Burnout: the signs of exhaustion and what to do

Marta Vilela Guimarães · Nov 13, 2026 · 6 min read

There is a tiredness that a weekend fixes. And there is another that nothing fixes: not holidays, not good nights of sleep, not promises that “from next month it will be different”. When tiredness becomes your normal state, and work that once gave meaning becomes only weight, it may be burnout.

The World Health Organization describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon, resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is not a personal weakness. It is what happens when demands outweigh, for too long, the resources we have.

The three main signs

Burnout usually has three faces, which do not always appear at the same time:

• Exhaustion: feeling drained, physically and emotionally, even after rest.
• Detachment: cynicism, irritation or indifference towards work and the people you work with.
• A sense of ineffectiveness: the feeling that you are no longer capable, that nothing you do is enough or worth it.

Other common signs

• Trouble falling asleep, or waking up already tired.
• Headaches, digestive problems, one cold after another.
• Forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
• Anxiety on Sunday evenings, or just thinking about email.
• Pulling away from friends and from things that used to bring pleasure.
• Feeling you cannot stop, even when you are able to.

Many of these signs overlap with depression. So if you recognise yourself here, it is worth seeking an assessment from a professional rather than trying to diagnose yourself.

Why rest is sometimes not enough

Rest is essential, but it rarely solves burnout on its own. If everything is the same when you go back, the wear starts again. And often it is not only the amount of work that weighs: it is the lack of control over it, the absence of recognition, the clash between your own values and what is asked of you, or the difficulty saying no.

There is also a personal side, worth looking at carefully and without guilt. The people who reach burnout are often those who try hardest: people who are demanding of themselves, who feel their worth depends on what they produce, who learned early not to fail and not to ask for help. Those qualities take you far, but they can also take you to the limit.

Where to start

• Acknowledge what is happening. Saying “I am exhausted” is the first step to stop pretending otherwise.
• Talk to your GP, especially if there are physical symptoms or you need to stop for a while.
• Protect the basics: hours of sleep, meals, some movement, time away from screens.
• Review your limits. What can you delegate, postpone or decline? Where do you say yes when you want to say no?
• Reconnect with what is not work: people, your body, nature, things done just for pleasure.

How therapy helps

Therapy helps in two stages. In the short term, to ease the pressure and regain some balance, with mindfulness practices to calm a nervous system that has been on alert for too long. Then, to understand what led you here: patterns of self-demand, your relationship with work and with your own worth, the difficulty setting limits. It is that second piece of work that helps you not end up in the same place again.

At Espaço Âncora we work with adults experiencing burnout in individual therapy and in mindfulness and stress reduction, in person in Porto or online, in English or Portuguese. If you need to take the first step, you can book a first session. In a crisis or if you need immediate help, contact SNS 24 (808 24 24 24) or call 112.