Burnout VS. Depression: Key Differences

If you’ve recently begun to feel listless and uninterested in what you do, you

might be wondering if you’re depressed, or possibly burnt out… or both. At the

point where you’re actually burnt out, both burnout and depression look very

similar.

Here’s briefly what the difference is between them: Burnout happens when

you’ve overworked for too long – it’s situational, often due to work or caregiving

a loved one. Depression affects your whole life, and doesn’t generally get

triggered from a particular situation.

What is burnout and depression?

Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion

caused by excessive and prolonged stress, often stemming from work, caregiving,

or overwhelming responsibilities.

Depression, on the other hand, is a medical illness that is characterized by

persistent sadness, loss of interest, and low energy that impairs daily life. There

are often other symptoms accompanying depression – sleep issues, feelings of

guilt and shame, eating changes. For depression to be diagnosed, it must last a

minimum of 2 weeks.

Key signs of Depression

Depression that lasts longer than 2 weeks is rarely triggered by a specific event,

although it may deepen as a result of a painful event. It can also develop out of

burning out.

Signs of depression include:

 Persistent sadness or emptiness;

 Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy;

 Changes in sleep or appetite;

 Low energy (not just from overwork);

 Feelings of worthlessness or guilt;

 Difficulty concentrating;

 Sometimes thoughts of death or suicide.

Depression affects many areas of your daily life, and doesn’t necessarily retreat by

changing your circumstances or environment. Depression often requires support,

such as therapy, and sometimes accompanied by medication.

Section 3: Key Signs of Burnout

In my work with high-achieving professionals, I often see burnout first show up as

a constant fatigue and a sudden loss of interest in the work that used to be so

motivating.

Burnout happens as a result of prolonged overwork to the point of repeated

exhaustion. Eighty-hour work weeks that continue week after week; being the

primary caretaker of an aging parent with memory issues while trying to care for

family and work at the same time – are two examples. There are three main

characteristics to watch out for with burnout:

 Overwhelming exhaustion – you wake tired and fall into bed every night:

you always feel exhausted. During the day, your energy never feels good,

and you need to force yourself to complete tasks that would normally be

easy;

 Detachment from work – the work you once enjoyed and were eager to

dive into no longer interests you. Not because your interests have changed,

but because nothing interests you any longer about the work you are doing.

Part of this is due to exhaustion;

 Reduced sense of professional capability – being detached from what you

do means that the standards you once prided yourself in having and

maintaining become lax or even nonexistent. You can see this happening,

but feel powerless to do anything about it.

How Burnout and Depression Overlap

Burnout and depression can look very similar to one another, and burnout can

lead to depression if it continues long enough.

Both include feeling low energy or fatigue, low motivation and disengagement

from life. Both can make it hard for you to function on a daily basis.

A simple way to tell them apart is this:

Ask yourself: If I removed this one thing that is stressing me, would I significantly

feel better? If the answer is “Yes”, then you’re likely suffering from burnout. If the

answer is “No”, then you’re probably depressed.

Why the lost energy with Burnout?

With burnout, the energy loss you feel is because your physical system is

depleted: you have gone full out 110% for too long to the point where your body

has depleted its energy reserves. Our bodies were never meant to go full out for

any prolonged length of time. The physical stress of going full out requires that

our body pull out all the stops: our muscles receive extra blood flow, our

hormones change to support the need for increased energy, and any physical

systems that are not needed in this situation begin to shut down.

It’s a big strain on our bodies when we are in a continuously stressful situation.

Our bodies will only be able to support us in this way for a limited amount of

time.

After that limited time, our physical functioning begins to break down. This will

eventually lead to physical and mental exhaustion, or burnout.

Section 6: What Can Help Relieve Burnout?

Since burnout includes both mental and physical exhaustion, then both our

mental and physical states need to be healed.

 First, it does mean slowing down, or at least adding limits to the amount of

work you do daily. This may mean getting extra help, delegating, and

putting strict limits on daily hours. It may mean leaving your current job for

another less stressful one;

 Once you have a bit of extra time, then put it to good use in supporting

your health: short meditations, healthy eating, exercise – even if all you can

do is a short walk. And sleep – a good solid sleep helps your body heal and

prepare for the next day. Find a way to prioritize these things in a way that

works for you.

 Breathe. When we’re stressed from overwork, breathing can counter it.

This means a series of long deep breaths in, and then releasing each breath

slowly. This engages your Vagus nerve system that promotes relaxation.

What if you can’t or don’t want to leave the situation you’re in, even if you know

it’s burning you out? If that’s true for you, then commit to making your health a

priority that is at least as important as what you’re doing. It doesn’t take a lot of

time to add healthy practices – 5 minutes every morning to meditate, meal-

planning weekends for the week, walking around the block, eliminating caffeine 4

hours before bedtime.

The important thing is to add support of yourself to your day in a meaningful way.

Most of us tend to drop self-care when we’re busy. Learn never to.

What Can Help Relieve Depression?

Depression is a mental and emotional illness. It can and will impact you physically,

but it’s underlying cause is mental and emotional.

When we’re depressed, it feels like it will never end. We end up spiraling deeper

into this sense of hopelessness.

Because of this, it’s important to find a way to stop the spiraling. That’s where

meditation helps – it trains you to focus your mind and continuously let go of

unhelpful negative thought patterns.

One other thing that helps when you are depressed is movement. Depression is

the opposite of movement, and for that reason simply moving helps to shift your

emotional state away from feeling depressed. Any kind of movement will do –

washing dishes, cleaning, walking. Walking in nature is one of the best ways to lift

your mood.

When you’re depressed, it can be very hard to do anything at all. It will take effort

on your part to even meditate. But once you begin, the rest begins to get easier.

When to Consider Therapy

There are so many resources available for you in terms of self-help – books,

videos, peer support groups, friends and relatives. You don’t have to figure out

what to do alone. In fact, it is so important that you do reach out and not be

alone.

On the other hand, after you’ve used all these supports and you still feel

depressed or burnt out after a few weeks, it is really worth talking to a therapist.

Conclusion

Burnout and depression are 2 conditions that are affecting people more and more

in these days of disruption and chaos. In some ways they feel very similar, but

they can be distinguished from each other. It may be that you became burnt out

and then went into depression.

There are things you can do on your own and with the help of friends and family.

In fact, it is important that you do reach out.

I want to reassure you that you aren’t alone in dealing with burnout or

depression, and that there is help for you, either through friends and family or

professionally.

About the Author

Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and Life Coach, a

certified EMDR practitioner, a certified Gestalt Therapist, and Past

President of IAAGT (International Association for the Advancement of

Gestalt Therapy). She holds additional certifications in Narrative Therapy,

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Internal Family Systems or

Parts Work, and Trauma & Attachment Psychotherapy, with 20+ years

helping high achieving professionals overcome burnout, anxiety, and

perfectionism in Michigan, Ontario, and beyond. She offers therapy and

coaching tailored to your life.