For many professionals, especially those in leadership or customer-facing industries, the holiday season can feel less like a break and more like another deadline. It’s common to hear people say, “I’ll rest when things calm down,” or “I’ll recharge in the new year.” But postponing rest can come at a cost—and that cost is often burnout.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Boundary Setting and Work-Life Planning
Learning how to say no, delegate, or define realistic expectations prevents overload and protects energy.
- 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.
