Burnout in Care: You care for others – who cares for you?
Last updated: March 2026 | Reading time: approx. 18 minutes
How to recognize exhaustion early, protect your health, and preserve your passion for nursing in the long term
You care for others with all your heart. But who takes care of you? Nursing is more than just a job – it is a calling. But it is precisely this dedication that can become dangerous in the long run. The daily confrontation with illness, suffering, and staff shortages, combined with high responsibility and little recognition, makes nursing one of the most demanding professions of all.
Burnout in nursing is not a sign of weakness. It is the logical consequence of a system that demands too much and gives back too little.
In this article, you will learn how burnout develops, how to recognize it, which concrete strategies really help – and where you can find immediate support in Austria and Germany. Whether you work in elderly care, nursing, or home care: this article is for you.
Burnout in nursing is more than just being tired after a long workday. It describes a state of deep physical and emotional exhaustion caused by ongoing stress in everyday working life – and one that can no longer be adequately balanced out.
Burnout is more than tiredness after a long workday. Since 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined burnout in ICD-11 as a work-related syndrome. What is crucial here is that burnout does not arise suddenly, but develops over a longer period when strain is consistently greater than the opportunity for recovery.
Three central characteristics are typical:
- Emotional exhaustion: You feel permanently tired, drained, and emotionally empty
- Emotional distance from the profession: You develop increasing indifference or even cynicism toward your work
- Declining performance: Tasks become more difficult for you, concentration and motivation decrease
In German-speaking countries, burnout is also referred to as exhaustion syndrome, occupational exhaustion or being burned out. However, the term “burnout” itself is also firmly established in medical terminology.
Burnout, stress, or depression – What is the difference?
Not every type of exhaustion is immediately burnout. In nursing especially, the boundaries are often blurred because stress is part of everyday life. This overview helps you better assess where you stand:
How is burnout measured?
Burnout cannot be “diagnosed” with a single test, but there are scientifically based instruments that help classify the burden more accurately. The best known is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) . It measures the three central dimensions:
- emotional exhaustion
- distance or depersonalization
- subjective performance capacity
In addition, in German-speaking countries the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is often used. This distinguishes between:
- personal burnout
- work-related burnout
- client-related burnout
This distinction is especially important in nursing, because stress often arises not only from the work itself, but also from the relationship with patients and relatives.
Marion has been working in elderly care in Vienna for almost 20 years. Even as a child, she knew that she wanted to help people. She takes time for conversations, pauses, listens, and offers comfort – even when the next assignment is actually already waiting.
But behind her smile lies an exhaustion that had long had no space. “Of course, we are constantly understaffed, like almost everywhere,” she says quietly.
The reality of her everyday life is shaped by filling in, overtime, and postponed breaks. Step by step, her boundaries shift until she can hardly feel where they actually are anymore.
It begins quietly. Sleep becomes more restless, thoughts keep circling. Then inner restlessness and physical complaints are added. Coffee replaces breaks, small symptoms are ignored. Over time, every day feels heavier.
What unsettles Marion most is that her closeness to her patients changes. What used to be natural becomes exhausting. She reacts more irritably and withdraws emotionally.
Only when her doctor says: “You are on the verge of burnout,” does she really pause. This moment becomes a turning point. Marion begins to take her burden seriously. She talks with colleagues, consciously says “no” to additional shifts, and makes space for breaks again. The way back is not immediately easy. But it is possible.
Marion’s story stands for many caregivers in Austria, Germany, and throughout Europe. People who give a lot every day – and often keep too little for themselves.
Burnout in nursing is not a personal failure. It is a structural problem that becomes visible in reports, analyses, and health data from across Europe. The following figures and insights show how serious the situation is – and why early action is so important.
Europe
International analyses from the nursing sector paint a clear picture. A considerable proportion of caregivers in Europe feel permanently overloaded – and many are seriously considering leaving the profession if working conditions do not improve fundamentally.
In its current report on the global nursing situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that staff shortages, chronic time pressure, and ongoing psychological strain are actively pushing caregivers out of the profession. The consequences are directly noticeable: less time for patients, declining quality of care, and rising costs for the healthcare system.
According to assessments by European nursing associations and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), a significantly above-average share of caregivers in Europe feel permanently burdened. Many report that they would gladly continue in their profession under different conditions – but there is a lack of structural support.
Particularly affected are care workers from other EU countries – for example from Romania, Hungary, or Slovakia – who come to Austria or Germany and work there under especially challenging conditions: often far from their families, with little social integration and long rotation cycles without adequate recovery.
Austria
In Austria, the burden situation is especially evident in the analyses of Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG) and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK).
Sick leave due to mental illnesses – including states of exhaustion, adjustment disorders, and burnout-related absences – is disproportionately common in the nursing sector and has risen continuously in recent years. Mental illnesses are now among the most frequent causes of longer periods of sick leave in the health and care sector.
The Austrian nursing framework plan and current reports from the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection emphasize that securing and relieving nursing staff is one of the key health policy challenges of the coming years. By 2030, Austria is forecast to need several tens of thousands more caregivers – pressure that is already weighing on existing skilled workers today.
Particularly in 24-hour care, which is an important care model in Austria, signs of strain are evident: long rotation cycles, spatial isolation, and a lack of collegial support make caregivers especially vulnerable to exhaustion.
Germany
In Germany too, the burden of the situation becomes tangible in numbers. Health reports from leading health insurance funds – including DAK and the AOK – consistently show that mental illnesses have for years been among the most common causes of incapacity for work in nursing professions. Compared with other occupational groups, nursing staff are disproportionately affected.
The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) confirms in its analyses that nursing staff particularly often suffer from time pressure, emotional exhaustion, and a lack of control over their work – three factors that are considered central triggers in burnout research.
The German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) also reports that a significant proportion of nursing staff are seriously considering leaving the profession – not because they do not love it, but because the working conditions are not right. Lack of recognition, inadequate pay, and chronic understaffing are the factors most frequently mentioned.
Another alarming finding: According to care reports, many nursing staff in Germany continue working despite having health complaints of their own – out of a sense of duty toward their patients and out of fear of burdening the team. This behavior, known in research as presenteeism, significantly worsens burnout trajectories.
What these numbers mean – for you personally
These data are not abstract statistics. They describe the everyday lives of nursing staff like you. They show that exhaustion in the nursing profession is not an individual problem, but a systemic one – and that you are not alone with your burden.
At the same time, these numbers make one thing clear: change is urgently needed. At the political level, at the level of institutions – and also in your own working environment. You will learn what you can specifically do in the next section.
Burnout is not a new phenomenon. The term was coined as early as 1974 by the German-American psychoanalyst Herbert Freudenberger. At the time, he observed committed people – especially nursing staff and helpers – who became increasingly exhausted due to constant overload.
He described this feeling as an inner burning out: people who give a lot gradually lose their energy until hardly anything is left.
In the 1980s, the psychologist Christina Maslach developed, together with Susan Jackson, a measurement instrument that is still used today: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). It examines key aspects such as emotional exhaustion, distance from work, and the feeling of reduced effectiveness.
An important milestone followed in 2019: The World Health Organization included burnout in the international classification (ICD-11) – as a work-related phenomenon. This officially acknowledged what many nursing staff had long been experiencing: burnout is real, measurable, and must be taken seriously.
Burnout does not come suddenly. It usually develops gradually over weeks or months. In nursing especially, the first warning signs are often overlooked or downplayed because exhaustion, time pressure, and emotional strain are perceived as “part of the job.” That is exactly what makes burnout in nursing so dangerous: those who keep functioning for too long often notice only late how much their body and mind are already under strain. The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
Typical signs of burnout in nursing
Why many nursing staff ignore the warning signs
Perhaps thoughts like these sound familiar to you:
- “I just have to keep going, it will get better again.”
- “My patients need me, I can't be absent now.”
- “That's just part of it, everyone in nursing is under strain.”
People with a strong sense of responsibility in particular often realize late that they are no longer just tired, but permanently exhausted. Burnout does not disappear on its own. If warning signs remain over a longer period of time, that is not a personal failure, but a serious signal that your body and mind need relief.
The consequences of ignored burnout
Chronic overload does not remain without consequences. It can impair concentration, patience, and emotional stability. For nursing staff, this means not only more suffering in their own daily lives, but also a higher risk of mistakes, uncertainty in their actions, and the desire to withdraw inwardly or from the profession altogether. WHO/Europe explicitly warned in 2026 that mental strain, time pressure, and insecure staffing can drive nursing staff out of the profession while also endangering patient safety. BAuA also describes nursing professions as activities with particularly high psychological and physical demands.
Burnout in nursing rarely develops from just a single difficult week. Usually, several burdens come together at the same time: too little staff, high time pressure, emotional closeness to sick people, irregular working hours, and the feeling of always having to function. This very combination makes nursing staff especially vulnerable. Official sources from Germany and Europe therefore describe nursing as a professional field with high psychological and physical demands.
1. High workload and staff shortages
Care facilities and hospitals in Austria and Germany have been operating under strong pressure for years. When teams are too small, fewer people have to take on more tasks. Extra shifts, filling in at short notice, documentation, emergencies, and tight time windows have long become part of everyday life for many. WHO/Europe once again emphasized in 2026 that insecure staffing burdens nursing staff, endangers their health, and can also affect the quality of care.
Example from everyday life: Lisa, 34, works as a nurse in a care home in Graz. She often takes on additional shifts because otherwise nobody is there. “Sometimes I hardly have any time to talk to my patients because I am just rushing from room to room. It hurts me that I cannot be there for them the way I would like to be.”
2. Emotional strain, when compassion becomes a burden
Nursing means closeness. Anyone who is confronted daily with illness, loss, pain, or death is not left untouched by it. Over time, this can develop into a form of emotional exhaustion that is often described as compassion fatigue: you still function, but inwardly everything becomes heavier. This ongoing emotional tension can be particularly high in long-term care, intensive care, or 24-hour care. WHO/Europe clearly points out in 2025 and 2026 that the mental health of nursing staff must be better protected.
Personal insight: Thomas, 45, has been working in intensive care in Munich for 20 years. “I have lost so many patients. Every time I tell myself not to get too emotionally involved, but that is impossible. It does not get easier with time.”
3. Lack of work-life balance
Irregular shifts, night and weekend duties, long assignments, and constant availability make it difficult to build a stable private life. Caregivers who work abroad in particular often experience an additional burden: distance from family, language adaptation, and the feeling of always being needed. Studies and reports from occupational safety and health show that time pressure, fragmented working hours, and lack of recovery make it significantly harder to balance work and private life.
Example from everyday life: Ana, 41, comes from Romania and works as a 24-hour caregiver in Vienna. “I was always available, rarely appreciated. I had not seen my daughter in Cluj for months.” Today, she pays more attention to planning assignments and recovery times more consciously.
4. Lack of recognition and financial insecurity
Many nursing staff experience a strong contradiction between the responsibility they carry every day and the appreciation they receive for it. This affects not only pay, but also respect, participation, and the feeling of being seen as a person. When high strain meets low recognition over the long term, the risk of becoming emotionally exhausted or questioning the profession altogether increases. WHO/Europe describes exactly this combination of overload and lack of stability as a central reason why nursing staff are being lost from the profession.
Example from everyday life: Markus, 38, works in elderly care in Frankfurt. “I love my job, but if I did not put so much heart into it, I would have changed long ago. The strain is simply too high for what you can carry in the long term.”
1. Set clear boundaries
Many nursing staff take on extra shifts out of guilt – but in the long term, that leads to exhaustion.
Tips for better boundaries:
- Avoid overtime if it harms your health.
- Communicate your limits openly to supervisors.
- Strictly separate work and private life – no work emails or calls during your free time.
- Use the word “No” as self-protection, not as weakness.
2. Take self-care seriously
Self-care is not a luxury. It is the foundation that enables you to be there for others in the long term.
3. Seek and accept support
No one has to struggle with burnout alone.
- Exchange with colleagues: Sharing experiences strengthens and relieves.
- Professional help: Supervision or coaching can provide targeted support in coping with stress.
- Conversations with supervisors: Early communication about stress can initiate structural changes.
- Therapy: Psychotherapy is not a sign of failure, but an investment in your health.
4. Activities and places that truly regenerate
What specifically helps you recharge after exhausting shifts?
Care workers from Austria and Germany report that the following activities help sustainably: walks in the woods and time in nature, cooking together with friends or family, creative hobbies such as painting, writing, or making music, yoga or gentle forms of movement, visits to pools or saunas, as well as mindful travel and visits home – especially for care workers from other EU countries working in Austria or Germany.
Burnout in nursing is not an individual problem affecting only certain care workers. It often arises where structures are permanently overwhelming. That is why responsibility lies not only with employees, but equally with employers.
In Austria, employers are legally required to assess and reduce psychological stress in the workplace. In Germany as well, occupational safety and health portals clearly show that work organization, time pressure, and staffing levels directly affect mental health. Good care therefore requires not only committed people, but also conditions that are sustainable in the long term.
What really makes a difference in everyday life
Reliable shift scheduling is one of the most important foundations. Care workers need not only days off, but also predictable recovery time. Constant last-minute changes, being called in, and unclear shifts make true regeneration almost impossible. Models such as fixed rotations, part-time work, or job sharing can noticeably reduce the burden here.
Equally crucial is space for emotional processing. Care means closeness – and that closeness leaves traces. Regular team discussions or supervision help not to suppress stress, but to reflect on it consciously. This strengthens not only individual care workers, but the entire team.
Also continuing education can help when it is integrated realistically. Training on stress management, communication or conflict resolution help in everyday work – provided they do not add to the overload, but are part of good work organization.
A frequently underestimated factor is the working environment itself. Sufficient time for breaks, a quiet retreat, or short recovery phases during the shift are not minor things. If even basic needs regularly fall short, exhaustion develops in the long term – regardless of motivation or experience.
Appreciation is not an extra benefit, but the foundation. This includes fair pay, transparent communication, a say in the team, and the feeling of being seen as a person. Care workers notice very clearly whether their work is taken seriously.
Digital solutions can also provide relief when used meaningfully. Well-structured documentation systems reduce administrative effort and create more time for the actual care
What good employers additionally pay attention to
Mini-check from everyday care work:
- Are breaks during shifts really possible – or do they only exist on paper?
- Do care workers regularly have to fill in or work overtime?
- Is there a designated contact person for psychological stress?
- Are new employees well supported or immediately overwhelmed?
- Are staffing levels sufficient for safe and calm care?
If several of these points are not consistently met, the risk of burnout increases significantly.
Practical examples
Some institutions are already focusing specifically on prevention. Large hospitals such as Charité Berlin have established programs for supervision, peer support, and mental health. In Austria as well, individual institutions such as SALK offer additional psychological support for care workers.
What matters is not the individual offering, but the attitude behind it: Burnout prevention only works if it is part of the company culture – not just an optional extra service.
If you notice that your stress is becoming too much, you do not have to wait until it gets worse. Getting support is not a sign of weakness – but an important step toward finding stability again.
Here you will find specific contact points in Austria and Germany that can listen to you and support you:
Austria:
- Telephone counseling: free of charge, anonymous, and available around the clock at 142
- Austrian Health and Nursing Association (ÖGKV): Advice and support for care workers at oegkv.at
- Austrian Labour Inspectorate: Help with overload, working hours, or structural problems at arbeitsinspektion.gv.at
- Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK): Information on psychological support at oegk.at
Germany:
- Telephone counseling: free of charge, anonymous, available 24 hours a day at 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222
- German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK): Advice and advocacy at dbfk.de
- Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA): Information on workload at baua.de
- Trade union ver.di – Health division: Support with working conditions at verdi.de
Burnout does not only affect experienced care workers. Trainees and students in nursing professions are also at risk. Anyone currently completing training as a nursing assistant or pursuing a degree in health and nursing care often faces enormous pressure: theory, practice, exams, and at the same time the emotional entry into a challenging profession.
Typical strains during training:
- A heavy study load combined with practical strain
- Little experience in dealing with emotionally exceptional situations
- Feeling not yet good enough
- Insufficient support and mentoring during internships
For academic papers and seminars – possible research questions:
- Which factors promote burnout among nursing trainees in Austria?
- How does structured mentoring affect burnout prevention in nursing training ?
- Burnout versus compassion fatigue – a conceptual comparison in nursing practice
Recommended literature (as of 2026):
- Maslach, C. and Leiter, M.P.: Burnout – When work wears you down
- Fengler, J.: Helping makes you tired – On the analysis and coping of burnout and helper syndrome
- Fröhlich-Gildhoff, K. and Rönnau-Böse, M.: Resilience (Reinhardt)
- Burisch, M.: The burnout syndrome – Theory of inner exhaustion (Springer)
Sometimes you do not need a long guide – but something that truly supports you in everyday life. That is exactly why we created this checklist for you.
It helps you perceive your own stress more clearly, recognize warning signs early, and gradually bring more balance back into your everyday care routine.
Take conscious time for it – it is only a few minutes, but they are entirely yours.
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Burnout in nursing is a serious, widespread problem. But there are ways out – and above all: ways that prevent you from falling into it in the first place.
What you can do specifically:
- Take warning signs seriously: Fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and physical complaints are not weakness. They are signals you should listen to.
- Set boundaries: No one can only keep giving all the time. Learn to say no – and understand it as care for yourself and your patients.
- Seek support: Talk to colleagues, supervisors, or a professional. You do not have to carry this alone.
- Actively practice self-care: Small routines can make a big difference. Exercise, healthy nutrition, social contacts – invest in yourself.
- Question your working conditions: If your work environment is systematically endangering your health, you have the right to change something.
Caregivers are the backbone of our healthcare system. In order for you to be there for others, you also need to take care of yourself. That is not weakness – that is professionalism.
Your health is just as important as that of the people you care for.
- Mindfulness – A method of stress management based on consciously perceiving the present moment. Regular mindfulness exercises can reduce emotional exhaustion.
- Burnout – A state of chronic exhaustion caused by persistent occupational stress, expressed through emotional emptiness, distance from the profession, and declining performance. Recognized by the WHO in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon since 2019.
- Compassion Fatigue – A condition in which caregivers become numb and emotionally withdraw due to continuous emotional strain, often without noticing it at first.
- Staff turnover in nursing – The frequent switching or premature departure of caregivers from the profession, often as a direct consequence of burnout and poor working conditions.
- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) – The most widely used scientific instrument in the world for measuring burnout, developed by Christina Maslach and Susan Jackson. It records emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
- Staff shortage – A structural problem in the care system in which too few caregivers have to take on too many tasks – one of the most common triggers of burnout.
- Resilience – Psychological resilience to stress. Resilience can be learned and strengthened through targeted measures such as supervision, social support, and self-care.
- Supervision – A professional counseling format in which caregivers can reflect on and work through stressful situations from everyday work. It is considered an effective tool for burnout prevention.
- Work-life balance – The balance between work and private life. In nursing, it is particularly difficult to maintain due to shift work and staff shortages, but it is crucial for long-term health.
- noracares – A digital platform that connects caregivers directly with families – fair, transparent, and without high placement fees. noracares supports caregivers in finding working conditions that benefit their health.
