Feeling hopelessness and irritation; having troubles sleeping; feeling detached and with no energy or desire to do anything... My question is: Are these symptoms of burnout or depression? To tell you the truth, it can be both. Nowadays, with the fast-paced world we live in, burnout has become a normalised state of mind - a prolonged stress, which if left untreated, can lead us to ask the question "Am I actually depressed?". There is a lot of misconception between burnout and depression since some of their symptoms overlap (you can read the articles on burnout symptoms here), as well as anxiety, and people have a hard time telling them apart. So, today's post will focus on the difference between burnout, depression, and anxiety.

As the days grow shorter and the light begins to fade, many of us start to feel it, the quiet heaviness that creeps in with the early sunsets. It’s not just in your head. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects thousands every year, but even mild versions of it can leave you feeling low, tired, or oddly disconnected. As someone who struggled with SAD for years until I found a routine that helped me make winter an OK experience. I dread the weekend of the clock change in October. I wake up in darkness, I leave the office in darkness, I somewhat feel like a bat. When I moved to the UK years ago, I used to sit spraying Vitamin D in the hopes that it will help me feel better. It does help a bit but what truly makes a difference are small lifestyle adjustments, to ensure you get as much daylight as possible, as well as learning to enjoy the cozy vibes of the autumn/winter part of the year.

As we have already discussed in the previous blog (if you haven't read it, check it out), burnout can be easily mistaken for just "feeling stressed," but the emotional impact of it is way deeper. Now we're going to talk about the different symptoms and how to spot them early, so you can be extra gentle with yourself and cut some slack. Because if you're like me from the past, the overachiever, you will push yourself to the limit, ignoring the symptoms, saying it's fine until your body forces you to take a break. Let's not go there.