9 signs of burnout and how Police Health can help

This article discusses burnout and mental health, which may be distressing for some readers. If you need immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

On this page 

• Burnout explanation
• Physical symptoms – fatigue, headaches and stomachaches
• Emotional symptoms – helplessness, cynicism, sense of failure
• Behavioural symptoms – withdrawal or isolation, procrastination, outbursts
• How to recover from burnout and how Police Health can help
  • Counsellors
  • Psychology
  • Non-PBS pharmacy medications
  • Rollover

Burnout explanation  

Burnout is when you feel emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted from excessive demands at work, in your personal life, or both. 

People experience burnout in different ways, but it’s useful to be aware of the common signs, especially if you’ve been feeling this way for a while. 

To help, we've broken down 9 common signs and grouped them into physical, emotional and behavioural signs. 

Physical symptoms 

Fatigue 

One of the most common signs of burnout is fatigue. 

This is when you feel like sleeping all the time, or find that even simple tasks take longer to complete. 

Headaches 

This is an important symptom to remember because it can be very common and easy to dismiss. 

Burnout headaches are typically the result of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion from prolonged stress. They can also come from stress-related jaw clenching and teeth grinding. 

Stomachaches 

This physical symptom may be a surprise result of a mental health issue. 

This could include pain, bloating and nausea and are proven to be prevalent whenever you're stressed. 

Emotional symptoms 

Helplessness 

This may be described as being 'worn-out' and leads you to feeling unsupported. 

You feel that despite all your hard work, your job or personal issues are just as stressful as they were before, if not greater. 

Cynicism 

Sometimes referred to as being detached, cynicism is a core component of burnout. 

It's particularly common in the workplace, and is often acting as an emotional defense mechanism or coping strategy from exhaustion. 

Sense of failure 

Most often seen as a distorted self-view which can make normal challenges of life seem like personal failures. 

It leads to self-doubt and a big reduction in your motivation to work and help others in your personal life. 

Behavioural symptoms 

Withdrawal or isolation 

This is when you disengage from your work or your personal life by avoiding friends, family and colleagues. 

It could also be ignoring text messages and calls, and is typically done to conserve your reduced energy. 

Procrastination 

This symptom is less of a surprise when you consider what's happening to your body during burnout. 

Usually your nervous system breaks down, making regular tasks feel impossible – a sign that you're depleted. 

Outbursts 

When burnout causes emotional exhaustion, it strips away your brain's ability to cope with stress. 

Plus, when you're stuck in fight-flight mode you become more prone to daily frustrations overflowing into big outbursts. 

How to recover from burnout and how Police Health can help 

Your path to burnout recovery depends on your own circumstances.  

Speaking to a healthcare professional is a good first step, as recovery often depends on the underlying causes. 

If you're a Police Health member, you may be able to use your cover to lower some of the costs of support services*. 

Counsellors 

As part of our commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our members, Police Health offers counselling benefits for one-on-one sessions, couples or family sessions and group sessions. 

If you need to see a counsellor, you can find our recognised counsellors on our website by provider name or by their location and if they're near you. 

Use our 'Find a counsellor' tool 

Psychologists 

We also offer benefits for psychologists, who are experts in human behaviour and use scientific methods to study the factors that influence the way we think, feel, learn and behave. 

If you're recommended to see a psychologist, make sure to ask them or your referring doctor if you can use your Police Health cover. 

Pharmacy benefits 

Medication can sometimes be an integral part of managing mental health conditions, including burnout. 

However, there may be extra costs if your medication is not listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). 

With Police Health you may be eligible to receive benefits for non-PBS medications you claim with us. 

Learn how to claim pharmacy benefits with Police Health

Non-PBS pharmaceuticals: what you need to know

Police Health’s pharmaceutical benefits cover a wide range of items that require a prescription when dispensed from private recognised pharmacies, Australia-wide.

Read more

Rollover and checking your benefits 

Our Rollover Benefit lets you roll over unclaimed Annual Maximum from one calendar year to the next on most Rolling Extras services, up to the Rollover Maximum. 

This means that if you don’t use the full amount of your Rolling Extras services within a year, you won’t lose those benefits. 

There are terms and conditions to this, and we encourage you to contact us or read the below to check you're eligible. 

Featured

Rollover Benefit Guide

Did you know our Rollover Benefit lets you roll over unclaimed Annual Maximums from one calendar year to the next on most Extras services?

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*All benefits may be subject to Waiting Periods, Limits and other conditions. Rollover applies once you’ve completed your first 12 months membership (2 years for Major Dental). Providers must be recognised by us. Review the cover tables on the Combined, Hospital and Extras pages, and your State Premium and Benefit Guide or contact us for more information.