Online Therapy for Stress and Burnout
Feeling overwhelmed, constantly switched on or exhausted?
You do not need to wait until you reach breaking point to ask for support. If stress is affecting your sleep, mood, relationships or ability to switch off, we can help you find a starting point.
Our clinical team personally matches you with an experienced therapist to help you understand the pressures you are facing, build practical skills and make changes that support recovery.
Personal clinical matching · Free 15-minute introductory call · Online sessions across the UK
Stress, Burnout or an Anxiety Disorder: What Is the Difference?
Stress, burnout and anxiety can feel similar. All may involve feeling overwhelmed, difficulty sleeping or trouble concentrating. They can also occur together, so you do not need to work out which label fits before asking for help.
Stress
Stress is usually a response to pressures or demands, such as a heavy workload, financial worries or caring responsibilities. It may ease when those demands reduce or you receive more support, although prolonged stress can take time to settle.
Therapy can help you understand the pressures you are facing, develop practical skills and identify changes that make everyday life more manageable.
Burnout
Burnout describes the effects of prolonged workplace stress, including exhaustion, feeling increasingly detached from work and feeling less effective in your role.
Recovery may involve both psychological support and changes to workload, expectations or the working environment. Learning coping skills can help, alongside addressing the pressures contributing to exhaustion.
An Anxiety Disorder
An anxiety disorder involves patterns of fear, worry or avoidance that cause significant distress or interfere with everyday life. Anxiety may continue even when immediate pressures ease, or become focused on particular situations or concerns.
For example:
Generalised anxiety disorder: persistent worry across different areas of life that feels difficult to control.
Panic disorder: recurrent unexpected panic attacks, followed by ongoing worry about further attacks or changes in behaviour.
Social anxiety disorder: a persistent fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations.
When an anxiety disorder is identified, treatment should be tailored to that particular difficulty. NICE recommends approaches such as CBT for generalised anxiety and panic disorder and CBT specifically developed for social anxiety.
How Do I Know Which Support I Need?
You may be experiencing stress, burnout, an anxiety disorder or a combination of difficulties. Your therapist will explore what triggers your symptoms, how long they have been present and how they affect your life.
Together, you can agree whether to focus on stress management, changes to your circumstances, treatment for an anxiety disorder or a combination of these.
You do not need to wait for a diagnosis or for symptoms to become severe. If you are noticing changes in how you feel or cope, we can help you find a therapist with the right experience.
Signs That Stress May Be Building Up
Stress does not always look like feeling obviously anxious. You might still be meeting deadlines, looking after everyone else and appearing to cope, while noticing that it takes much more effort.
Common signs may include:
Finding it difficult to switch off or stop worrying.
Feeling overwhelmed by decisions or everyday tasks.
Becoming more irritable, tearful or withdrawn.
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things.
Sleeping poorly or feeling tired throughout the day.
Muscle tension, headaches or stomach discomfort.
Losing time or energy for activities you usually enjoy.
Relying more on alcohol or other habits to get through the day.
Please note - you do not need to recognise every symptom to benefit from support.
Physical symptoms can have other causes, so speak to your GP about new, persistent or concerning symptoms rather than assuming they are caused by stress.
When Should I Seek Help for Stress or Burnout?
You can seek help as soon as you notice symptoms. You do not need to wait until they become severe.
Perhaps you are sleeping less well, dreading the working day, snapping at people you care about or repeatedly telling yourself, “I just need to get through this week.”
These can be useful signals to pause and consider what needs to change.
Early support gives you space to understand the pressures you are facing and practise skills before your usual ways of coping become increasingly strained. It may involve a few focused conversations, practical changes or a more structured course of therapy, depending on your needs.
If you are already exhausted or struggling to cope, you have not missed your opportunity to get help. Your therapist can work with you at a manageable pace.
How Can Therapy Help With Stress and Burnout?
Therapy offers time to look at the whole picture: the demands placed on you, the support available and the patterns that may make it difficult to protect your own needs.
Together, you might explore:
What is creating pressure and what can realistically change.
Why it feels difficult to say no, ask for help or take a break.
Whether perfectionism, worry or self-criticism are adding to the strain.
How to respond to difficult situations with greater flexibility.
Ways to restore time for rest, relationships and meaningful activities.
How to recognise your warning signs and respond earlier.
The aim is to develop skills you can continue using beyond therapy, alongside changes to the circumstances contributing to your stress.
Evidence-Based Support for Stress and Burnout
Your therapist will first help you understand your difficulties and agree an approach that fits your needs and preferences.
For work-related difficulties, NICE guidance on mental wellbeing at work recommends access to CBT, mindfulness training or stress management training for employees who want further support.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT explores how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact with the pressures you are facing.
For example, feeling that you must always be available may lead you to work longer hours, miss breaks and become increasingly exhausted. Therapy can help you examine these expectations and try more sustainable ways of responding.
If assessment identifies an anxiety disorder or depression alongside your stress, your therapist can discuss treatments recommended in the relevant NICE anxiety guidance or NICE depression guidance.
Practical Stress Management Skills
Depending on your needs, therapy may include practising problem-solving, prioritising demands, communicating boundaries and finding manageable ways to recover between responsibilities.
You and your therapist can choose small changes to try between sessions, then review what helps and what needs adjusting.
Mindfulness Skills
Mindfulness training is one option included in NICE’s workplace wellbeing guidance. It can help you practise noticing thoughts and feelings without immediately becoming caught up in them.
Your therapist can discuss whether this approach feels suitable for you. You do not have to use mindfulness to benefit from therapy.
Work-Related Stress Needs More Than Individual Coping Skills
If your workload is unmanageable, expectations are unclear or you are experiencing bullying, individual coping strategies alone may not resolve the problem.
NICE’s workplace wellbeing guidance addresses the working environment as well as individual support. The Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards identify workload, control, support, relationships, role and organisational change as key areas to consider.
Therapy can help you clarify what needs to change and prepare for conversations with a manager, HR team or occupational health service, where appropriate.
Developing skills and addressing the source of pressure can work together.
Building Skills to Reduce the Risk of Stress Returning
Alongside addressing how you feel now, therapy can help you create a personal plan for responding to future pressure.
This may include:
Recognising your earliest signs of overload.
Setting realistic expectations of yourself.
Practising boundaries before you feel depleted.
Knowing when and how to ask for support.
Protecting time for recovery.
Planning how to respond when demands increase again.
The goal is to help you recognise what you need and respond with greater confidence, rather than repeatedly pushing through until you feel overwhelmed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stress and Burnout
Can I have therapy if I am still coping?
Yes. You can seek support while you are still working, caring for others and managing everyday responsibilities. Therapy can focus on early warning signs, practical skills and changes that help protect your wellbeing.
Can therapy prevent burnout?
Therapy can help you recognise increasing stress, develop skills and identify changes that may reduce the risk of reaching a point of exhaustion. Prevention also depends on the demands you face and the support available, including changes at work where needed.
Is burnout the same as depression?
No, although they can overlap. Burnout refers specifically to workplace stress, while depression can affect many areas of life. A careful assessment helps clarify what you are experiencing and which support is appropriate.
Do I need a diagnosis or a GP referral?
You do not need a diagnosis or GP referral to apply to My Therapist Online. If your difficulties suggest that medical assessment or another service would be helpful, we will explain this.
How many sessions will I need?
This depends on your difficulties, circumstances and goals. Some people want focused help with a particular pressure; others need more time. Your therapist will agree a plan with you and review progress together.
Can therapy fit around my work or caring responsibilities?
Sessions take place online, removing the need to travel. Tell us which times work for you, and we will consider these when recommending a therapist.
Take the First Step Before Stress Takes Over
You deserve support before things become unmanageable.
Whether you want to address early signs of stress, recover from exhaustion or develop skills for the future, we can help you find a therapist who understands your needs.
Find a Therapist for Stress and Burnout
Start with a free 15-minute introductory call.
If You Need Urgent Support
My Therapist Online is not a crisis service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. If you need urgent help and it is not an emergency, contact your local NHS urgent mental health service or call 111. You can also call Samaritans on 116 123.
How My Therapist Online Can Help
When you are already feeling overwhelmed, finding a therapist can feel like another thing to manage. We make that first step easier.
Our clinical team personally reads your application and recommends therapists with experience relevant to your needs. Whether you are noticing early signs of stress or feeling exhausted and unsure how to move forward, we will help you find someone who understands.
You do not need to know which type of therapy you need or have everything neatly explained. Just tell us what has been happening and what you would like help with.
Getting Started With Your Therapist
1. Tell us what you are going through
Complete our confidential application form. You can tell us about your difficulties, preferred appointment times, budget and any preferences you have for your therapist.
2. Receive your personal therapist recommendation
Our clinical team will consider your needs and recommend a suitable therapist, explaining why we feel they could be a good fit.
3. Meet for a free introductory call
You can have a free 15-minute introductory call to ask questions and get a feel for working together before deciding whether to begin therapy.
4. Agree a plan together
Your first therapy appointments give you time to explore what is happening, identify what you would like to change and agree a manageable plan with your therapist.
What Might Therapy Look Like?
Therapy gives you regular space to feel heard, make sense of the pressure you are under and develop practical ways forward.
Sessions may include exploring the sources of your stress, practising boundaries, addressing worry or self-criticism, and finding ways to bring rest and meaningful activities back into your life.
You may agree small, realistic steps to try between appointments. These should fit your energy and circumstances, so therapy feels supportive rather than like another demand.
Weekly or Fortnightly Appointments
Weekly appointments can provide consistent support while things feel particularly difficult. They also allow you to build momentum, practise skills and review changes regularly.
Fortnightly appointments may suit some people who benefit from more time between sessions to put skills into practice, or who are moving towards less frequent support as they feel better.
You and your therapist will discuss the frequency that best fits your needs, the recommended treatment, your availability and your budget. Some structured therapies work best with weekly sessions, so your therapist will explain what they recommend and why.
Together, you can review the plan as therapy progresses.
Find My Therapist for Stress and Burnout
Take the first step with a free 15-minute introductory call.
Recommended Books for Stress and Burnout
A helpful book can give you a starting point for understanding stress and practising new skills. You can explore these resources independently or alongside therapy—there is no need to read everything or turn self-help into another task.
Overcoming Stress, 2nd Edition — Gillian Todd and Lee Brosan
Our first recommendation for practical stress management.
This CBT-based guide helps you recognise how stress affects your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. It includes examples and step-by-step exercises to help you understand your responses and develop more manageable ways of coping.
A useful choice if you want to address early signs of stress and build skills you can keep using.
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 7th Edition — Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman and Matthew McKay
For people who prefer practical exercises.
This workbook introduces a range of ways to manage stress, including relaxation, mindfulness and strategies for responding differently to worrying thoughts. You can choose relevant exercises rather than working through every chapter.
It may be particularly helpful alongside therapy, where your therapist can help you select and practise techniques that suit your needs.
Overcoming Perfectionism, 2nd Edition — Roz Shafran, Sarah Egan and Tracey Wade
For when high expectations make it difficult to slow down.
If you feel you must always do more, struggle with mistakes or judge yourself mainly by what you achieve, this CBT-based guide may be useful.
It explores how demanding standards can keep difficulties going and offers exercises for developing a more flexible approach without giving up the things that matter to you.
Burnout — Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
For understanding exhaustion and the pressures placed on women.
This accessible book explores stress, emotional exhaustion and the expectations that can leave women feeling they are never doing enough. It discusses the importance of rest, connection and responding more kindly to your inner critic.
It is a broader wellbeing resource, rather than a structured CBT treatment manual, and may appeal to readers who want a compassionate explanation of their experience.
Using Self-Help Alongside Therapy
You do not have to work everything out on your own. If reading feels overwhelming, or you understand the advice but find it difficult to put into practice, a therapist can help you choose a manageable starting point.
Books can support learning, but reducing stress may also require changes to workload, responsibilities or the support available to you.
Therapists Who Can Help With Stress and Burnout
My Therapist Online has a range of psychologists, CBT therapists and counsellors whose experience includes stress and burnout.
They can help you understand the pressures you are facing, develop practical coping skills and explore changes that support recovery. Therapy can also focus on recognising early warning signs and building more sustainable ways of managing future demands.
Examples of therapists whose experience includes stress and burnout are listed below. You do not need to choose someone yourself, when you click on the “FIND MY THERAPIST” button, our clinical team will consider your individual needs, preferences and current therapist availability when recommending a match.
Our clinical team will personally recommend a suitable therapist. Start with a free 15-minute introductory call.
This page was reviewed by Lisa Johnston, BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist, Anxiety Disorders Specialist.
