What should you absolutely not say to someone with a burnout?

You should avoid phrases like "It will be fine", "Just think positively" and "Can't you just take a few days off?" These comments can actually put more pressure on someone with a burnout or make them feel that their situation is not taken seriously.

Why doesn't taking a few days off help with burnout?

A burnout is more than just a period of stress. It is a prolonged mental and physical exhaustion, and a few days off do not help to address the underlying issues. Someone with a burnout often needs much more time and professional support to recover.

Is yoga or meditation a solution for burnout?

Although yoga and meditation can be relaxing, they are not a solution for burnout. When someone is experiencing burnout, there are often deeper causes behind it, and it is important to seek professional help and systematically bring life back into balance.

How can I really help someone with a burnout?

Instead of saying clichés, you can simply be there for the person. Offer practical help, such as bringing meals, or just provide a listening ear. Let them know that you care about them and that they are not alone, without pressuring them to think 'positively'.

What are the consequences of minimizing a burnout?

Minimizing a burnout, for example by saying "Everyone is busy", can make the person feel misunderstood or unsupported. This can slow their recovery and put further pressure on their mental health, as they feel unheard or unappreciated.

Body & Mind

10 things you should not say to someone with a burnout

By Laudonne Roos | #!31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:003631#31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:00-5Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202531 04am31am-31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:005Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam2025312025Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +02000050010amSaturday=9#!31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam10#10-04-2025#!31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:003631#/31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:00-5Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202531#!31Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:00:36 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam10#

Here is an alt-text for the image: Two young women wearing sunglasses and dark clothing stand next to each other outside. The woman on the left is wearing a black hoodie with the hood up. The woman on the right is wearing a black leather jacket over a black turtleneck. They are both looking straight at the camera. In the background, there is vague greenery and some urban elements visible.

Sometimes not feeling great is something everyone experiences, but what if your best friend, partner, mother, or colleague is in a burnout? Of course, you want to help them, but saying some motivational quotes won't really move mountains. Don't want to walk on eggshells? Then just write along, because these 10 things you should never say to someone with a burnout.

1. “It will be fine.”

Yes, you really don't want to hear that when you're in a burnout. Of course, it's nice that there are people who care about you, but when you're in a burnout, it feels like a deep pit you can't crawl out of. You'd rather have someone sit with you in that pit and suggest doing fun things, or just listen to you, rather than someone just keeps saying: “it will all be fine.”.

2. “Just think positive.”

Ugh. You should never say this to someone in a difficult situation, especially not when someone is in a burnout. Just imagine: you've barely slept for weeks, you don't even have the energy to do groceries, and you don't know how to get out of this mess. And then your lovely colleague casually says: “just think positive.” Yeah, sorry, but don't you just want to shoot them? (Just kidding, just kidding). A burnout is not something you just get out of by telling yourself in the mirror that it will all get better and that you'll naturally stop feeling stressed, Gerda.

3. “Can't you just take a few days off?”

Haha, that's funny. Nice idea of yours, Simon, but unfortunately, you can't solve a burnout with a few days off. During those days, you might catch up on some sleep and ‘relax’, but you don't truly unwind just like that. When you're in a burnout, you've been in a constant stress mode for a long time. Your cortisol levels are through the roof, you can't think straight, and you probably have other physical complaints due to all that stress. You really can't solve that with a few days off.

4. “Why don't you just take a week off?”

Everyone can have stress that you can forget after a nice vacation, but a burnout? You don't forget that after a vacation. Maybe you'll feel a bit like your old self again because you're in a different location, surrounded by palm trees and nice weather. But when you come back after a week (or two, if you even allow yourself that, because you already feel guilty), all that stress will most likely come rushing back. You need to change your home situation and find a way in that. Not escape from it.

5. “You have so much free time now, it's like a vacation.”

Well, sorry, but this is not a vacation. If you're at home due to a burnout, you're recovering. If someone has had knee surgery, you wouldn't say: “Oh nice, a vacation,” while that person is in agony from the pain, right? No. So not now either, jerk. You try feeling so bad that there have been dishes piling up on the table for weeks and you don't even have the energy to text your mom.

6. “Come on, don't be so dramatic.”

I've heard that one before. There's always some (usually male) person who thinks you're just being dramatic. “It's not that bad, is it? Everyone has stress sometimes. You just have to get through it.” If looks could kill, that guy would be dead. Someone with a burnout often already feels guilty about their feelings. Do you think someone wants to feel that way? No, of course not. And if you just keep pushing through, you won't solve anything. It will only get worse.

7. “You just need to manage your time better.”

As if time pressure is the reason you have a burnout. Okay, managing your time better might help when you're still at the beginning of your stress, a few deadlines are piling up, and you're a bit tired. But at the moment you're in a burnout, things have been going poorly for months. A few better-planned appointments and doing one less work task won't help anymore. You manage your own time better, bye.

8. “Have you ever thought about yoga or meditation?”

Of course, yoga and meditation can help, but this is actually the same as managing your time better: once you're in that pit, you can't just climb out. A bit of yoga won't change that. It might even make your situation worse, because on top of your already busy work and family life, you also have to go to a yoga class. And meditating? Yeah, very calming if you're not spending the whole day worrying about all your problems.

9. “Just find some relaxation, then it will be fine.”

Sigh. Relaxation is definitely a solution for stress, but as I've said a few times: a burnout is not just a bit of stress. It goes much deeper than that. It's about insecurities and how by not setting boundaries, you've ended up in a deep valley. Just having a coffee with a friend, reading a book, or taking a weekend off won't change anything. You need to systematically bring more balance to your life. Not just ‘relax’.

10. “Everyone is busy, right?”

This might be the worst of all. Yes, Nick. Everyone is busy. Of course. But that doesn't mean everyone should dance through life as smoothly as you, finance bro. Just because every person has their own struggles, doesn't mean your colleague's struggles are any less severe. A burnout is about more than just being busy: because everything keeps piling up and you feel like you have no control over your life, you sink further under the pressure. Think of it like a stack of books on top of you: if you remove one book a day, it takes a long time before that stack gets lighter. Don't undermine other people's problems just because ‘everyone is busy’, weirdo.

Did you take notes? Good. Just be kind to your colleagues with a burnout. They don't want to feel this way, so they really can't help it. Have their favorite snacks delivered, cook dinner for them, or bring them your leftovers. Just letting them know you're thinking of them can help. As long as you don't say these things.