We’ve all been there—staring at a to-do list, unable to get started, feeling stuck and unmotivated. But is it just procrastination, or is it something deeper?

With 91% of UK adults experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure and stress in the last year alone, burnout is more common than ever. And while procrastination and burnout may look similar on the surface, they stem from very different causes—and require very different solutions.

In this blog, we’ll break down the key differences between procrastination and burnout, how to recognise the warning signs, and most importantly, what you can do to recover and protect yourself from long-term stress.

What’s The Difference?

Procrastination: Procrastination is when you put off doing a task or a responsibility you have, even when you know it needs to be done. This can be a conscious or unconscious thought, and can be caused by a wide range of things from fear of failure if you do the task, perfectionism and the worry you won’t do the task exactly right, or just not wanting to do it at all. You might feel overwhelmed or guilty, make excuses and struggle to concentrate, all while delaying doing ‘the thing’.

Burnout: Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion, often caused by prolonged or excessive stress. Burnout isn’t a thing you do, like procrastination is. It’s something you become. It’s a result of built-up stress that leaves you unable to meet the demands of everyday life. Burnout causes a huge range of symptoms too, including physical fatigue, emotional detachment, headaches, depression, insomnia, irritability, brain fog, anxiety, digestive problems and a complete lack of enjoyment in life, both personally and professionally.

Burnout is an incredibly serious issue, and one that we’re still only just starting to understand. It has a huge impact on every part of your life, including:

• Mental health: It can significantly contribute to developing or worsening mental health conditions, most commonly depression, anxiety and substance abuse. 

• Physical Health: The prolonged stress that can lead to burnout can also lead to physical problems like headaches, stomach problems, high blood pressure, heart disease and even a weakened immune system. 

• Workplace: Burnout can cause problems for you at work as well. Your performance can drop, as can your productivity., You’re more likely to be absent often, and some people even lose, or quit their jobs, thinking they are the sole cause of the issue.

• Relationships: Struggling with burnout can often lead to strain in your personal relationships - friends, family and romantic alike. That’s because it changes your behaviour, saps your energy and makes you more irritable and easy to anger.

On top of all that, burnout has some longer-term impacts as well. If left untreated, it can become chronic, which leads to long-term health problems and difficulties in many different areas of life.

Interestingly, individuals with autism (and to an extent ADHD) are much more likely to experience burnout than neurotypical people are. This is due to the unique challenges and demands of navigating a neurotypical world, including social demands, sensory overload, masking, high expectations and an accommodating society. All on top of the other factors that cause burnout!

Burnout Warning Designs 

Because feeling drained at work or exhausted by an endless routine is quite common, it can be difficult to spot the warning signs of burnout, or realise just how serious it can become. Especially because burnout doesn’t just switch on overnight - it’s a gradual process, which is why recognising the signs is so important. So, here’s a list of the main symptoms to look out for physically, emotionally and behaviourally.

Physical

• Feeling tired or exhausted most of the time
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances that happen often
• Frequent headaches
• Muscle or joint pain
• Digestive problems, like feeling sick or losing your appetite
• Getting ill often (due to lowered immunity)
• High blood pressure
• Breathing problems

 

Emotional

• Feeling helpless, trapped or defeated
• Feeling like a failure, worthless or having self-doubt
• Lacking any sense of satisfaction and achievement
• Feeling detached from the world
• Feeling alone
• Overwhelm
• Loss of interest and enjoyment in everything
• Feeling demotivated
• Having a cynical or negative outlook on everything
• Persistent feelings of dread, worry and anxiety

 

Behavioural

• Procrastinating
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lowered productivity and output
• Becoming isolated and withdrawing from people/responsibilities 
• Reliant on food, drugs or alcohol to cope
• Becoming irritable and short-tempered
• Being late for things more often, including work

 

Burnout is a Long-Term Problem

One of the things that makes burnout tricky to deal with is that it’s not an easy fix. You might think a good night’s sleep and a few days off will sort you out, but in reality, those are temporary fixes - plasters slapped over the gaping wound that’s really causing all of the issues. And if you’re on the road to burnout, that only really helps for a short time. 

It doesn’t go away on its own. This is the big mistake people make - assuming that it’s like fatigue or overwhelm, and that a few days off will sort it. The only real way to help is to address the source of the stress, and put a long-term plan in place to minimise the symptoms and the stress. There are a lot of different ways you can handle burnout, but our favourite is the Three R approach:

Recognise: Know the warning signs of burnout, and keep an eye out for any that might be affecting you.

Reverse: If you are experiencing burnout, seek support and look for ways to manage stress. 

Resilience: Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health.

Easier said than done, right?

Use your support network. Reach out to those people closest to you, like a partner, family and friends. Opening up won’t make you a burden to others – in fact most people would feel honoured that you trust them enough to let them help you. Use them to help you find the root cause of the burnout, and ask for their support in making positive changes.

Next, start looking into things you can do to relieve and manage stress. This could be exercising, meditating, adjusting your sleep, practicing self-care, mindfulness, journaling or other stress relief techniques. It might take some time to find what works for you, so keep trying. If you’re not sure where to start, our MELP app has hundreds of stress-relief techniques and tools you can try.

Burnout isn’t just about feeling tired—it’s a long-term state of exhaustion that can affect every aspect of your life, from your mental and physical health to your relationships and career. Unlike procrastination, which can often be overcome with better habits and motivation, burnout requires deeper changes and long-term solutions.

If you’re struggling, the most important thing you can do is recognise the signs early and take action. Lean on your support network, make space for self-care, and don’t be afraid to seek help. Recovering from burnout takes time, but with the right strategies, you can regain your energy, motivation, and sense of balance.