Addressing Burnout with Mindfulness

Quick answer: Burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, marked by energy depletion, mental distance from one's job, and reduced professional efficacy. Mindfulness—intentional, non-judgmental presence—is a well-researched tool for catching stress early and preventing it from escalating into burnout.

We can all attest to the workplace changes of the past few years: increased turnover, inflation, economic challenges, layoffs, and workers not feeling appreciated. Many of these have meant more responsibilities and more pressure at work—and throughout these transitions, the risk of burnout has increased for all of us. Without a sense of appreciation and adequate support from an employer, employees run a higher risk of a syndrome that can be detrimental to both the individual and the business.

What is burnout?

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that is not being successfully managed—stress that never feels like it resolves.

Burnout has three main characteristics: energy depletion (exhaustion, low motivation), increased mental distance from one's job (negative attitude, cynicism), and reduced professional efficacy (poor performance, increased human error). In more severe cases, people can experience insomnia, depression, and anxiety, along with reduced creativity, isolation, physical ailments, and lack of concentration. While some symptoms sound like depression, burnout is different: it's tied specifically to our work and our relationship with our work.

What workplace factors lead to burnout?

Burnout boils down to workplace stress and demands that are too great to cope with—longer hours, increased remote-work demands, unrealistic deadlines, unequal or low pay, and lack of opportunity for growth.

The occurrence of burnout has been rising, with studies showing a notable spike in 2020. According to the APA's 2021 Work and Well-being Survey, 79% of employees had experienced work-related stress in the month before the survey. Nearly 3 in 5 reported negative impacts, including lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26%) and lack of effort at work (19%); 36% reported cognitive weariness, 32% emotional exhaustion, and 44% physical fatigue—a 38% increase since 2019.

What does burnout mean for a business?

Employees with severe burnout are far more likely to leave, and unaddressed burnout leads to absenteeism, higher healthcare costs, high turnover, reduced customer satisfaction, and more human error—a lose-lose for employees and businesses.

On an individual level, we can tend to our mental health outside of work, but when stressors are connected to the workplace, some responsibility falls on businesses. Employers can better support their teams by providing conflict-resolution training, maximizing staff autonomy, including employees in decision-making, offering support groups, and setting clear, consistent goals. Most important of all: providing education and raising awareness through workshops and healthy coping skills such as mindfulness.

How can mindfulness help prevent burnout?

Mindfulness builds the self-awareness to spot signs of stress early and intervene before stress escalates into burnout.

To be mindful means to be intentionally present—fully engaged with your surroundings, feelings, thoughts, and senses, with acceptance, curiosity, and without judgment. Several well-known organizations, including Aetna, Intel, Target, General Mills, and Google, have implemented workplace mindfulness with benefits to employee wellbeing. One study showed significant improvements in physical, behavioral, emotional, and personal stress indicators, including reduced blood pressure and cortisol levels. Mindfulness can help manage stress responses across four domains: physical (blood pressure, muscle tension, stress hormones), emotional (anxiety, fear, sadness, anger, shame), behavioral (withdrawing, over- or under-doing, lashing out), and cognitive (trouble concentrating, negative self-talk, difficulty making decisions). This is the same skill set we teach in mindfulness-based therapy.

How do I practice mindfulness at work?

Start with three simple practices: mindful breathing, mindful eating, and mindful walking.

Mindful breathing means focusing your attention on your breath—its natural rhythm and how it feels to inhale and exhale. Mindful eating means slowing down and bringing your senses to the experience of food. Mindful walking means being aware of your surroundings and how your body and mind feel while moving. Mindfulness is easy to introduce, takes a small investment of time, is secular and available to all, provides immediate and observable results, and can be customized to any experience level. Employers can weave it into team meetings, one-on-ones, workshops, and wellness programs—alongside encouraging time off and real work-life balance.

Burnout is preventable when we treat mental health at the source

Humans are not machines, though we sometimes forget it and place unrealistic pressure on ourselves. Treating burnout's physical symptoms doesn't address the root: mental health is at the heart of this syndrome. When employees feel safe, heard, and valued—and when we each tend to our own wellbeing with tools like mindfulness—both employer and employee flourish on personal and professional levels.

Getting started. If work stress has tipped into exhaustion, cynicism, or hopelessness, therapy can help. Our individual adult counseling team sees clients in Austin and through online therapy across Texas.

Frequently asked questions

Is burnout the same as depression?

No. Some symptoms overlap, but burnout is tied specifically to your work and your relationship with your work, whereas depression extends across life domains. Severe burnout can, however, involve insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

What are the warning signs of burnout?

The three core signs are energy depletion, growing mental distance or cynicism toward your job, and reduced professional efficacy—plus symptoms like poor concentration, isolation, physical ailments, and more frequent mistakes.

Can mindfulness alone fix burnout?

Mindfulness is a powerful preventative tool, but burnout also stems from workplace conditions—so lasting change usually requires both personal practices and employer support, and sometimes professional help.

Get started with a therapist at Austin Mindfulness Center—in person in Austin or online across Texas.