Nurse Burnout: Causes, Symptoms, and Strategies for Recovery

Nurse burnout is a real (and growing) concern in the healthcare industry. Fueled by increased workloads, long hours, emotional demands, and systemic challenges, more than half (62%) of nurses say they’ve experienced burnout. This issue is also contributing to a growing nursing shortage as more healthcare workers leave the profession due to overwhelming stress and dissatisfaction. Addressing nurse burnout is critical not only for the well-being of nursing staff but also for maintaining patient safety.

Understanding this phenomenon means looking at its causes and symptoms and focusing on how to recover. Burnout impacts individual nurses and the entire healthcare system. It can lead to job dissatisfaction, increased nurse turnover rates, and, in severe cases, compromised patient care. Therefore, acknowledging and addressing the feelings of nurses is essential for creating a healthier work environment.

Whether you want to support a fellow nurse you know or you’re feeling burned out yourself, keep reading to get advice and tips on how to prevent nurse burnout and find support for nursing professionals.

What is Nurse Burnout?

Nurse burnout is the state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion nursing professionals feel as the result of prolonged exposure to a high-stress environment. Burnout can manifest as reduced passion, lack of energy, and a struggle to feel committed to work. It can make you feel detached from or cynical about your job and create a belief that you haven’t accomplished much professionally. 

If you’re experiencing nursing burnout, you might: 

• Start dreading your shifts 
• Begin feeling overwhelmed at the thought of even stepping into a hospital or care center
• Become increasingly detached from your patients 
• Feel a lack of compassion and empathy, even if these traits once came very naturally  
• See small tasks as insurmountable 
• No longer feel the joy of helping others

Understanding the Causes of Nurse Burnout

Learning more about the causes of nurse burnout can help you address it and create a healthier, happier, more productive work environment. Several common contributors, like having too many patients, working long hours, and dealing with the emotional strain of your job, should be aware of.

Especially since the beginning of the global pandemic, nurses and other healthcare professionals have faced extraordinary expectations and challenges in their field, which have led to ongoing moral injury and increased rates of burnout.

High patient loads

With fewer nurses available to share the workload, a significant factor in nursing burnout is the high patient-to-nurse ratio. Managing too many patients with varying degrees of need can lead to being overwhelmed and feeling like you can never catch up. Over time, providing quality care for every patient can become a struggle, leading to frustration and a sense of failure

Long working hours

Long shifts—often 12 hours or more—are another potential cause of nurse burnout. Nurses who work consecutive night shifts in a busy hospital might have difficulty sleeping between their shifts and never fully rest before returning to their next shift. 

As the cycle repeats, nurses become increasingly exhausted, which can damage their mental and physical health and well-being. Long working hours can make it virtually impossible for them to have the energy they need to perform their best and offer high-quality care for every patient. These conditions also contribute to the nursing shortage as more professionals seek alternative, less demanding careers.

Emotional strain

The nursing profession is incredibly taxing. Healthcare workers like nurses work in environments where they deal with trauma, death, and grieving families. Losing a patient can cause nurses to experience profound emotional pain,  especially when they begin to form close bonds with patients and families. Repeated exposure like this can result in feeling emotionally numb or detached, ultimately causing burnout and depression in nurses.  

”Continuously being exposed to patient trauma can worsen burnout by causing emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and a sense of helplessness. Healthcare professionals can become overwhelmed by the constant stress and emotional burden. This can lead to a decrease in empathy and reduced job satisfaction.”

– Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LPC, LMHC

Identifying the Symptoms of Nurse Burnout

Recognizing nurse burnout symptoms is important for early intervention and complete recovery. Burnout can manifest in multiple ways and impact physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Nurse burnout symptoms can include:

• Chronic fatigue: Exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest is a hallmark symptom of burnout. It can lead to feeling physically and mentally drained, making it difficult to get through even one shift.
• Detachment or cynicism: When nurses experience burnout, they can feel detached from work, colleagues, and patients. They might lack empathy or suddenly develop a cynical attitude toward their job.
• Reduced performance: Another sign of nurse burnout is a noticeable decline in job performance, including making more mistakes or finding it challenging to stay on top of tasks. A feeling of incompetence or failure often accompanies this symptom.
• Emotional exhaustion: Burnout can cause emotional exhaustion from the demands of the job or feeling unable to cope with stress.
• Physical symptoms: Nurse burnout can manifest through physical symptoms — like headaches, gastrointestinal issues, or other illnesses — that are linked to prolonged stress response without a specific or identifiable cause.
• Sleep disturbances: Burnout can make falling or staying asleep difficult, perpetuating the cycle of exhaustion. 
• Increased depression or anxiety: Sometimes burnout can lead to more severe mental health conditions like nurse anxiety or depression.  

Strategies for Recovering from Burnout as a Nurse

It’s possible to recover from burnout, but it usually requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the physical and emotional toll. Strategies that can help include prioritizing self-care, seeking professional help, setting boundaries, and more.

Prioritize self-care

Self-care is essential when you work in a high-stress profession like nursing. Yet it’s often neglected when nurses are so focused on caring for others that they have limited time for anything else.  

Acts of self-care for nurses can include:

• Regular exercise
• Balanced nutrition
• Reading 
• Journaling 
• Relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga
• Getting enough sleep
• Spending time with friends outside of work

Seek professional support

It can be difficult to overcome burnout on your own, so seeking professional support can be a critical step in the recovery process. Talking to a therapist and sharing your experiences can help you identify sources of stress that are contributing to burnout and find effective coping mechanisms.

Set boundaries

Boundaries are vital for protecting your time and energy so you can avoid burnout. Having healthy boundaries in place helps you create emotional limits, like learning not to bring work home with you. Setting boundaries might mean saying no to extra shifts or talking to a supervisor about cutting back on your patient load or responsibilities. 

Take regular breaks

Long-term recovery from burnout can only be achieved once you figure out how to balance your job’s demands—taking regular breaks can be a big part of this. 

Even short breaks are effective in helping you recharge so you can focus on your job. Try stepping away for a few minutes to stretch or do deep breathing exercises. Simple acts like these can make a huge difference in how you feel at the end of your shift.  

”Nurses can incorporate mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques into their daily routine by practicing deep breathing exercises, taking short meditation breaks, and engaging in mindful walking or stretching. They should set aside time for self-care activities, such as yoga or listening to calming music. They can also use grounding techniques during stressful moments and practice gratitude to maintain a positive outlook.”

– Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LPC, LMHC

Lean on your support network

Strong support — from families, friends, colleagues, or a support group — can be an excellent way to recover from burnout. Having a positive support network where you can share your experiences in a safe space is much more effective than trying to cope alone.  

Focus on work-life balance

Maintaining a healthy balance between work and your personal life is crucial for overcoming burnout. Work-life balance helps restore energy by setting aside time for the things you love — hobbies, social events, or simply relaxing can all help you become more resilient at work.

Delegate and collaborate

Whenever possible, try to delegate and collaborate. Handing off tasks or working with a colleague can help ease the burden of your workload and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed so you don’t get burned out. 

For example, if you have multiple patients with complex needs, asking for help or delegating a nonessential task to support staff might be necessary. When you’re in a healthcare setting, you’re part of a team where everyone can share responsibilities and support each other. A collaborative approach can reduce individual stress and enhance patient care.

Limit exposure to stressors

Although it seems easier said than done, identifying and limiting your exposure to specific stressors will help you manage burnout. This might require changing some work habits — like avoiding or limiting additional shifts you take on.  

Overcoming Burnout with Support

Even if it feels impossible, overcoming burnout can be done. Finding emotional and physical help through personal connections and professional networks can be your lifeline. Above all, remember that you’re not alone in your struggles.

Seeking professional help like therapy and counseling may be instrumental in managing and healing from nurse burnout. Talkspace offers flexible online therapy options as a convenient and confidential way for nurses with busy schedules to get help. If you’re dealing with burnout, stress, or other mental health concerns, Talkspace has experienced and qualified mental health professionals who are there for you.

Reach out to Talkspace today to learn more about how online therapy can help you manage and overcome burnout.