Workplace Stress & Burnout: When It’s Time to Get Help
Everyone deals with workplace stress. Deadlines pile up. Your inbox never stops. Some weeks, you’re just trying to survive until Friday.
But there’s a difference between a rough week and something deeper. When stress stops going away, when you feel exhausted before you even start your day, that’s burnout. And burnout doesn’t fix itself.
Here’s how to tell if what you’re feeling is normal work stress or something that needs professional support.
What’s the Difference Between Stress and Burnout?
Stress is your body’s response to pressure. It’s temporary. You finish the project, take a weekend off, and feel better.
Burnout is what happens when stress never lets up. It builds over weeks or months until you feel completely drained, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Normal work stress looks like:
- Feeling tense during busy periods
- Trouble sleeping before a big deadline
- Relief once the stressful situation passes
Burnout looks like:
- Exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest
- Feeling detached or cynical about your job
- Trouble concentrating even on simple tasks
- Dreading work every single day
- Physical symptoms like headaches or stomach problems
The tricky thing about burnout? It sneaks up on you. One day, you realize you can’t remember the last time you felt okay.
Why Burnout Is a Mental Health Issue
Burnout isn’t just being tired. It changes your brain chemistry.
When you’re stressed for long periods, your body stays in fight-or-flight mode. Cortisol levels stay elevated. Sleep suffers. Your ability to regulate emotions gets worse.
Over time, chronic workplace stress can trigger or worsen:
- Anxiety — constant worry, racing thoughts, feeling on edge
- Depression — low mood, hopelessness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
- Irritability — snapping at coworkers, friends, or family
- Sleep problems — trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up exhausted
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not weak. Your nervous system is overwhelmed. And that’s something a psychiatric provider can help with.
Signs It’s Time to See Someone
You don’t need to hit rock bottom before getting help. In fact, the earlier you address burnout, the easier it is to recover.
Consider seeing a psychiatric provider if:
- Your symptoms have lasted more than two weeks
- You’re using alcohol, food, or other habits to cope
- Work stress is affecting your relationships
- You feel hopeless or like nothing will ever change
- You’re having trouble functioning at work or home
- You’ve noticed changes in sleep, appetite, or energy
Not sure if your symptoms are serious? Check out our guide on signs it’s time to seek psychiatric help.
What a Psychiatric Evaluation Can Tell You
When you come to MindWell, we don’t just ask about work. We look at the whole picture, your mood, sleep, energy, stress levels, medical history, and any medications you’re taking.
A psychiatric evaluation helps answer important questions:
- Is this burnout, or is there an underlying anxiety or mood disorder?
- Are your symptoms being made worse by something medical?
- Would medication help, or are there other approaches to try first?
Sometimes people come in thinking they just need to “push through” and leave with a treatment plan that actually works. That clarity alone can be a relief.
How We Treat Burnout-Related Symptoms
Treatment depends on what’s driving your symptoms. For many people dealing with workplace stress and burnout, a combination of approaches works best.
Medication management — If anxiety or depression is part of the picture, medication can help rebalance brain chemistry and give you the mental space to recover. We offer medication management tailored to your specific needs.
Genetic testing — Not sure which medication will work for you? Genetic testing can help identify which medications your body processes best, reducing trial and error.
Ongoing support — Burnout recovery isn’t instant. Regular follow-ups help us adjust your treatment as needed and make sure you’re actually getting better.
Things You Can Do Right Now
While professional treatment addresses the deeper issues, these strategies can help you cope day-to-day:
Set boundaries. Stop checking email after hours. Say no to projects you don’t have bandwidth for. Your job will survive.
Protect your sleep. Exhaustion makes everything worse. Aim for consistent sleep and wake times, even on weekends.
Move your body. Exercise reduces cortisol and improves mood. Even a 20-minute walk counts.
Talk to someone. Don’t isolate. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or therapist, connection helps.
Take your PTO. Seriously. Time off exists for a reason.
These habits support recovery, but they’re not a substitute for professional help if your symptoms are severe or long-lasting.
You Don’t Have to Keep Pushing Through
Here’s the thing about burnout: it doesn’t get better by working harder. Pushing through just digs you deeper into the hole.
Getting help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s what smart people do when they realize something isn’t working.
At MindWell Psychiatric Services in Las Vegas, we help working adults who are overwhelmed, exhausted, and running on empty. Michael Kuron, MSN, APRN, PMHNP takes time to understand what you’re dealing with and creates a plan that fits your life.
You deserve to feel better than this.
Contact MindWell Psychiatric Services to schedule an appointment. Let’s figure out what’s going on and how to fix it.
