You’re exhausted. It feels like you’re pushing through mud just to get through the day. Maybe you’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy. Or perhaps you’re snapping at people around you, feeling emotionally distant, or struggling to concentrate.

You might wonder: Am I just burnt out? Or is this something more - something like depression?

At our therapy practice in central Edinburgh, we often hear this question. Burnout and depression can look and feel very similar, especially when you’ve been under pressure for a long time. In this blog, we’ll help you understand the key differences, how they overlap, and how therapy can help you find your way through.

Lady with head resting on her arms with her eyes closed. She's on a high building looking exhausted, maybe depressed

What is burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress - often work-related, but not always. It’s particularly common in high-responsibility roles, caring professions, and among people who find it hard to switch off.

The signs of burnout can include:

Feeling constantly drained, no matter how much sleep you get
Growing cynicism or emotional detachment from your work or relationships
A sense of reduced effectiveness or “I can’t do this anymore”
A creeping numbness, as though you’re going through the motions

Burnout often arises when you’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long, without the chance to rest, reflect, or ask for support. It’s not a personal failure - it’s a natural response to unsustainable demands.

What is depression?

Depression is more than feeling sad or low for a few days. It’s a deeper, more pervasive state that affects not only your mood but also how you think, feel, and relate to the world around you.

Signs of depression can include:

A persistent low mood or sense of hopelessness
Losing interest in things that once mattered to you
Difficulty sleeping or waking up, or sleeping too much
Withdrawal from social contact or feeling emotionally cut off
A harsh inner critic that tells you you’re not good enough

While burnout is often tied to a specific context, like your job or caregiving responsibilities, depression tends to seep into every part of life - even the things that aren’t obviously stressful.

So… burnout or depression?

The two can be hard to distinguish, and sometimes they coexist. If you’re struggling, it’s less important to label what you’re experiencing and more important to listen to it. That said, here are a few general contrasts:

Burnout is often tied to external stressors. It may ease with rest or a change of environment.
Depression tends to linger even when life circumstances improve. It can make everything feel colourless or meaningless.
Burnout may lead to feeling numb or detached at work but OK outside of it.
Depression can affect your whole sense of self—how you feel about your worth, your relationships, your future.

If you’re feeling lost in this, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

person sat on the end of a jetty looking out across the water

How therapy can help

At Room for Therapy in Edinburgh, we don’t rush to label or fix. Instead, we offer a calm and compassionate space where you can begin to understand what your mind and body are trying to tell you.

Rather than managing symptoms in isolation, we take a relational, in-depth approach. We might gently explore questions like:

When did this exhaustion begin, and what’s been happening around it?
What expectations are you carrying - at work, at home, in yourself?
What’s the emotional cost of always trying to cope?
What might it mean to stop “functioning” and start feeling?

Therapy can be a place to reconnect with parts of yourself that have been ignored or pushed aside in the name of keeping going. It’s not about becoming more productive. It’s about becoming more whole.

If you’re looking to understand your symptoms more clearly, the Mind website also provides accessible resources on both depression and stress-related conditions.

A client example

One client we worked with in Edinburgh came to therapy convinced she was simply burnt out from a demanding job. But as we spoke, it became clear that her exhaustion had deeper roots. She’d spent years striving for approval, afraid to rest or say no. Her job was demanding, yes - but the pressure came as much from within as from outside.

Therapy gave her a space to notice that - and to begin softening those inner demands. She didn’t need to quit everything overnight. She needed to understand why rest felt so unsafe.

When to seek support

If you’re not sure whether you’re burnt out, depressed, or both - that’s OK. What matters is that something doesn’t feel right. And that’s reason enough to reach out.

You don’t need to wait until you’re completely depleted. If you're based in Edinburgh or nearby, we’re here to help you explore what’s really going on - and what healing might look like for you.

To hear more about the support we offer or to begin a conversation with us, reach our using our contact form or email us at contact@roomfortherapy.co.uk

Is It Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference