# Spot the signs of burnout and plan my recovery

A burnout self-check with your warning signs, the likely causes, and a realistic recovery and prevention plan.

- Topic: Personal Life & Wellbeing
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Analyze, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/spot-the-signs-of-burnout-and-plan-my-recovery

## Prompt

```text
Help me understand whether I'm heading toward burnout and what to do about it.

**What I'm noticing:** [e.g. "exhausted even after rest", "dread Mondays", "cynical", "forgetting things", "getting sick a lot"]
**How long it's been going on:** [TIMEFRAME]
**My main load:** [WORK HOURS, CAREGIVING, STUDY, OTHER DEMANDS]
**What drains me most:** [SPECIFIC TASKS, PEOPLE, PRESSURES]
**What still gives me energy:** [ANYTHING]
**What I can and can't change right now:** [e.g. "can't quit, but could talk to my manager"]

Give me:
1. A plain-language summary of what I'm describing, compared with common burnout signs (exhaustion, detachment or cynicism, feeling ineffective). This is not a diagnosis.
2. The likely drivers, sorted into: workload, lack of control, lack of recognition, values conflict, poor boundaries, not enough recovery.
3. **This week:** 3 small changes to stop things getting worse.
4. **Next 4 weeks:** a recovery plan covering rest, boundaries, and one conversation I may need to have (with a short script).
5. **Longer term:** what to watch for, and signs it's time for a bigger change.

Burnout can overlap with depression, anxiety, and physical conditions. Tell me to see a doctor if symptoms are severe, lasting, or affect sleep, appetite, or daily functioning, and to contact a crisis line (in the US, call or text 988) if I feel hopeless or unsafe.
```

## What to fill in

- TIMEFRAME
- WORK HOURS, CAREGIVING, STUDY, OTHER DEMANDS
- SPECIFIC TASKS, PEOPLE, PRESSURES
- ANYTHING
- e.g. "can't quit, but could talk to my manager"

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.