Feeling Burned Out and Flat? Here’s How You Can Help Yourself

Poor mental health doesn’t always present as a crisis. Sometimes it’s a persistent flatness, a quiet irritability, or a sense that something’s just… off. These can be early warning signs of burnout or low mood – both worth paying attention to.

Dr Olivia Lee Ong, a Melbourne-based rehabilitation and pain physician, knows this first-hand. After undergoing a major burnout episode of her own while pregnant and working through Covid, she turned all her attention towards understanding how to move from burnout to balance. Here she shares why early intervention matters and what practical steps can help.

Recognise burnout and low mood for what they are

Depression and anxiety are serious conditions, but they often begin more subtly. Burnout can show up as prolonged exhaustion and emotional numbness, while low mood might look like a sustained period of sadness, teariness or disconnection lasting more than two weeks. Dr Ong explains that burnout happens when you are oscillating between hypoarousal (a low-energy, functional freeze state) and hyperarousal (a high-alert anxiety state) for a long period of time. “Our nervous system is not meant to yo-yo like that,” she says. “People need to realise that burnout can lead to depression.” Left unchecked, burnout can contribute to depression, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Know the early warning signs

While burnout looks different for everyone, Dr Ong points to three common stages.

“First is exhaustion,” she says. “The second symptom that develops shortly after that, we call it depersonalisation, or disconnection. You feel numb and disassociated. Things you used to care about, you just don’t feel excited about anymore. The last symptom develops shortly after that – a sense of loss of life purpose.”

She recalls noticing this shift herself. A long-time fan of the K-pop band BTS, she realised during a period of exhaustion that their songs no longer brought her joy. “Suddenly I didn’t feel anything. I thought ‘oh no, something’s up, I need to see my GP’.” After going to see her GP, who told her she’d done exactly the right thing seeking help early, Dr Ong was prescribed a week off work. After a moment of reset, she was able to re-enter her life – and enjoy BTS in all their glory.

Seek help

Catching burnout early can make a significant difference. If you notice yourself withdrawing from things you enjoy, feeling persistently flat, or reacting more sharply to those around you, it’s worth taking seriously. Speaking to a GP can be a helpful first step, alongside reflecting on what might need to shift in your work or home environment. “Burnout is usually not an individual problem, which I’ve noticed. It’s usually a systemic problem,” she says. “Usually when you resolve the systemic issue, burnout gets better.”

Build small preventative habits

Prevention isn’t always about big changes, often it’s about small, consistent check-ins. Dr Ong suggests starting the day with what she calls a “safety check-in”, a moment to assess how your body and nervous system are feeling before the day begins. “Think about pilots. They spend 10 to 15 minutes in the cockpit before take-off, making sure the plane is safe to fly. If pilots do it for planes, why can’t we do it for our bodies?” From there it’s about finding simple ways to regulate your nervous system, whether that’s through movement, breathwork, music or quiet time. The specifics matter less than the intention: carving out space to reset and approaching yourself with a degree of self-compassion.

Explore accessible support options

For many people in Australia, accessing mental health support can feel financially out of reach, particularly in the early stages of stress or burnout.

There are, however, a growing number of low-cost and free services designed to offer early support, such as the Medicare Mental Health Check In. Unlike other mental health services, this one is free, does not require a referral or diagnosis, and is completely confidential. With a focus on early intervention, it’s designed to help prevent mild mental health challenges from escalating into something more serious. It offers a series of 6 online programs that you can choose from to work through on your own – and if you need support, you can be guided through by a qualified mental health practitioner via telehealth.

The programs can help you with managing your worries, improving your mood, sleeping better, reframing unhelpful thoughts, facing fears or solving problems more effectively. They take around 6 weeks to complete. 

If you’re unsure where to begin, visit the Medicare Mental Health Check In website to explore what support options are available. Your GP can also help point you towards services that suit your needs, and you can contact national helplines for immediate support.

Ultimately, the key is not to wait until things feel unmanageable. Even small steps towards support can help prevent burnout from escalating – and make it easier to find your way back to balance.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Australian Government. If you’re experiencing mild mental health challenges, you can visit mentalhealthcheckin.gov.au or call Medicare Mental Health (1800 595 212).