Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference
If you’re exhausted, unmotivated, and wondering why you feel this way, you’re not alone. Many people, especially high-achieving people in midlife, struggle to tell whether they’re experiencing burnout, depression, or some combination of both.
From the outside, burnout and depression can look very similar: low energy, irritability, disconnection, and a sense that life feels heavy and overwhelming. While burnout and depression can overlap, they’re not the same. Understanding the difference matters, because each has different solutions.
This post explores burnout and depression through an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) lens, focusing less on labels and more on how your inner experience has narrowed—and how it can widen again.
Why Burnout and Depression Are Confused
Burnout isn’t a formal mental health diagnosis, but it’s a very real experience. It tends to develop in response to chronic, unrelenting stress, especially when demands outweigh recovery for a long period of time.
Depression, on the other hand, is a clinical condition that affects mood, motivation, energy, and thinking patterns — to the point that they interfere with everyday life.
The confusion happens because both can involve:
Exhaustion that doesn’t resolve with rest
Loss of motivation or pleasure
Irritability or emotional numbing
Difficulty concentrating
A sense of disconnection, as if you’re just going through the motions in daily life
Burnout: When Life Becomes Too Narrow
Burnout often shows up when life becomes overly demand-driven.
You may notice:
You feel depleted specifically in relation to work, caregiving, a major life change, and/or a particular role
Time off helps temporarily, but the relief doesn’t last
You feel cynical, detached, or resentful about responsibilities that once mattered
Your world has shrunk to obligations and survival mode
Activities that normally fill your cup are starting to feel exhausting and stressful
From an ACT lens, burnout is often associated with values erosion. You’re still functioning, but much of what you do is about white knuckling through the day rather than feeling present and engaged in your everyday life.
You may still feel enjoyment or connection in some areas of life… but accessing them takes effort, and they’re increasingly crowded out by responsibility.
Depression: When Disconnection Spreads Everywhere
Depression tends to be more global. It doesn’t just affect one role or setting; it seeps into many areas of life.
Common experiences include:
A persistent sense of heaviness, emptiness, or numbness
Loss of interest in things that once mattered - abandoning hobbies, relationships, or daily responsibilities
Harsh self-judgment (“I’m failing,” “I should be better than this”)
Changes in sleep, appetite, or energy
Feeling stuck, hopeless, or disconnected from meaning
Things pile up. Everything becomes overwhelming. Life starts to feel less flexible. Choices become driven by avoiding discomfort rather than moving toward values.
Burnout vs Depression
Here’s a simplified way to think about it:
Burnout is often situational and role-specific, rooted in chronic stressors.
Depression is more pervasive and disabling, affecting how you relate to yourself, others, and the future.
That said, burnout can turn into depression, especially when someone feels trapped, unsupported, or unable to make meaningful changes.
And depression can coexist with burnout, making it harder to identify where one ends and the other begins.
How Therapy from an ACT perspective Can Help:
ACT doesn’t aim to eliminate uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. Instead, it helps you:
Build psychological flexibility
Change your relationship with distress
Be more present in your daily life (breaking out of autopilot)
Reconnect with values, even when things feel hard
Rather than asking, Is this burnout or depression?, ACT asks:
What am I avoiding because it feels too painful or overwhelming?
What thoughts am I getting stuck in?
How far have I drifted from what matters to me?
What small, values-based steps are still possible?
What Helps Burnout
When burnout is the primary driver, helpful therapeutic work caninclude:
Identifying values that have been overshadowed by obligation
Creating boundaries that support sustainability, not perfection
Making space for rest that is restorative, not just recovery
Practicing saying “no” or “not right now” without excessive guilt
The goal isn’t to push harder, but to widen your life beyond constant demand.
What Helps Depression
When depression is present, therapeutic support can involve:
Increasing awareness of self-critical or hopeless thought patterns
Learning to make room for painful emotions without shutting down
Gaining awareness of how you respond to your thoughts and emotions
Rebuilding connection through small, intentional actions
Clarifying what matters most in this phase of life, and taking small steps towards your values
Progress here can be non-linear: showing up imperfectly, staying present a little longer, taking one step even when your mind says it won’t matter.
When to Seek Support
If exhaustion, numbness, or disconnection have become your baseline and has been getting in the way of work, taking care of yourself, relationships, or other important parts of life, it may be time to talk with a mental health professional.
You don’t need to be in crisis. You don’t need a definitive label. You just need space to understand what’s happening and support to move forward differently.
If you’d like to schedule a free 15 minute consult call to explore what therapy with me might look like, please reach out via my contact form.