What are the different types of burnout? The causes, symptoms and how to recover

There’s a difference between feeling tired and experiencing burnout. While the former is usually resolved by a few early nights, being burned out is a chronic, lingering problem. 

Burnout isn’t some sort of disease – it’s the body’s response to sustained, high levels of stress. In 2025, a report from Moodle found that 66% of US workers had experienced burnout, while a Mental Health UK survey found that one in three adults came under high levels of pressure or stress.

Exhaustion isn’t the only symptom. You may feel emotionally detached, irritable, cynical or overwhelmed. You might find yourself procrastinating, losing interest in things you once enjoyed, spending more time alone, or experiencing aches and pains for no obvious reason.

However, burnout is an umbrella term. Chantel Cohen, a therapist and the founder of CWC Coaching & Therapy, explains that people burn out for different reasons, and they don't all present the same way. And to really address the problem, you need to know why you’re burned out.

Frenetic burnout

Highly engaged, driven, an over-achiever, and unable to rest. Sound familiar? You might have ‘frenetic’ burnout. 

“This is the person who is working long hours, taking on too much, juggling multiple roles, and pushing through exhaustion because they feel they cannot slow down,” says Cohen. “This type of burnout is caused by overload, pressure, high expectations, and the belief that rest is something you have to earn.”

One of the best interventions is rest, which is difficult because many of us have been conditioned to be as ‘productive’ as possible – to the detriment of our health.

“People want to find ways around rest because it does not feel productive, but rest is usually the thing the body is asking for most,” says Cohen. “The challenge is that for people experiencing frenetic burnout in particular, they're not truly resting, even when they're off the clock. Their bodies may be at rest, but their minds are still running wild. So recovery means learning what restoration actually looks like for that person – sleep, leisure, even boredom.”

"Frenetic burnout is caused by overload, pressure, high expectations, and the belief that rest is something you have to earn"

Chantel Cohen, therapist

Under-challenged burnout

Another type is under-challenged burnout, which happens when someone is inundated with work that feels monotonous, repetitive, unstimulating, or disconnected from meaning.

“That person may feel bored, cynical, indifferent, or emotionally checked out,” says Cohen. “The cause is not necessarily volume, but rather a lack of growth, creativity, autonomy, or purpose.”

For under-challenged burnout, recovery is about reintroducing joy and meaning outside of work. When work feels repetitive and unstimulating, it’s easy to start feeling flat in every area of life. “Cultivating outside passions, hobbies, relationships, creativity, and moments of pleasure helps remind us that our lives are so much bigger than our jobs,” says Cohen.

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Worn-out burnout

Worn-out burnout occurs when you’ve been trying for a long-time and things start to feel hopeless. You might have been working hard for a promotion, only for the job to be given to someone else. Ultimately, this type of burnout is caused by chronic stress combined with low support, lack of recognition, lack of autonomy, and the feeling that nothing changes no matter how hard you try.

“Someone may feel like their effort does not matter, that they have no real control, or that their work is not recognised,” says Cohen. “Over time, they may begin to disengage, procrastinate, avoid responsibilities, or feel guilty because they cannot show up the way they used to.”

One recovery strategy is to examine the narratives that have built up around work. “If your internal script sounds like ‘nothing I do matters’ or ‘no-one notices anyway’ – those thoughts may come from very real experiences of being unsupported or overextended,” says Cohen. “But part of recovery is asking: Is this absolutely true? Is there evidence for it? Is there evidence against it?”

"Burnout is not only about the workload itself, it's also about the meaning we attach to what we're doing."

How to spot the symptoms of burnout

Burnout is usually associated with symptoms like exhaustion, irritability, feeling disconnected from work, trouble concentrating and overwhelm. Another common yet overlooked symptom is anxiety, adds Cohen.

“We tend to think of burnout as something that happens because we are simply doing too much, but burnout is not only about the workload itself,” she explains. “It's also about the meaning we attach to what we're doing.”

Overwhelming burnout can develop not only from the work itself, but also from the stories we tell ourselves about it. “Thoughts like ‘I can't fall behind’ and ‘I'm the only one who can do this’ can quietly fuel exhaustion and make it harder to recognise when we need to slow down or ask for support,” Cohen adds.

Burnout can take different forms depending on the underlying cause, but whether it stems from overwork, a lack of purpose or feeling undervalued, recognising the type of burnout you’re experiencing is the first step towards recovery. By addressing the root cause rather than just the symptoms, over time, it’s possible to have a healthier relationship with work.