For trauma: Trauma-specific therapeutic approaches that help process traumatic experiences and restore a sense of safety.
For life transitions: Existential exploration, values clarification, and meaning-making work may be most helpful.
Misattributing your symptoms can lead to interventions that don’t address the root causes. For example, if what you’re experiencing is primarily depression, taking a vacation might provide temporary relief but won’t resolve the underlying condition. Similarly, if you’re dealing with burnout, antidepressants alone won’t fix the problematic work conditions causing your symptoms.
The Both/And Perspective
It’s important to note that these conditions aren’t mutually exclusive. Many people experience burnout alongside depression, anxiety, or other conditions. In fact, burnout can increase vulnerability to mental health conditions, and pre-existing conditions can make you more susceptible to burnout.
At Televero Health, we take a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” approach. We help clients explore the full picture of their experience, recognizing that multiple factors may be contributing to their distress. This comprehensive understanding allows for more effective, personalized support.
The goal isn’t to label your experience but to understand it fully so you can access the right kinds of help.
When and How to Seek Support
If you’re wondering whether what you’re experiencing is burnout or something more, consider seeking professional support when:
Your symptoms persist despite changes to your work situation or extended time off
Your struggles extend well beyond work into other life domains
You’re experiencing thoughts of suicide or feelings of hopelessness
Your symptoms are significantly impacting your relationships, health, or quality of life
You notice persistent physical symptoms alongside your exhaustion
You find yourself using alcohol, drugs, or other potentially harmful behaviors to cope
A mental health professional can help you untangle the various factors contributing to your experience and develop a personalized approach to recovery.
Remember, seeking help for “something more” than burnout isn’t admitting weakness or failure. It’s recognizing the complexity of human experience and accessing the specific support that will be most effective for your situation.
At Televero Health, we provide a space where you can explore your experience without judgment or predetermined labels. Whether you’re dealing with burnout, a mental health condition, or a combination of factors, understanding your unique situation is the first step toward feeling better.
Wondering if what you’re experiencing is more than burnout? Talk with us to find clarity and support.