Burnout

Burnout is what accumulates when the demands on you outrun your ability to recover for long enough that something gives — your energy, your warmth toward the work, your belief that you’re any good at it. This section starts with the overview — what burnout actually is, what causes it and what it does to the body — then gets practical: a phased recovery guide with honest timelines, and a self-check quiz to gauge where you stand. These are explainers, not medical advice; for anything that affects you personally, see a qualified professional.

• Overview: what burnout is and what causes it

  The three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism and lost efficacy, how burnout differs from stress and from depression, the six workplace mismatches that cause it, the warning signs — including displaced anger — what it does to appetite, gut and long-term health, the daily basics, and how watches, HRV and Body Battery can help.

• Recovery guide: a phased plan back to full strength

  The practical companion: realistic timelines by severity, the five phases from triage to a redesigned return, a sustainable daily template, what to say to your GP and your manager, how to handle the inevitable setbacks, and how to track whether the slope is genuinely up.

• Self-check quiz: do I actually have it?

  Eighteen honest statements across the three dimensions of burnout — answer how often each has been true lately and get a gentle, plain-English read-out of where you stand, where it concentrates, and what to do next. Private: nothing you answer leaves the page.