As we move into 2026, a lot of organisations are still carrying the after-effects of constant change, high workloads, blurred boundaries, and economical uncertainty. Teams may look functional on the surface, but beneath that, exhaustion, disengagement, and quiet withdrawal are becoming increasingly common.

Managers sit at the centre of this. They are often the first to notice when something is off and just as often, the last to look after themselves.

Preventing burnout this year will require more than resilience training or wellbeing emails. It will require managers to be observant and model healthy behavior themselves.

Burnout doesn’t usually announce its arrival

One of the biggest challenges with burnout is that it rarely appears suddenly. It develops slowly, often hidden behind “being busy” or “just getting on with it”.

Common early signs in team members include:

• A drop in engagement or enthusiasm
• Increased irritability or withdrawal
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• More sick days or frequent minor illnesses
• A noticeable change in confidence or communication

These signs are easy to miss, especially in high-performing employees who continue to deliver despite feeling depleted. Managers usually only intervene once performance drops, by which point burnout is already well established.

Watching your team isn’t micromanaging them, but they do need monitoring so changes in behavior and energy are noted.

When you ignore burnout…

When burnout isn’t addressed, the cost is significant. Productivity declines, errors increase, and team morale suffers. High turnover of employees often follows, along with long-term sickness absence that could have been prevented.

There’s also a psychological cost. Burnout is closely linked to anxiety and depression. Employees who feel unsupported during periods of strain are less likely to trust leadership and more likely to disengage emotionally, even if they stay in their role.

From a management perspective, this creates a cycle where depleted teams need more oversight, which increases pressure on managers, who then become more vulnerable to burnout themselves.

Managers are not immune, they’re at risk

Quite often, managers place their own wellbeing at the bottom of the list and absorb pressure from above, support their teams below, and rarely feel they have permission to slow down.

Most managers:

• Work longer hours than their teams
• Feel responsible for others’ stress
• Avoid taking breaks or annual leave
• Normalize exhaustion as “part of the job”

This mindset is dangerous because burnt-out managers struggle to lead effectively. Decision-making becomes reactive, their patience wears thin, and they lack emotional availability. Even with good intentions, a manager who is exhausted can’t offer solid support.

Why your behavior sets the tone

Teams take their cues from their managers, often unconsciously. If a manager regularly works late, responds to emails at all hours, or never takes time off, the message is clear: this is what commitment and work looks like here.

On the other hand, when managers set boundaries, take breaks, and speak openly about workload and wellbeing, it sets the tone for others to do the same.

So, modelling behavior is powerful. A culture that protects against burnout is built less through supportive strategies and behavior.

Ask yourself:

• Do I encourage rest but never take it myself?
• Do I reward output at the expense of sustainability?
• Do I check in on workload, or only on results?

Small shifts in how managers show up can have a significant impact on team wellbeing.

Practical ways managers can reduce burnout risk in 2026

Preventing burnout is going to take consistency and some realistic expectations.

Here are some practical steps to try:

Regular check-ins with your team
Simple questions like, “How are you coping with workload?” or “What feels most stressful right now?” can open the door to meaningful conversations.

Pay attention to any changes
A reliable employee becoming quiet or irritable may be signalling strain, even if their work remains strong.

Encourage realistic workloads
Unrealistic deadlines and constant urgency exhaust people. Where possible, prioritise, and stagger demands.

Normalize time off
Encourage breaks, annual leave, and switching off outside work hours…and do the same yourself.

Know when to escalate support
Managers can’t be expected to fix everything, so signposting to occupational health, HR, or mental health support is all part of responsible leadership.

Looking ahead

Burnout will always be a threat to any worker, but the difference between organizations that struggle and those that adapt will lie in how well managers are supported to support their teams.

Watching your team is about care including looking after yourself.

When managers are attentive and willing to protect their own wellbeing, teams are more capable of doing good work over the long term.

*All conversations with our team are strictly confidential.

PVD Psychological Associates specialize in college mental health, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, and relationship difficulties. 

We also see clients for a range of other issues.

If you would like to discuss your needs with a therapist, complete the enquiry form on our Contact page and we’ll call or email you for a confidential chat.

The post Why Managers Must Watch Their Teams and Themselves to Prevent Burnout in 2026 appeared first on PVD Psychological Associates.

Burnout is more than feeling tired or stressed. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and unmanaged pressure. Taking meaningful time off—especially during natural breaks like holiday periods—can play a powerful role in preventing burnout and restoring balance.

What Does Burnout Look Like?

Burnout doesn’t look the same for everyone. Your role, responsibilities, and environment shape how it can show up.

Burnout in Shop Floor or Front-Line Workers

Front-line workers often face a different kind of stress; fast paced jobs, lots of customer interaction, physical labour, and limited control. For these individuals, burnout may look like:

• Overwhelming fatigue and low motivation
• Increased sickness absence or difficulty getting out of bed
• Feeling invisible, undervalued, or replaceable
• Heightened anxiety around performance or job security
• Loss of patience with customers or colleagues

Front-line workers often experience emotional and physical burnout rooted in lack of control or ongoing demands.

Burnout in CEOs or Leaders

People in senior leadership roles often carry invisible pressure. They make decisions affecting teams, financial stability, and long-term strategy. For CEOs or business leaders, burnout can look like:

• Emotional detachment from work they once enjoyed
• Difficulty switching off, even outside working hours
• Irritability or impatience with staff and decisions
• Reduced creativity and problem-solving ability
• Feeling empty despite their success

Some leaders also struggle with the belief that rest equals weakness or irresponsibility. This internal pressure keeps them operating at full capacity long past healthy limits.

Why Taking Time Off Helps

Time away from work allows the brain and body to calm down and move into “recovery mode.” When we’re under pressure, our nervous system remains on, keeping us alert and ready to respond. While useful in short bursts, remaining in this state long-term will affect your mental and emotional energy.

How a meaningful break might affect you:

• Reduces stress hormones like cortisol
• Improves sleep quality
• Gives the brain space to process and reset
• Restores emotional regulation and patience
• Reconnects you with life outside work: relationships, hobbies, nature, and rest

How Therapy and Strategies Can Help

Rest on its own isn’t always enough. Sometimes burnout becomes a pattern, tied to perfectionism, people-pleasing, identity, or workplace pressures. In these cases, therapy can help individuals rebuild healthier rhythms and boundaries.

Some strategies that may support recovery include:

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
   Helps identify unhelpful thought patterns such as:
   “I can’t stop or everything will fall apart” or “My job is who I am.”
   Learning to challenge and replace these beliefs can reduce pressure and anxiety.

2. Mindfulness and Somatic Techniques
   Grounding techniques, breathwork, and nervous-system regulation can lower stress responses and help people reconnect with the present moment rather than being on autopilot.

3. Boundary Setting and Work-Life Planning
   Learning how to say no, delegate, or define realistic expectations prevents overload and protects energy.

4. Values-Based Therapy Approaches (ACT)
   Sometimes burnout stems from being disconnected from meaning or purpose. Therapy can help individuals reconnect with what matters most, guiding more intentional work choices rather than reactive effort.

What Transformation Can People Expect?

With time off and support, many people experience a shift from survival mode to a more grounded and fulfilling life and work. Clients say they feel:

• More energy and motivation
• Improved emotional resilience
• Clearer decision-making and problem solving
• A better sense of purpose and enjoyment
• Healthier relationships at work and home
• Better balance between achievement and wellbeing

Resting is actually investing in your long-term wellbeing, performance, and mental health.

*All conversations with our team are strictly confidential.

PVD Psychological Associates specialize in college mental health, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, and relationship difficulties. 

We also see clients for a range of other issues.

If you would like to discuss your needs with a therapist, complete the enquiry form on our Contact page and we’ll call or email you for a confidential chat.

The post Why Taking Time Off During the Holiday Period Can Help Prevent Burnout appeared first on PVD Psychological Associates.

It’s a common thread with high-functioning professionals where at first, it felt like they were just pushing themselves harder at work, because “you can’t just expect that promotion to land in your lap for nothing”. They might take on extra projects, answer emails late at night, and say yes to pretty much everything and work is all they seem to care about. Waking up exhausted is normal for them but they’re high-functioning status keeps them going. This type of person is unlikely to take time for themselves to rest and recuperate, because even on a rare day off, the anxiety of everything going on, is there.

Have you started believing your worth is directly tied to your output at work? If you stop, even for a second, do you feel like you’re not achieving anything? Is your main worry that if you slow down, everything will come to a grinding halt…your career, your reputation, your sense of identity?

When work becomes a distraction

People tend to bury themselves in work for a reason. Maybe something in their personal life feels too messy to deal with. Maybe they’ve been hurt, disappointed, or let down one too many times, and work feels like the one thing they can control. Maybe slowing down means facing emotions they’ve spent years avoiding.

So, instead of dealing with frustration, loneliness, or grief, they would rather answer another email. Instead of working through relationship struggles, volunteering for another project just makes better sense and instead of admitting feeling lost, committing themselves into making sure every detail at work is perfect is easier.

The more you work, the more you can justify ignoring everything else. And for a while, it works. Until it doesn’t.

Is work taking a toll on your life?

With approximately one third of our lives being spent at work, it’s no wonder a percentage of the population is struggling. Your mind and body aren’t built to run at full speed all the time and stress can start to show up in ways that shouldn’t be ignored. For example, snapping at your partner over small things can be a sign, forgetting to eat or overeating just to feel something. Sleep can be one of the first things to be disrupted, but when you do sleep, you might wake up feeling like you’ve only had a couple of hours.

Are you feeling frustrated more easily? If the smallest inconvenience is setting you off and the people in the office are noticing, it might be time to take stock of that as a sign. Brushing off your colleague’s concerns with “I’m just busy”, won’t last long because people are perceptive.

With this kind of behavior, it’s not just you who suffers, your relationships might start to show cracks. Kids, partner and friends don’t get the best version of you, they get the leftovers, if anything at all. Feeling guilty about this is understandable and completely normal, but if you’re not dealing with it and throwing yourself deeper into work, it’s a vicious cycle that’s hard to break.

How can you prevent burnout?

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s not something you should just “power through”. Pushing yourself harder isn’t going to fix what’s really going on. A targeted therapy such as dialectical behavior, can help you understand why you’re running yourself into the ground in the first place. It can help you figure out what you’re actually afraid of when you slow down, and it can teach you how to separate your worth from your productivity.

Imagine what it would feel like to wake up and not have the weight of all that pressure on you. Imagine being able to actually enjoy your life instead of just grinding through it.

You don’t have to prove yourself every second of the day, so if you’re feeling like you don’t know how to be your true self again, it’s okay to ask for help.

We have therapists who specialize in work-related burnout and stress who are waiting to hear from you.

PVD Psychological Associates specialize in college mental health, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, and relationship difficulties.

 We also see clients for a range of other issues.

 If you would like to discuss your needs with a therapist, complete the enquiry form on our Contact page and we’ll call or email you for a confidential chat.

The post Are You Worried You’re in Burnout? appeared first on PVD Psychological Associates.

If this sounds familiar, you might be experiencing burnout. It’s not just about being tired or having a bad week, burnout can leave you feeling emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and mentally scattered. When you’re in the thick of it, even small tasks feel monumental.

What Does Burnout Actually Look Like?

Burnout doesn’t always hit all at once. For many, it will creep up slowly, possibly starting with feeling irritable more often or struggling to focus. You might notice you’re snapping at colleagues or forgetting important deadlines, and over time, this can escalate until work and sometimes life in general, just feels overwhelming.

Here are some common signs to look out for:

Physical Symptoms: Constant fatigue, headaches, or stomach problems that don’t seem to have a clear cause.

Emotional Symptoms: Feeling cynical, detached, or hopeless about work.

Cognitive Struggles: Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering tasks.

Behavioral Changes: Avoiding work, procrastinating, or using unhealthy coping mechanisms like overeating or drinking.

If you recognize yourself in any of these, it’s important to know that burnout isn’t a personal failing. It’s a response to prolonged stress, and it’s something you can recover from with the right support.

Why CBT Can Help

Sufferers of burnout will feel like there’s an endless cycle of stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a proven technique to breaking that cycle. It focuses on identifying and changing the thought patterns and behaviors that fuel stress and overwhelm.

Here’s how CBT can make changes for you:

1. Find the Root Cause

Burnout doesn’t happen for no reason. So, CBT helps you identify what’s actually driving your stress. Is it perfectionism? Fear of disappointing others? Unrealistic workloads? Once you understand the underlying triggers, it becomes easier to address them.

2. Reframe those Negative Thoughts

When you’re burned out, it’s easy to fall into patterns of thinking, “I’ll never be good enough” or “If I don’t do this perfectly, I’ll fail.” CBT helps you challenge these thoughts and replace them with more balanced, realistic ones. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m terrible at my job,” you might learn to say, “I’m doing my best under difficult circumstances.”

3. Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms

One of the hallmarks of burnout is feeling like you have no control. CBT provides the practical tools to help you take back control. This might include time management strategies, relaxation techniques, or setting boundaries at work.

4. Recognize Progress

When you’re deep in burnout, it’s hard to see any positive changes. CBT encourages you to track the small wins, like taking a break when you need it or saying no to an extra project.

Taking the First Step

If you think burnout is affecting you, reaching out for help is a major step and the most important one. CBT is a structured, supportive approach that meets you where you are and gives you help to move forward.

Your work doesn’t have to define you, and burnout doesn’t have to be permanent. With our help, you can feel more balanced, more in control, and more like yourself again.

You deserve to feel better.

PVD Psychological Associates specialize in college mental health, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, and relationship difficulties. We also see clients for a range of other issues.

 If you would like to discuss your needs with a therapist, complete the enquiry form on our Contact page and we’ll call or email you for a confidential chat.

The post When You Can’t Cope at Work and Feel Like You’re Hitting Burnout, is it Time to Think About Getting Some Help? appeared first on PVD Psychological Associates.