Workplace Burnout: How to Deal With Exhaustion at Work

Many people go to work each day feeling tired and unmotivated, but you can find tools and resources to help you combat exhaustion at work. Perhaps you feel physically exhausted because of the demands of your job or emotionally exhausted because of unique stressors. Feeling exhausted at work—or feeling exhausted because of work—is typically called burnout, and it’s a growing problem. In a 2024 poll from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 52 percent of employees reported feeling burned out in the last year, with 37 percent reporting these feelings made it difficult to work [1]. 

Burnout tends to occur when you have experienced work-related stress over a sustained period of time. Some research has even suggested that burnout is a form of depression related to work [2]. Fortunately, you can overcome exhaustion at work. Discover how to identify what’s contributing to your low energy and stress at work—and how to take action—below. 

What does it mean to be exhausted at work? 

Being exhausted at work means you experience various physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that can significantly impact your well-being and performance. These symptoms include [3]: 

• Being overly critical at work 

• Being irritable with coworkers or managers 

• Feeling disenchanted about your career path 

• Feeling less energy to be as productive as you once were 

• Feeling a lack of satisfaction about your accomplishments 

• Feeling dread about going to work

• Having trouble concentrating on tasks that once engrossed you 

• Sleeping less or poorly 

• Using drugs, alcohol, or food to cope with negative feelings about work

If you have experienced one or more of these symptoms, you may be experiencing burnout. With some effort, you can take steps to overcome workplace exhaustion, and it starts with figuring out the cause.

How to fix fatigue quickly at work 

Burnout is a bigger issue that requires consideration and care, but if you need to gain energy quickly at work, try some of these tips:

- Eat a healthy breakfast or grab a snack

- Drink plenty of water

- Smell an energizing fragrance like citrus or cinnamon

- Take a walk or stretch

-Stand in the sunshine for a few moments

What’s causing your exhaustion at work? 

Various factors, including the structure of your work tasks, the environment in which you work, and the amount of sleep you get, can cause work exhaustion. Begin working through your exhaustion at work by identifying the stressors contributing to your feelings of negativity.

It may take some time to figure out why you feel exhausted at work, and you may find more than one reason behind it. Some common causes of workplace stress and exhaustion are:

• Too much work

• Working on tasks that no longer challenge you

• High expectations without appropriate resources

• Harmful work environment

• Low workplace morale

• Poor relationships, particularly with managers

• Lack of sleep 

• Lack of self-care

• Demanding schedule 

• Underlying health problem 

How to deal with exhaustion at work

To deal with exhaustion at work, you can try communicating your concerns and seeking support, prioritizing your personal well-being, and reflecting on your career. Explore these strategies further below.

1. Communicate the problem.

If your workload has grown beyond what you can reasonably handle or your workplace has become hostile, it may help to meet with your manager and discuss the problem. During this meeting, you should bring up the problem and present a solution. While the overall point of the meeting will be to address your concerns, it’s important to be part of the solution. That autonomy can help contribute to overcoming your burnout. 

For example, if you’re feeling overwhelmed because of your workload, you might suggest a better way to delegate projects or new software your department could purchase to help clarify each employee’s tasks. Asking to attend a workshop, conference, or online leadership course might provide an outlet for professional growth. If company morale is low, you might suggest creating an experience committee that develops team-building events for the company. 

2. Cultivate your social life. 

Feeling disconnected at work can make it harder to enjoy being there. Look for ways to connect with your colleagues or network with people on a different team. See if your office has any professional groups or Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that might help you get to know others and strengthen your connection to the company. 

But don’t feel as though you’re limited to work. Take some time to interact with your friends, have dinner with family, or arrange a date night with your partner. Investing in your social life can help you balance your home and work lives.

3. Protect your time away from work. 

If you are checking emails after dinner or adding to your presentation before going to bed, you may need to establish boundaries. It’s common to feel as though you need to put in extra hours, but establishing boundaries around when and how you work is healthy.  

Of course, you may have a competitive job where people typically work after hours, but you can still set a cut-off time for work, such as after dinner. To work through burnout, you need the ability to “turn off” work and focus on other parts of your life.   

4. Invest your time in a hobby. 

Make a point to invest in a hobby. When you’re overworked, your hobby can be the first thing you eliminate from your schedule because you don’t have the same time to devote to it. However, scheduling time for your hobby has positive impacts on your well-being. You’ll likely feel less stressed and less fatigued because you’ll be spending time on a passion, which can, in turn, bring more energy to your life. 

5. Ask your network for help. 

Depending on the severity of your burnout, you may need some help overcoming your symptoms. If your exhaustion at work is caused by work stress, your supervisor may be able to help. But you may need to make more time for self-care, too, which may involve asking a partner to take care of errands or chores so you can exercise or looking into a professional service to take away a chore so you can have more time for a hobby or passion.  

6. Seek out career help. 

Although burnout is not a recognized medical condition, it is real, and you can find professionals who can help you talk through the situation. Consider asking your HR department if it has resources you can use to deal with workplace stress. You can also seek out a career counselor to discuss your career path and reevaluate your goals.

Learn more: Career Coaching: Finding a Coach That Fits Your Needs

7. Know when it’s time to move on.

In some cases, the healthiest option may be to find a new opportunity. To help you make that decision, consider beginning a new job search when: 

• You can't reach a solution at work

• Your supervisor expects you to work after hours

• Your workload is too heavy, with no end in sight

• Your work fatigue interferes with your personal life

• You cannot maintain a work-life balance

If you do decide to seek out another position, be sure to leave your current company on good terms, even if your experience hasn’t been overly positive. 

Tips on how to avoid exhaustion at work 

Whether you work to make your day-to-day role more energizing or leave and seek out a new position, you should take steps to prevent work exhaustion from returning. Some preventative steps to consider include:

Reevaluate your perspective. 

Your perspective often defines a situation, whether it’s good or bad. Developing gratitude for what you’re learning, what your job is preparing you to move on to, or the relationships you have with your coworkers (even if you don’t enjoy the work) can help you shift your focus from the negative to the positive. 

Schedule your day differently.

As much as possible, schedule your day to meet your needs. For example, if you’re most productive in the morning, schedule your most pressing tasks accordingly. Consider taking a walk during your lunch break, workout before you go to work, or ask for “no meeting Mondays” to help improve your mindset and productivity.

Focus on self-care.

You should continue self-care routines even when you’ve alleviated work exhaustion. Try to keep a routine sleep schedule, don’t answer emails in the evening, and take advantage of any vacation time you’re offered. Being diligent about self-care will help stave off stress and tiredness. 

Look for growth opportunities.

Sometimes, burnout occurs when we stop growing at work. Look for additional growth opportunities that you can take advantage of, such as conferences, mentoring opportunities, or promotions. 

Be picky about your next job.

If you decide that it’s better to find another job, be selective to ensure you’re moving into a more energizing opportunity. Sit down and write out your ideal job description. What duties would it include? What kind of culture would it have? From that list, you can then begin identifying companies that align with your needs and look for relevant openings.  

Explore how to fight exhaustion at work on Coursera

Feeling exhausted at work can make it difficult to complete your job, but finding ways to recover and prevent burnout in the future can help you avoid this problem. Learn more about how to develop better resilience to work-related stress with a course like Build Personal Resilience from Macquarie University or Foundations of Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania on Coursera. Through these courses, you can identify the cause of your stress and exhaustion at work, understand how stress happens, and help you implement strategies to fight and prevent exhaustion.