Signs of Burnout at Work—and How to Get Your Hope Back

You’re on your way to work when a wave of hopelessness about your daily grind crashes down. Or maybe it sneaks in more subtly. You just can’t muster the motivation to be all in the way you used to. The spark that once drove you now feels like a faint flicker.

What gives?

If you’re mentally exhausted and emotionally drained day after day because of your job, you might be dealing with a classic case of burnout. Nearly 3 out of 4 workers in the U.S. feel burned out at least sometimes.¹ And while burnout can hit anyone—whether you’re running a company or serving on the team—the weight lands differently when you’re the one steering the ship.

You already know, if you’re walking through it, that no amount of lattes, sugar hits or pep talks will fix it. But burnout doesn’t have to be the end of your story. There’s a healthy way forward.

So, let’s zero in on what burnout really is, then unpack the signs of burnout at work and how to get your hope back.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a feeling of deep exhaustion, frustration or being overwhelmed that builds when stress piles up over time. You feel like nothing you’re doing will get you out of the situation you’re in. You’re treading water, fighting as hard as you can, and your body finally says, “I’m done.”

A lot of business leaders think burnout is just a work-hours problem. You’ve been putting in 60-plus hours a week for months or years, so of course you’re tired. You just need a break, right?

Maybe. But burnout isn’t really about hours—it’s about a lack of hope. It’s exhaustion with no progress and no clear path forward. On the surface, it feels a lot like fatigue—your body is worn out and heavy—but the story underneath is different.

• Fatigue says, “I’m exhausted, but I see results.”You might be worn out from launching a project, hosting a huge event, or finally checking a major goal off your list. But it’s a satisfying tired. You feel accomplished and ready for the next challenge.

• Burnout says, “I’m exhausted, and nothing I do is moving the needle.”Maybe you’ve been pushing for months to grow revenue, cover payroll, or pay down debt with no traction, no support and no light at the end of the tunnel.

In the book Burnout, Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, describe three stages of burnout:

1. Exhaustion: “I can’t get up.”
2. Depersonalization, aka apathy: “I don’t care.”
3. Futility: “Nothing I do matters.”

These are your body’s alarms. And if they sound familiar, it’s time to ask, Am I burning out?

Signs of Burnout at Work

If you feel like you’re on the verge of crashing and burning or concerned that someone else might be, here 10 common signs to watch for:

1. You feel overwhelmed and behind—everywhere. Emails pile up, projects stall, home life gets your leftovers, and you’re about to snap.
2. Your health is suffering. Headaches, stomach issues, brain fog, poor sleep, random aches and constant illness plague you.
3. Relationships feel far away. You’re missing dinners, games and simple conversations. When you do show up, your mind and emotions aren’t really there.
4. Passion is fading. You loved this once. Now the spark is buried under drudgery.
5. You daydream about escape. The thought of selling the business, walking away, and moving somewhere no one knows your name is more tempting than you’d like to admit.
6. You don’t trust anyone but yourself to carry the load. Delegation feels impossible, so you keep jumping back in.
7. You avoid the numbers. Bank accounts, P&Ls, payroll—you haven’t looked at financial details in months because it’s just . . . too . . . much.
8. You feel alone. Even with people around you, it feels like no one really understands the pressures you’re dealing with every day.
9. Motivation and productivity are lagging. Tasks drag out, focus slips, and you’re busy but getting nowhere.
10. Hopelessness creeps in. The mountain looks too big and the tunnel too long to make the fight feel worth it.

These practical signs often come bundled with mental and emotional symptoms too:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Frustration
• Irritability or impatience
• Difficulty concentrating
• Overreacting to minor things
• Zoning out
• Sluggishness
• And the big one again because it’s so freaking huge: hopelessness

These symptoms could also be tied to other issues, so it’s wise to check in with a trusted doctor, counselor or spiritual leader for more guidance. If you're running your own business or have a leadership role, these symptoms can be magnified.

Causes of Burnout as a Leader—and How to Fix Them

That list is heavy because burnout is heavy. But spotting the signs is the first step toward hope. Then, the real breakthrough comes when you can name what’s causing the burnout and fix it at the root.

Here are the most common traps that quietly create burnout and how you can climb out of them.

1. Hiring Fast and Keeping the Wrong People

You can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a donkey. And you can’t grow your business with them either. If your team is full of people you can’t trust to own their roles, you’ll never gain traction.

The fix: Raise the bar. Hire slower. Pay more for thoroughbreds—team members who take initiative, deliver excellence, and treat customers with dignity. Train and coach those with potential, and let go of the ones who aren’t cut out for the race.

2. Delegation Failure

If sales, operations and customer service all depend on you, you don’t own a business—you own a job with extra responsibilities. Exhaustion is the symptom, but the root problem is a structure that can’t function without you.

The fix: Stop being the chief everything officer. Build structures that make it easy to delegate with clear roles, standards and weekly check-ins. Your role shifts from doing all the jobs to coaching people who own the jobs. In other words, you go from working in the business to working on it.

3. Chasing Magic Bullets

A new product line, license or system won’t save you if the foundation is shaky. Products don’t fix burnout.

The fix: Strengthen the team and processes first. Only then should you expand into new offerings—and only if it won’t drain your cash.

4. Operating by Feelings Instead of Numbers

Plenty of leaders say, “We did $10 million in revenue, but I don’t know where the profit went.” That’s not strong financial leadership—that’s flying blind.

The fix: Face the numbers, even if they’re ugly. Revenue, margins, net profit, cash runway, debt payoff plan—what’s really working and what’s just shiny? Bad news is almost always easier than the unknown. Create a written budget every month, and close the books with your leaders so everyone owns the results. Clarity restores hope.

5. Debt Suffocating You

What does strong revenue plus heavy debt equal? No oxygen. All your profit gets swallowed by payments before you can ever catch your breath.

The fix: Create a debt payoff plan with a clear timeline. This could include selling unused assets, dropping low-margin services, restructuring compensation, or accelerating payments. Think about it: If you knew you’d be debt-free in 24 months, you’d fight like crazy. Fighting forever? No way. Why? Because when you see a path forward, you can keep pushing with purpose. When you don’t, every hour feels heavier.

6. Isolation

Founders and family-business leaders are notorious for carrying every weight and burden by themselves. That’s not strength. It’s a slow path to collapse. You can’t do it alone. Period.

The fix: Refuse to stay isolated. Link arms with a leadership coach, mentor or mastermind group (what we call Advisory Groups). In family businesses, share the numbers and the plan and stop shielding each other from reality. You’re not weak for feeling exhausted, but you are crazy for going it alone. That’s unsustainable.

7. Blurred Boundaries

Work-life balance sounds good, but most owners roll their eyes at the phrase. If you’re wondering how to balance work and life, try this instead: Be where you are.

The fix:

• Don’t send emails over the weekend. Or if you have some thoughts that can't wait until Monday, delay sending them.
• Use a transition ritual on your way home—music, prayer or deep breaths. Then, when you walk through the door, be fully where your feet are. Your family needs you, not the business owner trying to solve all the problems.
• Put your phone in a basket, on your dresser, anywhere but nearby during dinner or family time. Work problems can wait. Your peace and relationships can’t.
• Block time for family like you block time for clients. Protect it.

Call it work-life harmony if you want. The point is presence. Be at work when you’re at work, and be at home when you’re at home.

8. Paying Yourself a High Salary but Starving the Team

It feels good to finally pay yourself well, but if you’re doing that at the expense of hiring and developing great people, you’re trading short-term cash for long-term burnout.

The fix: Include reinvestment in your plan for paying yourself. It’s worth repeating: Excellence costs more, but thoroughbreds return the investment in peace, growth and sanity.

9. Building a Life With No Margin

The achievement trap says winning makes you well. But the next conquest won’t fix your family, your craving for significance, or your soul.

The fix: Be ambitious. You can be well and win. Just take care of your inner life first. Choose less money if it buys more joy and health. Drive the older truck if it means you can sleep, exercise, read, worship and be with people. What can you sustain? Build that kind of life.

10. No Passion for Your Work

Some business leaders look successful on paper—profits are strong, hours are steady—but they still feel burned out. Why? Because the work itself just doesn’t light them up. When your only fuel is dollars or downtime, the tank eventually runs dry. Passion isn’t about chasing every whim, but if you don’t believe in the mission of your business, even success feels empty.

The fix: Reconnect with why you started. If the mission has drifted, realign it. And if the business model itself doesn’t fire you up, be honest. Maybe it’s time to pivot into something you do care about. That shift can unlock energy you didn’t know you had.

11. Boredom

Maybe you still like your line of work, but you’ve hit a wall because every day feels the same. If you’re stuck only putting out fires or doing the same tasks, you’re not challenged. That monotony kills motivation until just showing up feels heavy.

The fix: Break something on purpose. Break what’s working just okay, the sacred cow holding you back . . . heck, break that coffee mug you’ve been staring into every morning. Cast a new vision, pursue a fresh goal, or stretch into a new market if it makes sense. At the same time, delegate routine tasks so you’ve got energy and space for new things. Boredom fades when there’s something meaningful to build toward.

12. Unfinished Stress Cycles

Emotions are signals that something matters. As Dr. John Delony explains, burnout isn’t just a thought problem, it’s a body problem. Stress sets off a cascade of chemicals that cause different reactions: fight, flight or freeze. If you don’t let that cycle complete, stress hormones stay trapped in your body, poisoning you from the inside out.

“You can sprint for a season, but if that becomes your lifestyle, there’s a price to pay,” he warns.

The fix: Move your body. Sleep like it’s your job. Connect through hugs, conversation and laughter. Breathe deeply. Resist pure venting that just fuels deeper anger. Write down what you’re feeling and what you’re thankful for. These are signals to your nervous system: We’re safe. We’re in control. That’s what shuts off the alarms so you can deal with the hard stuff without burning a toxic hole through your system.

Here’s the bottom line: You restore hope with clarity (numbers and a plan), people (thoroughbreds, not donkeys), delegation (structures you can trust), and boundaries (so you can be fully present).

Back to the Beginning

You started this business because you care—about your family, your team and the people you serve. That caring isn’t the problem. Caring without a clear path and people to guide you is.

The good news? You don’t have to find the way forward alone.