When it comes to burnout, prevention matters. Dr Sarah Densham shares a framework for noticing the warning signs and taking action before they spiral

Characterised by severe physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion following long-term, unmanaged stress, burnout can have a catastrophic impact.

In 2024 research from Deloitte, 63% of respondents reported at least one characteristic of burnout, such as exhaustion, mental distance from work, or declining performance – up from 51% in 2021. And while that number doesn’t mean all those people are currently experiencing burnout, it offers some insight into the state of the nation’s wellbeing. And a key part of addressing burnout is catching it before it spirals.

The World Health Organisation defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”, rather than a medical condition – and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines explicitly cite prevention as key to addressing burnout in the workplace.

While the WHO definition is specifically concerned with workplace burnout, similar patterns of chronic stress and exhaustion are increasingly discussed in relation to other demanding roles, including caring and parenting. Here, clinical psychologist Dr Sarah Densham shares a framework for managing burnout before it spirals out of control:

Preventing burnout with a PAUSE

Pay attention to the signals

Developing curiosity about what is going on inside of us is our first step to understanding ourselves in the wider systems we are in. We can start by noticing our own ‘stress signature’: changes in our body, thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. It can also help to ask people close to us what they have noticed. Practising mindfulness can help us notice what is happening in the present moment, rather than automatically overriding our internal signals.

Assess the environment

Assessing the environment means looking beyond ourselves. Rather than assuming we simply need to become better at coping, we can ask: “What’s happening here?” instead of “What’s wrong with me?” People can start to see a ‘mismatch’ between what matters to them and the life they are living.

Burnout isn’t something that happens solely within us; it can emerge in the space between us and the environments we’re trying to navigate, such as our relationships, routines, expectations, and demands. We might be trying to balance competing priorities, like achievement and rest, caring for others and ourselves. Not every mismatch is something we can solve by changing ourselves, because sometimes something around us needs to change too.

Understand the patterns

What do I tend to tell myself when I can’t do everything? When everything feels like a priority, and we are under pressure, we often fall back on familiar ways of responding. Maybe we work harder, always put other people’s needs first, or tell ourselves: “I need to get on top of it all before I can rest.”

These responses often make sense. They may reflect things we care about, such as being responsible, caring for others, or doing a good job. But when they become our only way of responding, they can come with an unintentional cost.

Our environments can reinforce these patterns as well, especially when being productive or endlessly dependable is consistently rewarded. Then, it can become difficult to say no or set limits.

We don’t need to criticise ourselves for these patterns; they often developed for good reasons. When we can’t do everything, there may be no perfect choice, only a difficult one. Developing self-compassion can help us recognise our real limits without judging ourselves for what we can’t manage.

Seek safe connection

When we start to notice signs of struggle, reaching out to others can be protective. We might ask: “Who can I talk to?”

This is where psychological safety is important – feeling able to acknowledge difficulty, ask for help, and speak openly about what isn’t OK. Safety is relational – individuals can reach towards connection, but teams, families, and organisations also have a responsibility to create conditions where honesty feels possible.

When we have learned that competence means coping, or that speaking up is met with shame, saying “I’m struggling” may feel too risky.

Experiment

Burnout prevention isn’t about finding the perfect solution; it can be about trying one small change and noticing what happens.

This might mean creating a ‘mindful check-in’ with yourself for a few minutes a day, being kinder to yourself when you can’t do it all, having a conversation about expectations, or questioning something that has become unsustainable.