Burnout first aid
Running on Empty?
Ten steps, in order of urgency. Most people will only need a few of them.
Before anything else
Start at step 1 and work down. Every step tells you when to skip it. If a step isn't for you, skip it, no guilt. If you're working with us, we'll refer to these step numbers so you always know where you are.
STEP 1:
Check that you're safe.
Skip if you're safe and not having thoughts of hurting yourself.
If you're not safe, or you're not sure, please stop here and reach out. Everything else on this page can wait.
In immediate danger?
Call 000
Lifeline, 24/7:
call 13 11 14
or text 0477 13 11 14
Beyond Blue's 24/7 webchat:
More free help lines are in step 10.
STEP 2:
Name where you're at.
Skip if you already know you're burning out or in burnout.
BURNING OUT
Tired in a way sleep doesn't fix.
Everything feels harder than it should.
You're running on caffeine, adrenaline and dread.
IN BURNOUT
You've hit the wall.
Things you used to do easily feel impossible.
You might feel numb, foggy, teary, or like your skills have gone missing.
This is not laziness, it's an injury.
Either way, keep going to step 3.
Naming it out loud, even just to yourself, is helpful.
If neither of these feel like you but something still feels off:
Book a free chat with us to find your problem statement
STEP 3:
Take a reset day.
Skip if you're already on leave, or not working right now.
Treat it like the medical emergency it is.
If you had a broken ankle you wouldn't walk it off at your desk. Burnout is your body and brain running past empty for too long, and it deserves the same respect. And if you're anything like us when we were burning out, you probably don't remember the last sick day you took.
If you're neurodivergent, suspected or diagnosed, this matters even more. Research on autistic burnout describes long-lasting exhaustion, losing skills you normally have, and a lower tolerance for noise, light and people, often driven by years of masking and pushing through. It can be devastating and slow to recover from (think years not months), but possible to catch early.
So just like other injuries, you need rest and repair.
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COPY ONE OF THE MESSAGES BELOW
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FILL IN THE BRACKETS
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SEND IT TO YOUR BOSS
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CLOSE ALL WORK APPS
Subject: Sick leave today
Hi [manager's name],
I'm unwell today and won't be able to work. I'm taking a day of personal (sick) leave and will be offline so I can recover.
[Optional: The only time-sensitive thing today is [task]. [Colleague] can help with it, or it can wait until tomorrow.]
I'll check in tomorrow morning to let you know how I'm going. If you need a medical certificate, just let me know and I'll arrange one.
Thanks,
[Your name]
SLACK, TEAMS, TEXT
Hi [name], I'm unwell today so I'm taking a sick day and will be offline. Nothing urgent is due [or: [task] can wait until tomorrow]. I'll check in tomorrow morning. Thanks.
Replies can wait until tomorrow.
You don't have to say what's wrong because "unwell" is a complete sentence.
In Australia, full-time employees get 10 days of paid personal or carer's leave a year (part-timers get it pro rata) under the National Employment Standards (NES), and mental health counts.
Your employer can ask for reasonable evidence, like a medical certificate. A telehealth GP can usually provide one the same day.
STEP 4:
Pick your one area.
This tells you which of steps 5, 6 or 7 to do.
Your reset day is for one area of life, not all of them.
Answer these in order and stop at the first one that sends you somewhere.
A. Over the last few days, have you mostly been sleeping, eating and drinking water okay?
Yes · go to question B
No ↓ go to STEP:5
B. Is there one practical thing that makes your stomach drop when you think about it? A bill, an email, a pile of washing, an appointment.
Yes · go to STEP:7
No ↓ go to question C
C. Are you feeling numb, teary, snappy, or like your brain is full of static? Or more overwhelmed than usual by noise, light, people or messages?
Yes · go to STEP:6
No ↓ go to STEP:5
No to everything? Start with STEP:5 and protect your sleep.
STEP 5:
BODY.
Skip if step 4 sent you to step 6 or 7.
When your body is running on fumes, everything else feels ten times harder.
Refuel first, pick one or two of these, that's a full reset day:
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Sleep in with no alarm, or lie down for an hour in the afternoon.
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Eat one proper meal. Delivery, frozen or comfort food absolutely counts.
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Keep a big glass of water within reach all day.
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Shower or have a bath. Sitting down in the shower is always allowed.
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Get ten minutes of outside air, even just your doorstep.
Then jump to step 8.
STEP 6:
MIND.
Skip if step 4 sent you to step 5 or 7.
Your nervous system is overloaded. Today's goal is fewer demands and more safety, not productivity.
Pick one or two:
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Cancel or postpone one thing on your calendar.
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Log out of work apps and turn off notifications for the day.
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Go low demand: a comfort rewatch, a weighted blanket, headphones, a dark room.
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Brain dump everything swirling onto paper, then close the notebook.
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Talk to someone safe. A friend, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
Doing nothing on purpose is strong start too.
Then jump to step 8.
STEP 7:
PRACTICAL.
Skip if step 4 sent you to step 5 or 6.
Shrinking that one looming thing taking up rent-free space in your head gives you back energy you didn't know you'd lost.
Pick the single loudest thing, only one, then:
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Set a 25 minute timer. When it rings, you're allowed to stop, done or not.
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Get a body double: a friend on a call, or an online focus room.
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Make it ugly. Half done, rough, or "asked for an extension" all count.
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Tell someone what you did, so your brain registers the win.
Everything else stays on the list, on purpose.
STEP 8:
See your GP.
Skip if you're already in conversation with your GP or psychologist for burnout.
Book an appointment for this week, telehealth is fine.
Be blunt about what's happening, the GP can't help with what they don't hear.
Ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which gets you Medicare-rebated psychology sessions.
If one reset day isn't enough, ask for a medical certificate for more time off.
If you're neurodivergent, or think you might be, consider discussing it with your GP or psychologist as it changes what support makes sense.
STEP 9:
CHECK FOR INCOME PROTECTION
Skip if you already know your cover, or you don't think you'll need extended time off.
Lots of people have income protection through their super and have no idea. It can pay part of your income if illness, including mental illness, stops you working for a while.
Twelve minutes now can save a lot of panic later, each of the six steps below takes about 2 minutes each, you got this!
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Find all your super accounts (log in to myGov, open the ATO section, then Super, where it lists every fund you're in).
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Log in to your fund's app or website and find a section called Insurance or My cover.
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Look for "income protection" or "salary continuance".
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If a monthly benefit amount is listed, you have it.
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Write down two things: the waiting period (how long you're off before payments start) and the benefit period (how long payments last).
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Check the fine print: The Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) lists exclusions, like pre-existing conditions.
Still unsure? Call your Super fund and read them this:
"Do I have income protection cover? What's my waiting period and benefit period? Does it cover time off for mental health?"
Cover isn't automatic if you joined under 25 or have under $6,000 in that account, and a fund can cancel cover on an account that hasn't had contributions in a while. Sick leave can help cover the waiting period.
This is general information, not financial advice.
More at Moneysmart
STEP 10:
TELL SOMEONE.
Skip if you've already told someone safe how you're really going, but worth doing often.
A friend, a partner, a family member, or one of these free services:
LIFELINE
13 11 14
Or text 0477 13 11 14
24/7 Counselling
BEYOND BLUE
1300 22 4636
24/7 Counselling
Phone or webchat at beyondblue.org.au
SUICIDE CALL BACK SERVICE
1300 659 467
24/7 Phone, video and online Counselling
13YARN
13 92 76
24/7 Counselling
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter.
MENSLINE AUSTRALIA
1300 78 99 78
24/7Phone and online counselling
QLIFE
1800 184 527
3pm to midnight
LGBTQIA+ Peer support, phone or webchat at qlife.org.au
MEDICARE MENTAL HEALTH
1800 595 212
Find free or low-cost services in your area.
EMERGENCY
000
24/7
If you or someone else is in immediate danger.
(OPTIONAL)
STEP 11:
MAKE A PLAN WITH US 4 FREE.
Skip if you've got what you need for now. This page will still be here.
Book a free 15 minute call with PATHCRAFT. We're both neurodivergent and we've both been here, so you won't need to explain or mask. Tell us which step you got to, and we'll use every minute to help you pick your next two or three moves and leave with a plan you can run on your own, or with us if you'd like.
PATHCRAFT offers coaching and workplace advice, not medical, legal or financial advice. If you're unsure what you need, your GP is a great first stop.
Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman (paid sick and carer's leave). Moneysmart (insurance through super). Raymaker et al. (2020), defining autistic burnout, Autism in Adulthood.