How to Approach Burnout at Work: Asking for Help and Work-Life Balance

When the creative industry's "different rules about what is normal hours" start taking their toll, and your drive to do better begins feeling more like a weight than motivation, you're not imagining things. Burnout in our industry is real, and it's complicated by the fact that we often love what we do, even when it's exhausting us. The question isn't whether you should ask for help, but how to do it in a way that actually leads to positive change.

If you're reading this while wondering how to approach your manager about burnout, or whether asking for personal leave to repair will damage your career, you're asking the right questions. The challenge is navigating an industry culture that can sometimes mistake exhaustion for dedication, while still protecting your wellbeing and maintaining your professional relationships.

This question was answered by Andy Wright, Host and founder of Never Not Creative, CEO of Streamtime, with extensive experience advocating for healthier workplace practices in the creative industry; Maria Devereux, Executive Creative Director at Accenture Song in North America, with years of creative leadership experience and a focus on self-responsibility and team wellbeing; and Katie Feder, a registered psychotherapist working in clinical practice, specialising in understanding the root causes of workplace stress and burnout.

Acknowledging the Industry Reality

Let's start with some honest recognition: our industry does operate differently. As Maria puts it: "I think our industry 100% operates differently to other industries. And I think personally, I'd like to see that change." This acknowledgment isn't about accepting the status quo, but about understanding the context you're working within.

The good news is that change is happening, driven by people who recognise that sustainable creativity requires sustainable working conditions. Maria notes there are "people that are sort of hoping and, you know, trying to change things." You're not alone in wanting something better, and asking for help isn't unreasonable or weak.

The Importance of Speaking Up

When it comes to approaching burnout at work, Maria's advice is clear: "I think it is important to speak up and to let people know that you, you know, do need a little bit of space." This isn't about making demands or ultimatums, but about honest communication with your manager about what you're experiencing.

As a manager herself, Maria emphasises: "I respect that as a manager and, and look, sometimes I have to ask that myself for that time." This perspective is crucial because it reminds us that even leaders need to step back sometimes. Your manager has likely been where you are, and a good manager will understand that supporting your wellbeing is part of their job.

Reframing Self-Care as Team Care

One of the most powerful shifts in thinking about burnout comes from Maria's insight about self-responsibility: "My big learning for this year or my challenge I've set myself for this year is self-responsibility and what that means to me is learning to sort of, I guess, put myself first, because in reality, you can't be the best employee, the best mom, the best friend, the best partner, if you're not your best self."

This reframes asking for help not as letting your team down, but as ensuring you can contribute your best work. As Maria explains: "So you can be doing your boss, your workmate, your creative partner a favor by taking a little bit of time out because that might be what you need to come back and I guess enjoy your job and be a better you."

Understanding Burnout Beyond Hours

Andy brings an important perspective to how we think about burnout: "I think there's a lot of stuff around burnout as well, which is people think that burnout is just related to hours and the amount of work that gets done. But I mean you can you can work that number of hours and be great and happy."

The real issue often lies in finding meaning in your work. Andy explains: "1 of the big things that can lead to mental health challenges for people and that then inevitably link to burnout is finding meaning in the work that you're doing." This meaning doesn't always have to be about the bigger purpose of a project, but can be found in learning, progression, or being able to look back at achievements.

When you're working long hours but feel like "there's no meaning in your job, that's really when everything sort of gets to the point where it's almost helpless." This insight helps explain why some busy periods feel energising while others feel draining.

Getting to the Root Causes

Katie's therapeutic approach to burnout focuses on understanding the deeper patterns at play. She shares a personal example: "I came, my own family of origin, I learned that, and I think a lot of us can probably relate to this, doing is good and being is bad. If you distill it right down to the absolute core of the belief, that was it."

This kind of internal programming can amplify external workplace pressures. As Katie explains: "Me pushing myself to the umpteenth degree in all things, in work, in relationships. And so, so whilst some of it was externally real, A lot of it was also internally charged and led."

When approaching burnout, Katie suggests "that journey of excavation, which essentially is looking at, Okay, on a surface level, this is what we think it is. How do we get to know that a little bit better? What is it in you that is also feeding into amplifying, you know, adding to that?"

How to Ask Your Manager for Help

When it comes to the practical question of how to approach your manager about burnout, Andy offers specific guidance. The key is moving beyond simply presenting the problem to collaborating on solutions: "if you're actually going, hey, this is how I'm feeling, and this is what I'm experiencing, I think these are some of the things that I might be causing, that might be causing it. And like, can I work on a solution with you is a really fair question to ask."

This approach transforms the conversation from "fix this for me" to "let's work on this together." As Andy explains: "your manager and your business can't necessarily fix that for you and take it out of your hands. But what they can do is is work on it with you."

This collaborative approach helps avoid the defensive response of "well, this is it? You know, this is what you got yourself into. And if you don't like it, it might be better. You might be better off elsewhere."

The Power of Self-Awareness

Katie emphasises that understanding yourself is crucial to addressing burnout effectively: "the greatest catalyst for change, I believe, is inside of yourself. Because I can't control the world around me. I can't control my relationships and my jobs and everything, what everybody else is doing. But I can, through greater awareness, hold myself in a stronger position through it."

This doesn't mean burnout is your fault or that you should just toughen up. Instead, it's about recognising what you can influence and what you can't. As Katie puts it: "there's a lot of freedom in that because you get to see the truth of why you feel the way you do and it's not always outside of yourself."

Moving Forward with Confidence

Approaching burnout at work requires both internal reflection and external communication. Start by understanding what's driving your exhaustion: is it purely workload, lack of meaning, internal pressure, or a combination of factors? Then, approach your manager with specific observations about what you're experiencing and ideas for potential solutions.

Remember that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of self-awareness and professionalism. Good managers want their team members to thrive, and most will respect you for being honest about your needs rather than burning out quietly. Your wellbeing matters, both for its own sake and for the quality of work you can contribute when you're operating from a place of strength rather than depletion.