Is end of year burnout real? Here's how to get through the season.

The end of the year is a lot to deal with. There are endless social events for work, school, friends, family and hobby groups. There are work commitments to wrap up and colleagues preparing to take leave or managing coverage for others taking leave.  For anyone involved in education, either with children (or themselves) in school, teaching or university, there are assignments, exams or grading. 

There’s also Chanukah, Diwali, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, the Lunar New Year and other festivities which need to be prepared for. With all the changes in routine, many struggle to keep up to their healthy habits for food, exercise, sleep and self-care, leaving them even more vulnerable to stress or health concerns.

It’s no wonder many of us feel like this time of year is a slog, feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and less well than other times of year.  

So, is end of year burnout real? Let’s take a look at what the science says and what can you do about it. 

What is burnout?

Burnout is when you feel overwhelmed and emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted, either by work, your personal life or both. As well as exhaustion, the other two key symptoms of burnout: Feeling negative or cynical about your work or life, and feeling incompetent or unable to be effective. 

Getting burnt out is the result of ongoing unmanaged stress and affects your physical and mental health. In short, it makes it hard to enjoy anything in your life. Getting burnout happens over time, and once you are in burnout, recovery is slow and hard work, so it’s important to be aware of the signs and put steps in place to avoid it. 

Is end of year burnout real? 

For something that feels universal, there aren’t any studies on burnout and the end of the year specifically. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t real, we just haven’t measured it. So, what do we know? 

The American Psychological Association 2023 survey on Holiday Stress reported 70% of respondents said they have moderate or high levels of stress around the holiday season, with 41% saying they were more stressed than at other times of the year. More than half, 52%, said their stress levels were about the same. When asked how they would describe the holiday season, 63% included negative words like “stressful” and “overwhelming”, while 80% used words that were positive, like “fun” and “joyous”. 

There are some small studies showing that people have a lower sense of wellbeing in the week before Christmas, which improves in the weeks afterwards. We also know that people can be more stressed by work pressure a week or two weeks before a holiday, with women more likely to also be stressed by pressures from home. 

Burnout has a specific definition and is a result of living with unmanaged stress over time, not only current experiences. The increased stress many of us feel at the end of the year might not immediately cause burnout, but it certainly won’t help our mental health overall. 

While the scientists are catching up, many of us are bracing for a time we personally find more stressful. It’s important to remember that there can be a lot of positives about the season as well. Here are some tips to help you manage the stress and harness the positives of the season.

6 tips to beat end of year stress

Tip 1: Know your triggers 

The first step to managing stress is to acknowledge it and to work out what exactly is making you stressed. It’s okay to be stressed, it means you’re a normal human being! Sometimes when we are busy and overwhelmed, we stop paying attention to our feelings and even our physical experiences. Taking a moment to stop and check in allows us to make better decisions. Improving your self-awareness can help prevent burnout and gives you clues about what precisely is causing you stress and so what you can focus on to manage your stress. 

Tip 2: Make plans and set expectations

Once you have figured out what your personal stressors are, you can work out how to manage them. If you get overwhelmed by the number of events you have coming up, you could talk to some of the groups about shifting to January, or limit the number of events you attend in a week, or you give yourself permission to leave after you’ve been there a particular amount of time. 

Setting reasonable expectations is important.  This time of year is all about unreasonable expectations, whether it’s trying to get eight days of productivity out of every week, attempting to create the perfect magical family experience, or comparing what you’ve done this year, this decade, or holding yourself up to an impossibly high standard. Give yourself permission to not get everything done, or not get it done perfectly.  

Rather than worrying about the most perfect presents for everyone, remember that it’s about celebrating your relationships. You might want to consider alternative gifting options, a secret Santa or other gift exchange games to limit the number of presents. If wrapping is a chore, a lot of shopping centres have charities who’ll wrap for a small donation.  

Before you get caught up in the season, set reasonable expectations about what you can achieve and remain happy and healthy. Don’t get caught up in unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, either.

Tip 3: Create boundaries

It is okay to say no. Having taken time to figure out what you need to do to manage your stress, you may end up saying no to things you would have previously said yes to. If you can’t do social events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you’ll need to say no to one. It can be hard at first, but just as you would understand if someone skipped the book club get together, it isn’t the end of anyone’s world. 

This is also the time of year at work when people look at the projects piled on their desks and try to move them on. Be aware of this and what you can reasonably do and be clear about what can be finished within the timeframes you have. The last thing you need is longer working hours if there aren’t concrete and inflexible deadlines.

Creating boundaries can be hard, but it’s worth it. When setting your boundaries it’s important to be clear, polite and consistent. 

Tip 4: Maintain your healthy routines (rest/sleep/exercise)

With everything going on it’s very easy to lose track of your hard-won healthy routines. You might find yourself staying up late, getting takeaway because you’ve already eaten out three nights this week, or skipping your walk because you’re tired. 

When you are stressed, it’s exactly the time when you need to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep, enough physical activity and getting those vegetables. 

Tip 5: Be kind to yourself 

When you’re busy, the first thing that disappears is self-care. We’ve already mentioned some great ways to take care of yourself, taking time to be aware of your emotions and your physical needs, ensuring that you get enough sleep, physical activity and nutritious food. 

Self-care might look like a bath with your favourite book or movie, checking in with your psychologist, going to church or touching base with your spiritual side. It can be even something a bit more physical, like putting on your favourite music and dancing your heart out, or going on a hike to enjoy nature. 

It may feel decadent but make time (schedule it in your calendar!) to rest, to be alone, or with your immediate family or friends and to recover in whatever way makes you feel better.  

Tip 6: Enjoy the positives 

The end of the year may be stressful, but it also comes with some great positives. Having social connections of all kinds, from close friends to friendly acquaintances improves your resilience, lowers stress and improves health outcomes.Don’t get too caught up in making every event perfect, take the opportunity to enjoy yourself. The end of the year gives you a chance to touch base with people you know and build those relationships. 

You can also harness anticipation. Anticipation of positive events has been shown to lower stress and promote recovery from stress, even more than remembering past positive events. Spend a little time gloating about the good times you’ll be having.

Some people find this time of year difficult if they have more limited or difficult relationships. Your end of the year doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s to have a good time. There are also a lot of opportunities to support charities and give back to others, which is known to improve your wellbeing and happiness.

When to speak to a doctor

There are a lot of pressures that come at this time of year, and stress can affect your mental and physical health. Anyone can find the end of the year stressful and if you’re struggling, you can reach out for help. If you find yourself experiencing low moods or anxiety that isn’t going away, you should check in with your doctor.

The bottom line

While science isn’t ready to weigh in on whether burnout is more common at the end of the year, managing your stress at any time is important for your mental and physical health. This time of year also brings the opportunity for some very positive experiences, so take a few minutes to figure out how you can get the most out of it. 

Reviewed by the Healthylife Advisory Board November 2025.