BURNOUT BRITAIN

Are you a casualty of excessive stress? Here’s how to spot the signs and tackle it before it causes lasting damage

Feeling exhausted, no matter how much sleep you get? Suffering from more headaches than usual? Or perhaps you’re lacking the sense of satisfaction you once had? If you’re sitting there nodding your head, you may be experiencing burnout – an ‘occupational phenomenon’ caused by too much stress.

According to the Mental Health UK Burnout Report 2025, it’s more common than you may think. In the past year, 91% of UK adults reported experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure or stress. Women were more likely than men to report these stress levels, at 94% and 89%, respectively.

“I definitely think burnout is a gendered issue,” says burnout expert Dorothy Herson, author of The Rag Doll Contract. “From the statistics, women are more likely to experience it than men. One main issue is that women have to work harder to reach a certain level in their careers, and when they achieve it, they often feel they must keep working harder to prove their worth.

“On top of that, women are also dealing with the unique pressures that come with being female, such as periods, childbirth and emotional labour. Women perform 75% of unpaid care work globally. They’re having to spin every plate, and spin them all perfectly.”

Psychotherapist and cognitive behavioural therapist Lorraine Collins (lccounselling.com) agrees. “A lot of women who come to me are juggling various roles and demands,” she says. “One thing I tend to do is drill down into their sense of responsibility – feeling they need to catch every ball thrown at them. They think, ‘It’s up to me. Who else is going to do it?’”

Dubbed a ‘new women’s epidemic’, we take a closer look at the causes, effects and solutions for burnout...