Burnout in Nursing
Tiredness is part of nursing — that’s no secret. But Burnout in Nursing?
Long shifts, night duties, emotional conversations, back-to-back patients, and trying to stay on top of life outside the ward… it’s exhausting. But what happens when tired becomes too tired? When you start waking up already dreading the day ahead? When the spark that once drove you to care feels like it’s barely flickering?
That’s not just tiredness. That’s burnout.
See Also:
Why Self-Care Matters More Than Ever In Nursing
Burnout in nursing is more than just feeling knackered after a double shift. It’s a deep, emotional fatigue that seeps into how you think, feel, and function — and if left unchecked, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and even walking away from a career you once loved.
Whether you’re a student nurse trying to survive placements or a qualified nurse barely hanging on during endless staff shortages, nursing burnout is real — and it’s common. The worst part? It often sneaks up on you. One minute you’re coping; the next, you’re running on fumes, questioning everything, and wondering if you’re the only one feeling this way.
You’re not.
In this post, we’ll explore 10 clear signs that what you’re experiencing is more than just tiredness, alongside the reasons behind them — and, more importantly, what you can do to take back control of your wellbeing.
Constant Exhaustion Even After Rest
What it looks like:
You’ve had a day off, maybe even a full weekend — but you still feel wiped out, like your energy tank never refills. You may find yourself falling asleep on the sofa or permanently feeling like you could sleep standing.
Why it happens:
Chronic stress, emotional labour, and poor-quality sleep (thanks to shift work and overthinking) wear you down. Nursing isn’t just physically tiring because of manual handling, pacing the ward on your feet all day— it’s mentally and emotionally draining too. The mental exhaustion in nursing is just as real as the aching legs. Upset relatives, challenging patients and trying to remember every medication in the BNF (British Medical Formulary) leads to emotional burnout in healthcare professionals.
How to reduce it:
- Set boundaries on your time (stop saying yes to everything). If your mentors swapped her shift and now wants, you to work the shift that means three in a row – tell her you have plans. Plans to rest. This way you can bust your nurse fatigue.
- Prioritise deep rest — not just scrolling in bed, but true downtime (reading, walking, breathing). Put your phone on ‘rest’ mode and take a social media free walk in nature where you’re liking the real beauty rather than your school friends ‘fresh bangs’ snap.
- Plan “recovery days” after intense shifts or placement blocks. This means not agreeing to babysit for your sister or taking an extra shift at work. It’s a day for you. Take a bath, binge a Netflix series or take your headphones out for some sunshine. This is just the nurse stress relief you need.
Brain Fog & Forgetfulness
What it looks like:
You can’t focus, forget basic things (like names, meds, dates), or feel mentally sluggish even with caffeine. You find yourself frustrated you can’t even remember what you ate for breakfast and you’re getting agro on the family chat for forgetting Nannas birthday. These are the things no-one tells you about nurse burnout.
Why it happens:
When you’re juggling documentation, emotional conversations, time pressures, and clinical tasks, your brain goes into overload. Add sleep disruption and dehydration, and it’s a perfect storm. On top of this – the caffeine comedown is real! How many have you had today? If you can’t remember… you’re not just tired you’re overwhelmed and need help.
How to reduce it:
- Use simple checklists and routines to take pressure off your brain. I use the ‘Lists’ on my phone and have one for every day of the week. It’s easy when I’m on the go to quickly add and review it. Its my go-to burnout solution for a busy nurse life.
- Stay hydrated and fuel your body properly. Well hydrated bodies do better in all aspects of student life. Your body will thank you and you will make your kidneys happy – you don’t want an AKI (acute kidney injury).
Try mindfulness practices like breathing techniques to improve clarity (NHS Mindful Breathing is a great place to start). (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/)
Feeling Detached or Emotionally Numb
What it looks like:
You stop reacting emotionally — even to things that would normally affect you, like a sad patient story or a distressed family member. When your friend is annoyed about something and you’re listening but you’re not mirroring her feelings you just nod and agree.
Why it happens:
This is classic compassion fatigue. When you constantly give emotionally and don’t get time to refill, you subconsciously start to shut down to protect yourself. This is where not debriefing or reflecting on your experiences at university and on placement can cause a real problem.
How to reduce it:
- Take time to debrief with peers, mentors, or support groups. Start by asking others how their placement is going, you’ll find they have similar experiences, and you can discuss how you coped during and after. Also use the ‘burnout’ word. Everyone is thinking it, but no one wants to admit it. Talking helps reduce the stigma and helps you and your fellow student nurses to acknowledge signs you’re not just tires, you’re burnt-out.
- Keep a reflective journal to reconnect with your feelings and values. Putting how you actually feel down on paper acknowledges them and helps you to recognise where you are having more negative than positive feelings. The first step in you recognising signs of burnout.
Engage in hobbies or creative outlets outside of nursing that help you reconnect with you. Even if you don’t feel like it, push yourself to do something non-nursing and give your brain a break from being on duty.
Download your FREE Weekly Wellbeing Checklist to keep in touch with those burnout signs.
Irritability Over Small Things
What it looks like:
You’re snapping at colleagues, crying over minor issues, or feeling constantly on edge. Your friends and relatives will often be walking on eggshells with you trying not to upset you. That ‘I’m having one of those days’ turns into ‘one of those months’ very quickly.
Why it happens:
When you’re overwhelmed, your fight-or-flight response stays activated. This means that tiny stressors (like a printer jam or a rude patient) can feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Your head fees so full that anymore inconvenience simply cannot fit into your patience zone.
How to reduce it:
- Recognise the signs early of stress and fatigue in nursing and take a pause, even if it’s 2 minutes. Think about how you reacted to a situation – would you want someone else to act like that with you? If not, you might be more than just tired.
- Build in post-shift rituals like walking home, listening to music, or deep breathing. You need a switch off from the chaos wind down. I always listen to my favourite podcast in the car after work. It’s usually Mel Robbins because she says it how it is, makes me laugh and gives me opportunity to think about things differently and grow.
- Don’t suppress feelings — express them in a safe space before they explode. Like Mel Robbins, say it how it is. “I’m feeling overwhelmed today with shift work and the study I have to do”. Say this to your supervisor or assessor on placement and you’ll be surprised how conscious they will be of not putting extra stress on you. If a student hints their more than just tired, I’ll send them for an extended break and let them choose how much on the floor work they do that day. If you don’t tell them, they don’t know how to help.
Check out my post on Why self-care matters more than ever in nursing.
Dreading Going to Work or Placement
What it looks like:
The thought of walking back into the ward makes you feel sick, anxious, or trapped. You start thinking of excuses to call in sick or get out of being in the heavy bay on the elderly care ward. Your stomach flips over thinking about having to get up tomorrow to face your placement.
Why it happens:
When work starts to feel like a place of stress rather than purpose, dread creeps in. This may be worsened by toxic environments, poor supervision, or a lack of support. This is both academic and placement-based support. You may have a really nice ward and feel well supported but you’re drowning in journals and assignment deadlines you can’t cope with.
How to reduce it:
- Speak to your personal tutor, practice assessor, or placement coordinator. These are the experts. They have seen thousands of students before you in the same position and will have tips and tricks to reduce your mental fatigue. A big problem to you is usually a small problem to them
- Check out my Personal Tutors: Your secret study super power for tip on how personal tutors can help in all aspects of student life
- If a placement feels unsafe or damaging, you can request a review. If you’re not getting the support you need, speak with your personal tutor at your university and the student team at your placement area. They usually know the wards that are really supportive environments for student nurses and can keep popping down to the ward to give you wellbeing check-ins.
- Use support services at uni — they’re there for exactly this reason. If its academic assignments that are stressing you out then see what workshops your university offer, some are face to face and others are on group calls where you can ask questions and write down study plans to help.
Check out my Student Nurse Weekly Wellbeing Check-In (FREE download) to review the week and get in a positive headspace for the week ahead.
Feeling Like You’re Not Good Enough No Matter What You Do
What it looks like:
You constantly feel like you’re failing, even when you’re trying your best. You compare yourself to other students or nurses and feel inadequate. You start with stubbing your toe as soon as you get out of bed and everything that happens from then on goes from bad to worse.
Why it happens:
Nursing attracts high-achievers who want to do good — but that drive can turn into imposter syndrome and perfectionism. If you never hear “well done,” your inner critic fills the silence.
How to reduce it:
- Keep a “positivity file” of kind words, patient thank-yous, and your small wins. If you’re feeling things are all doom and gloom, get your file and get a visual of the good stuff to bring back that rainbow.
- Talk about your feelings — you’ll find others feel the same. Honestly, just ask any student nurse – or nurse for that matter how they are. They will properly tell you fine. So, ask them how they really are. Guaranteed it’s not all sunshine and roses. They will have some of the same gripes you do.
Remember: learning curves are steep in nursing — no one is perfect, especially not in training. You only have to be better than the person you were yesterday. Now repeat that phrase!
Sleep Problems like Insomnia or Oversleeping
What it looks like:
You can’t fall asleep, wake up in the night worrying about work, or need naps just to get through the day. Often, you’ll feel ‘wired’ and spend hours trying to sleep you think of everything from every conversation you had that day to random things that happened 7 years ago. Your brain’s off switch feels broken.
Why it happens:
Stress affects your body’s sleep-wake cycle. Night shifts, irregular routines, and mental overload keep your body in alert mode — making it hard to wind down.
How to reduce it:
- Try to wind down with a consistent routine: screen-free time, herbal tea, relaxing music. Switch your phone to ‘sleep’ mode after 9pm. I have an alarm on my phone for this off switch to come down.
- Avoid stimulants (like caffeine or energy drinks) late in the day. I suggest avoiding caffeine (including cola) after 2pm.
If sleep is a big struggle, consider professional advice or sleep therapy tools. Your GP can help with this if your wind down routines and mindfulness/relaxation techniques are failing.
Neglecting Your Health (Skipping Meals, No Exercise)
What it looks like:
You grab whatever’s quick (or nothing at all), forget to hydrate, and feel sluggish and run down. You’ll have sunken eyes and dry lips from dehydration, and you might even start to lose weight. You haven’t been to the gym or even for a walk in as long as you can remember.
Why it happens:
Busy shifts leave little time to prioritise self-care. When you’re in survival mode, your own needs fall to the bottom of the list. You get so used to putting everyone else’s needs before your own. You are a teapot, and you can’t pour from an empty teapot. Refilling is even more important to those who constantly pour care into others.
How to reduce it:
- Prep healthy snacks or meals the night before a shift. Batch cooking ensures you have something really quick to shove in the microwave after a 12-hour shift – no one wants to spend 30 minutes cooking after work. When you are tired you crave sugar so limit the sugary snacks available and stock up on dried fruit and nuts.
- Keep a water bottle and energy-boosting snacks in your placement bag. I have an emergency snack box in my bag with breakfast biscuits, boiled sweets (butter mintos) and yoghurt covered raisins are my fave.
- Schedule realistic activity — even 10-minute walks or gentle stretching can help. Go to the shops instead of ordering off Amazon.
Crying Often or Feeling on The Edge
What it looks like:
Tears come easily — even over minor things. You feel emotionally raw, overwhelmed, or like you’re one incident away from breaking down. You start to avoid social situations because you don’t want to have to hold back those tears and feel silly for getting upset over small things.
Why it happens:
Emotional exhaustion means your coping capacity is low. You’re holding in too much and it has to come out — often through tears.
How to reduce it:
- Don’t bottle it up — crying is a natural release. Sometimes it’s a good cry that cleanse you, and you see things more clearly and practically. Holding in emotions adds to the things you’re holding in your brain making you feel so overwhelmed in the first place. I do love a good cry.
- Talk to someone. Whether it’s a peer, a helpline, or uni counselling, sharing the load matters. If you don’t feel like talking to someone you know, here are a few options to think about:
NHS Staff Support Line (run by Samaritans)
Call: 📞 0800 069 6222
Open: 7am–11pm, 7 days a week
What it offers: Free, confidential emotional support from trained listeners. Available to all NHS staff and students on placement.
More info: NHS People Support Hub
Samaritans – 24/7 Support
Call: 📞 116 123 (free from any phone)
Open: 24/7
What it offers: A safe, non-judgmental space to talk — about anything. You don’t have to be in crisis.
Web: www.samaritans.org
NHS Practitioner Health
Call: 📞 0300 030 3300
What it offers: Confidential mental health support for nurses, midwives, doctors, and healthcare students. Includes therapy referrals and coaching.
Web: www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk
RCN Counselling Service (for RCN Members)
Call: 📞 0345 772 6100
Open: Mon–Fri, 8:30am–8:30pm
What it offers: Free counselling and emotional support for Royal College of Nursing members.
Web: RCN Wellbeing Services (https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/member-support-services/counselling-service/covid-19-and-your-mental-wellbeingpporting your mental wellbeing | RCN Counselling Service | Royal College of Nursing)
Shout – Mental Health Text Line
Text: 📲 Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258
Open: 24/7
Questioning if Nursing is for You
What it looks like:
You fantasise about quitting, wondering if you made a mistake and even feeling disconnected about why you chose this path. You may even start to do a job search for 9-5 jobs in your area.
Why it happens:
When burnout clouds your thinking, everything feels harder. Even your passion can start to feel like a burden. You lose your ‘why’ when you are so overwhelmed.
How to reduce it:
- Reflect honestly: is it nursing you want to leave, or just the current pressure you’re under? If you quit now, would you regret it in 5 years’ time? Or less?
- Seek mentorship or coaching — even one good conversation can reframe your outlook. Seek a student in the year above you or an actual registered nurse and you’ll see they went through something similar at some point in their nursing journey. I have too. More than once.
- Remember: it’s OK to question things. It doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you care.
A word of warning:
Burnout, stress and feelings of being overwhelmed are often labelled as emotional signs. If you are getting physical signs of stress and burnout such as heart palpitations, chronic fatigue, physical pains, headaches, digestive issues, skin problems or being ‘ill’ more than usual, it is the biggest red flag for burnout. It also signals that you are past trying to deal with this alone. It is now time to seek professional help. And your GP is your first port of call. They can refer you to counselling and CBT resources just like your university can, but your GP really is where you need to be first. It’s the first and most integral step to taking back control of your burnout and refilling that teapot.
Journaling is an essential way to process the week and keep in touch with how you are feeling. I have created a Wellbeing Journal just for those in healthcare. Check out my Nursing Wellbeing Journal and start putting your mental health first, and filling your cup up for a change.
Final Reflection
If you saw yourself in several of these signs, please don’t brush it off. Burnout is real, and it’s serious — but it’s also something you can recover from. You deserve support, time, and space to heal. You’re not just a nurse — you’re a human first.
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak — it means you’ve been strong for too long without enough support. Whether you’re a student nurse juggling exams and placements, or a qualified nurse carrying the emotional weight of your role, your wellbeing matters just as much as the patients you care for.
If you recognise these signs in yourself, take it as a prompt — not to give up, but to slow down and refill. Talk to someone both friends and professional. Take a break. Ask for help. Nursing needs compassionate people, but compassion has to include you, too.
You are not failing. You are feeling. And that’s human.
