A client, whom I’ll call Jon, came to me for treatment for anxiety symptoms. Jon was a highly paid manager at a healthcare company. He reported feeling sick to his stomach on Sundays as he dreaded the deluge of demands on Monday. Jon had lost his appetite for pleasurable foods, as he complained of indigestion and chronic gut discomfort. “I don’t enjoy the weekends anymore. It’s not enough time to relax and feel refreshed. I’m constantly stressed out. My wife is sick of me snapping at her and the kids,” Jon said.
A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 75% of Americans report feeling physical and/or emotional symptoms related to stress. Another study reported in Forbes found that 66% of Americans feel burned out, with younger workers feeling it the most.
What Causes Burnout?
The reasons for all this stress and burnout are varied but can be summarized as:
- Workers feel they have too much work to do and too little time to do it.
- Some say they don’t have resources or the right tools to perform their job properly.
- A weak economy is affecting their jobs, profits, costs, sales, etc.
- Taking on too much work due to labor shortages.
It’s hard to feel like you can’t control the major factors that impact your quality of life. Feeling like you have no control can leave you feeling defeated, unmotivated, and down.
Science-Based Strategies That Work
We can’t control broader labor and economic trends, but we can improve how we respond to them. Science-based strategies can help reduce stress and prevent burnout. Here are three you can try now:
- Regulate your cortisol levels. Take a morning walk to get the positive effects of sunlight, which helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle. You want a morning cortisol boost to start your day. This helps lower stress by increasing focus early in the day and improving sleep at night. Plus, you reap the numerous health benefits of daily exercise (Huberman, 2026).
- Refrain from starting and ending your day on the cellphone. Those who grab the cellphone in bed in the morning and evening report disrupted sleep and mood, contributing to burnout. Instead of cortisol peaking in the morning and lowering at night, cellphone use flips the script, leaving you feeling more anxious, sleep-deprived, and burnt out (Kheirinejad, et al, 2023).
- Nutrition. Eat five to nine servings (a half-cup) of fruits and vegetables daily. In a study of healthcare workers, like Jon, those who ate a nutrient-rich diet had lower burnout scores. Only 8% of 5,000 healthcare workers surveyed reported getting the minimum daily requirement of five servings of fruits and vegetables (Utter, et al. 2023). Most nutritionists recommend the Mediterranean diet. That diet is high in vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, and low in sugar and animal fat, like butter. Another study found adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of burnout (Amiri et al., 2025).
Jon was so eager to feel better that he tried all three strategies immediately. He got up a few minutes earlier to take an early morning walk before work. He talked to his wife about cutting out sugary sodas and sweets, and they agreed to move toward the Mediterranean diet. The hardest one for Jon was the cellphone. He had a habit of checking his phone and work emails immediately each morning, before he even got out of bed. I explained how this habit disrupted his cortisol regulation and contributed to his sleep issues. Because he couldn’t resist grabbing his phone first thing in the morning, I suggested he keep it out of the bedroom and check it only after his morning walk.
After three weeks implementing these new habits on most days of the week, Jon reported a meaningful improvement in mood. “My wife says I’m much nicer to be around. My gut isn’t waking me up at night anymore. I notice that I’m able to focus better at work too.”
If you’re feeling burned out, or like you’re headed in that direction, it’s always good to get a physical exam with bloodwork first, to determine whether there is a physical cause for the low mood and other symptoms. Sometimes a vitamin deficiency, a thyroid problem, or another medical condition can produce the same symptoms as burnout. If your overall health is good, try the three strategies above. Small changes over time can reap big benefits.
