How Long Does It Take to Recover from Burnout? Insights from the Therapy Room
Updated: Oct 2
The honest answer to this question is: it depends. But this post explains what the research says, and what I've seen as a clinical psychologist from working with hundreds of clients in the therapy room that actually makes a difference to the recovery timeline.
If you're in the middle of burnout one of the first questions you probably have is: how long until I feel like myself again? It's a completely understandable question. When you're exhausted, foggy and running on empty, you want to know there's an end in sight.
The reality is that there's not one single timeline. For some people, recovery takes a few months. For others, it takes a year or more, and some symptoms can rumble on for longer still. That might not be what you want to hear, but it's important to state this early on because holding realistic expectations helps to take the pressure off, and this has a knock on impact on pacing and self-care. There is an unhelpful cultural narrative that people will 'bounce back' within a couple of weeks, which makes us feel like we've failed when this doesn't happen, this feeds any pre-existing difficulties you may already have with self-compassion, and has a negative impact on your recovery time as a result.
So lets look at what the research shows about recovery timelines, and, more usefully, the factors that make recovery quicker or slower.
What the research says about burnout recovery timelines
Studies on burnout recovery show a wide range of timeframes, from a few months to several years. Roughly, I've found that they fall into three groups.
1) Up to a few months - when mild burnout is caught early
When burnout is mild to moderate and support is available early on, many people are able to return to work within around three months. In one study* of people with mild burnout, the average time off work was just two to three months. At this stage, people can often go back to their usual role, as long as the right support and adjustments are in place.
What you can do if you're here: Mild burnout is the best time to act but can often be missed as people believe 'I'm coping, I'll just push through'. Getting clear on what the stressors are, finding ways to protect your sleep and downtime, and starting conversations about your workload before things get worse, are all key. That said, I find that overworking patterns or external demands can feel almost impossible to modify early on, conversations in therapy can help to cut through the overwhelm and break steps down to make it all more manageable. This is a role that professional support can play, so if you think you might be here do get in touch with us with our Plum Psychology team, we can catch the burnout at this point and prevent it from spiralling.
2) Six to 18 months - when burnout is more established
When burnout has built up over a longer period, recovery typically takes longer. One Dutch study** in 2023, found that people were off work for an average of ten months. Even after 18 months of treatment, a Swedish study in 2020 showed that a third of people still had symptoms that fell within the clinical threshold (i.e. they still had problematic difficulties).
What you can do if you're here: An important finding in the Swedish study was the finding that people who had suffered with burnout symptoms for longer took longer to recover. This means that acting as early as you can improves the time it takes to feel better. So give yourself permission to take recovery seriously and, I know I'm biased but... I think it's worth investing in support to do so. Therapy with a professional who specialises in burnout can help you understand what led you to get stuck here, form a realistic plan for returning to work or a healthier work-life balance, and importantly, help you to make changes that last. If you'd like a chat about your specific situation and what could be possible from therapy then contact us here.
3) Two years or more - cases of severe burnout
For some people, particularly those with severe burnout where their body has forced a stop in the form of a medical issue or panic attacks, recovery takes a longer time. Long-term follow-up studies show that some people still experience residual symptoms, especially fatigue and difficulties with concentration and memory, up to seven years later. In one rehabilitation study***, 37% of people showed no improvement in burnout symptoms even after a year of structured rehabilitation and six months of follow-up.
What you can do if you're here: Be patient with yourself, and focus on steady progress rather than getting back to how things were. Ongoing, specialist support can make a real difference to getting a routine back, gradually improving your brain fog, fatigue and self-esteem (which can take a huge battering after a burnout breakdown). Speak to us here at Plum Psychology about what psychological support could look like for your specific situation, and try to keep communication open with your GP so they know how your doing.
Avoid this mistake as you recover from burnout...
One of the most important findings is that many people start to feel better before they are fully recovered. After a few weeks of rest, your energy might pick up and your thinking start to feel clearer again. It's tempting to take this as a sign you're ready to go back to the same intense pace of living as before. But if you slide straight back into the same pressures and the same habits, you're more likely to notice the burnout coming back again. I often describe early recovery as having a little more in the tank, but not a full tank. Protecting that energy and building safeguards to prevent it being eroded again, is what makes recovery last.
What affects how long burnout recovery takes?
Time off work isn't enough to 'fix' burnout. Often people away from work are worried about all the problems coming back again on their return and this can keep them stuck in a stress response even though the responsibilities on their plate are temporarily reduced. Below are the factors the research points to as being most consistently impactful on improving recovery time.
1. How severe the burnout is and how long it's gone on for
The more severe the burnout when you first seek help, or the longer that you've been suffering with symptoms, the longer recovery tends to take. This is why acting early is important. If you notice the warning signs, you don't have to wait until you can't get out of bed to take them seriously.
2. Your work environment
Your work environment is very important to burnout recover, just as much as what you do personally. Having little control over your work is linked**** with slower recovery. So is hiding how you're struggling from your manager, for example staying quiet or working around problems rather than raising them. In one study, both were linked with sick leave that hadn't improved two years later.
3. The type of support you have
Support that focuses only on you as an individual (such as stress management or therapy alone) tends to help for up to around six months. Support that combines individual work with changes at work tends to have effects lasting a year or more. For severe burnout, individual support on its own is often not enough. That doesn't mean therapy doesn't play an important role though - at Plum Psychology our therapists can write recommendations to your manager, HR or Occupational Health team to help embed the specific needs we've identified will make the difference. We also offer workplace workshops which can improve team understanding and shared language which raises awareness of what teams need to improve team wellbeing.
4. How your return to work is handled
A well-planned return to work makes a real difference. A 2010 Swedish study showed that an approach which helps people communicate with their manager about their return-to-work led to 89% of people returning to work within 18 months, compared with 73% of those who didn't receive it. A phased return, clear conversations about workload and regular check-ins were what made the biggest difference.
5. Sleep and self-care
Improvements in sleep, particularly less broken sleep, and improvements in self-care over time are both linked with recovery from burnout. This is why looking after sleep and identifying which parts of your self-care have eroded are core aspects of early therapy.
6. Addressing underlying psychological issues
Having skills to respond to your own distress with care, to recognise any patterns in people-pleasing or perfectionism that is maintaining unhealthy habits and to switch off from work are all shown to make a huge difference in the type of work-life balance we can create for ourselves. Doing this work in therapy supports a recovery that can be maintained, which means a longer-term positive outcome.
What all of this this means for your burnout recovery
If you're recovering from burnout, a few things are worth holding onto:
Your timeline is your unique to you. Comparing yourself to a colleague who was "back in three months" isn't a fair comparison.
Early action shortens the time you're out of action for. The sooner you get support, the better your chances of a quicker recovery. Don't let your red flags rumble on...
Rest is necessary, but it isn't the whole picture. Lasting recovery usually means changing something about how you interact with work, not just stepping away from it.
Go gently when you start to feel better. Build back up gradually rather than returning to full capacity straight away otherwise you'll slip back again.
Look after the self-care essentials. Sleep, self-care and social support from others all play a fundamental role to wellbeing, yet are often the things that disappeared first and are harder to bring back.
Setbacks are normal! Recovery is rarely a straight line, and a bad week doesn't cancel out your progress. Expect ups and downs and remember to look back at how far you've come, not just focus on future goals otherwise you'll miss the gains you've made.
How Plum Psychology can improve burnout recovery time
At Plum Psychology we support people at every stage of burnout, whether you're noticing the early warning signs, currently signed off, or planning your return to work.
We can help you:
Understand what led to your burnout, so you can recognise the signs earlier next time
Get through the exhaustion, anxiety and low mood that often come with it
Improve your sleep and rebuild your confidence at a sustainable pace
Plan a return to work that protects your recovery, including how to talk to your manager
Set boundaries and make changes that help you stay well in the long term
You don't have to work it out on your own. Get in touch to book an initial consultation and get expert support.
Further burnout recovery resources
My book, Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You, is a practical guide to understanding the unpleasant symptoms of burnout, from brain fog to self-attacking thoughts, and psychological tools to help you feel better.
What is The Best Therapy for Burnout is a helpful blog explaining what types of therapy there are and how they can help you.
References
*This figure comes from a Slovenian study reported in Arends et al. (2023).
**Arends, I., Almansa, J., Stansfeld, S.A., Amick, B.C., van der Klink, J.J.L., & Bültmann, U. (2023). Return-to-work interventions for sick-listed employees with burnout: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. Available at:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10447379
***Jonsdottir, I.H., Nordlund, A., Ellbin, S., & Ljung, T. (2020). Long-term follow-up of residual symptoms in patients treated for stress-related exhaustion. BMC Psychology, 8(1). Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40359-020-0395-8
****Stenlund, T., Nordin, M., & Järvholm, L.S. (2010). Work related factors and sick leave after rehabilitation in burnout patients: experiences from the REST-project. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 42(6). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20552390
Comments