You may be here because you’re tired. Really tired.
Not just the kind of tired that sleep fixes — but the creeping exhaustion that builds when work and home life blur. You might find yourself logging back on late at night, juggling endless responsibilities, or feeling guilty for not doing enough at work or at home. Many people I see for burnout therapy, or related needs like anxiety therapy, or therapy for depression in my Hamilton therapy office, or online across Ontario, describe the same thing: they are feeling burnout from working at home.
Why Work From Home Burnout Happens
Burnout is more than stress. It’s chronic depletion of energy, focus, and motivation. Working from home creates specific pathways to burnout:
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Blurred boundaries: With no commute or separate workspace, the line between “on” and “off” fades. Work emails arrive after dinner. Family demands interrupt work tasks. Rest disappears.
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Digital presenteeism: Many feel pressure to prove they’re productive — always available, always online. Research calls this “digital presenteeism” and links it to exhaustion and disengagement.
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Isolation: Remote work often reduces informal conversations and daily connection with colleagues, leaving people lonelier and less supported.
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Increased demands: Canadian research shows that during the pandemic, workloads intensified while control over schedules shrank — especially for women balancing multiple roles (Corrente et al., 2024
What Research Since the Pandemic Shows
Work-from-home patterns shifted dramatically in Canada. In 2016, only 7% of Canadians worked mostly from home. By mid-2022, that number had risen to 24% and only slightly declined to 21% by 2023 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
The impact has been mixed:
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Burnout rates rising: A 2024 Mental Health Research Canada study found 52% of Canadians report experiencing burnout.
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Burnout worsened for many: Pollara’s 2024 survey found 24% of Canadian workers report current burnout, up from 21% in previous years.
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Some adaptation over time: A Canadian longitudinal study found burnout and stress declined slightly over six months of working from home — but general mental health still worsened, likely due to ongoing isolation and uncertainty (PMC, 2022)
In short: remote and hybrid work can offer freedom — but without boundaries and support, it risks amplifying exhaustion, guilt, and disconnection.
How Burnout Shows Up
Burnout often looks like more than just being tired:
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Emotional exhaustion — feeling drained before the day even begins.
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Cynicism or detachment — work feels meaningless; relationships feel strained.
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Reduced accomplishment — no matter how much you do, it feels like “not enough.”
Some people describe their dining room as the place they work, eat, and parent — never getting a break from any role. Others replay work conversations in their head all night, unable to rest. These aren’t isolated stories; they’re reflections of what research is confirming about blurred boundaries and burnout.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy provides space to pause, reflect, and rebuild balance. Setting boundaries, managing anxiety, interrupting limiting beliefs, developing insights into attachment patterns that may be keeping you stuck, broadening a circle of support, and enforcing self care is just part of the work. Depending on your needs, we might additionally explore:
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Mindfulness and somatic work — noticing your body’s signals and creating ways to regulate stress.
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CBT — reframing unhelpful thought patterns that drive pressure and guilt.
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IFS and relational approaches — working with the inner parts of you that overwork or shut down, to find healthier ways forward.
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EMDR — processing unresolved stress or trauma that current work demands keep triggering.
The goal isn’t quick fixes — it’s addressing root causes while also building practical, sustainable strategies for resilience.
Why Local, Relational Therapy Matters
Clients in Hamilton, Burlington, and Niagara often tell me that articles and tips weren’t enough. There’s something different about sitting across from someone who understands the unique stressors of life and work here in southern Ontario.
In-person therapy at my Hamilton office offers a break from screens and space to feel grounded. Online therapy makes support accessible across Ontario. In either setting, our relationship becomes the foundation for healing — a place where you’re seen, not judged.
Moving Forward
If work from home burnout (or burnout outside your home) has left you drained, overwhelmed, questioning yourself, impacting your relationship with your spouse, kids, friends, or others, therapy can help you reconnect with balance and meaning. You don’t have to go through this alone.
I invite you to reach out for a free, 15 minute consultation through ontariotherapist.com -
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Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are struggling, please reach out to your doctor, or a qualified mental health professional.
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