It's a more universal experience than ever, according to a new study—but experts say a certain approach can help.
Feeling physically and emotionally drained? That can be a tell-tale sign of burnout, an increasingly common problem in the United States, says Michelle DiBlasi, DO, chief of inpatient psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center. “A new study in 2025 showed that up to 66% of Americans struggled with some form of work burnout this year, which means that this is a serious issue impacting more than half our working population,” she says.
We asked psychologists, therapists, and workplace experts how to avoid becoming part of this growing statistic. Across the board, they pointed to one key theme: preventing burnout starts with setting—and protecting—clear boundaries. Below, the experts share their go-to tips for protecting your time, energy, and well-being, all before burnout forces you to.
About the experts
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Set clear start and end times for your workday
“Burnout doesn’t usually come from one bad week,” says Lauren Chase, PhD, a licensed therapist and burnout specialist. Instead, it tends to build slowly, often when boundaries break down and work begins to creep into more areas of your life.
Several experts agree that one of the most important boundary-setting strategies is defining when work begins—and, just as importantly, when it ends. Psychologist Stefanie Mazer, PsyD, recommends choosing firm daily work hours and committing to working only within that window. Without clear start-and-stop times, work can easily keep expanding to fill any available moment.
“This means not simply working less, but consciously ending the workday, even if tasks are not completely finished,” adds Erik Larson, PMHNP-BC, MPH, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. He stresses that the mind only recovers when it has regular, predictable breaks. Waiting until everything is “done” often means rest never truly happens.
Unplug with intention
Setting a stop time only works if you follow through by truly disconnecting. Our experts say one of the biggest boundary mistakes people make is to technically “clock out” but still respond to emails over dinner, check messages in bed, or mentally run through tomorrow’s to-do list as they’re falling asleep. That kind of partial disengagement keeps the nervous system in work mode, undermining recovery.
“Even if on a daily basis you are able to unplug your phone or laptop outside of work hours and really focus on taking physical and emotional space from work, that can go a long way in helping you feel refreshed and avoid burnout,” Dr. DiBlasi says.
And if work does pop to mind, Dr. Mazer suggests a reframing exercise: “Reflect on what you’ve accomplished rather than what’s left to do.”
Learn to say no (and mean it)
Boundary setting isn’t only about time—it’s also about commitments. That’s why Dr. Chase says her go-to strategy for burnout prevention is to stop treating work like an endurance sport and protect your true capacity.
“In my work, I remind clients that their ‘yes’ is equally as important as their ‘no,'” adds psychotherapist Tiffany Green, LCPC, a psychotherapist in Chicago. Protecting your energy may look like declining that “small” task that’s not in your job description or adding a note to your email signature that clarifies when someone can expect a response.
Let “good enough” be good enough
“In my experience, the most common cause of burnout in the workplace is perfectionism,” says Kim Rippy, LPC, the clinical director of Keystone Therapy Group in Virginia. “People are working far harder than they need to in order to achieve ‘perfect’ results.” But “perfect” doesn’t exist, she says, so this creates a shame spiral of people working too hard to avoid failure, rather than pursuing a level of achievement they’re proud of.
Her fix? “Identify what is ‘good enough’ for your work, and do only that—no more, no less,” she says. “‘Good enough’ sounds like a bad phrase to perfectionists, but it’s actually a healthy level of achievement. It’s good work that is being done, and it’s enough for the situation.”
Take real breaks during the work day
“I highly encourage mini breaks throughout the day,” says licensed therapist Nancy Ryan, LMFT, owner and director of Relationship Therapy Center in California.
So many people get hyper-focused at work, she says, and before they know it, they’ve been sitting at their computer all day…and they keep carrying on. “This pattern doesn’t allow your nervous system to reset,” she adds.
The key is allowing yourself to truly disengage, even briefly, rather than eating lunch at your desk or scrolling between tasks. “It’s important to get up every hour,” Ryan says. She recommends going on a short walk—outside if possible—and taking a few deep breaths. “Deep breaths through your nose and out your mouth signals your nervous system to reset and metaphorically take the foot off the gas.” These pauses prevent the buildup of physical and emotional tension that fuels burnout.
Create a transition ritual
“Burnout doesn’t end when the stress goes away, like when you clock out,” explains Lynn Zakeri, LCSW, a psychotherapist with a private practice in Chicago. “You have to teach your body that you’re safe again.”
Dr. Chase echoes this advice, encouraging a consistent, intentional transition ritual between work and home so that your nervous system can shift out of “on” mode. When the workday ends, go for a short walk, watch a video that makes you laugh, call or text a friend to say hi, or take a shower and change your clothes. Whatever you choose, the key is building a habit that, when practiced consistently, reminds your body that it’s time for rest and recovery mode.
Schedule life audits
Preventing burnout also requires protecting the things that restore you. That’s why Kacy Fleming, MA, an organizational psychologist and workplace strategist, says her top burnout tip is to conduct quarterly “life audits.”
“Write down two to three life practices that keep you feeling your best,” she says. “These activities can span from a daily 20-minute walk or reading a bedtime story to a child, all the way to a daily one-hour Netflix binge—no judgement.”
And the most important step? “Put these activities on the weekly calendar,” she says. When restorative time is scheduled like meetings, it’s far more likely to happen.
Vent
“Burnout loves silence,” Zakeri cautions. To combat this, talk things out with a trusted colleague or supervisor to help reality-check your workload—offering insight into whether it’s realistic or you’re over-functioning. “Validating how much there is going on goes a long way, and acknowledging that effort matters,” she says.
What’s more, a major risk factor for burnout is feeling alone in your workplace. As Dr. DiBlasi explains: “When you don’t feel a sense of community or engagement in what role your work plays for the overall team, this can lead to burnout.”
Connecting with your colleagues can be especially helpful if you’re struggling to maintain a “good enough” standard, Rippy adds. “If ‘good enough’ doesn’t feel possible, chances are your perfectionism is leading your thoughts, and you’re working out of fear or failure—or your boss or manager has set unrealistic or unhealthy expectations.”
Know the warning signs and respond early
Irritability, reduced focus, and emotional detachment are often early signs of burnout. “You may start to find yourself being more cynical and less positive about work,” Dr. DiBlasi says. “Avoiding doing things because you don’t have the motivation or energy is also a common phenomenon that occurs with burnout.”
These aren’t character flaws, the experts emphasize—they’re warning signs. “Most of the people I see are not burned out because they are unmotivated or doing something wrong,” Dr. Chase explains. “They’re burned out because they’ve been operating without enough protection for far too long.”
She continues: “The people who stay well in the long term are not the ones who push harder or optimize more. They’re the ones who learn to honor their limits early, before burnout forces the issue.”
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