Maybe you’re racing to meet deadlines, juggling family responsibilities, or responding to a never-ending stream of notifications, and somewhere in the midst of it all, your brain refuses to slow down. When overwhelming pressure becomes constant, burnout can quickly follow.
But burnout doesn’t just occur from a busy schedule. It can also develop from the internal load of managing a mental health condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Recurring intrusive thoughts, exhausting compulsions, and relentless hypervigilance can ultimately wear a person down. And when exhaustion creeps in, it can actually worsen OCD symptoms and make recovery feel even harder.
But burnout and OCD don’t have to become a vicious, never-ending cycle—there are ways to break the loop and get lasting relief. In this article, Trish Jonker, LPC, Clinical Manager at Meru Health, and Patrick McGrath, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD, share advice on how to navigate burnout while managing OCD.
Why OCD can lead to burnout
People with OCD can experience relentless mental exhaustion from trying to manage the condition on their own. Compulsions such as rumination, checking, rituals, and mental reviewing can take up several hours of the day. In addition to that, many people self-monitor or feel hyper-responsible, trying to “catch” intrusive thoughts or avoid situations that might trigger them.
Ultimately, these behaviors can be isolating, especially when others don’t understand what’s going on. “Hiding your struggles or feeling misunderstood by others adds another layer of stress, contributing to an already heavy burden,” Jonker explains.
OCD also encourages people to keep searching for certainty when they’re already feeling overwhelmed. “One of the cruel ironies of OCD is that it often pushes people to keep ‘solving,’ ‘preventing,’ or ‘figuring things out,’ even when their bodies and minds are screaming for rest,” Jonker says.
That constant need to get certainty keeps people stuck in a never-ending cycle. “OCD can never be satisfied, so there’s always this urge to do more, and it can be exhausting when you can’t ever scratch the itch,” Dr. McGrath says.
How burnout can worsen OCD
Chronic burnout can make it harder for people with OCD to manage daily triggers, often leading to worsened symptoms over time. “With depleted emotional and cognitive reserves, your ability to tolerate distress, sit with uncertainty, and resist compulsions dramatically diminishes,” Jonker explains.
This type of exhaustion can also interfere with treatment—especially exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. ERP involves facing fears while resisting the urge to engage in compulsions. “OCD lies and tells you that there is a solution and if you just try it one more time, you’ll probably get there,” Dr. McGrath explains. “But this isn’t true, and you get stuck in this hamster wheel that’s hard to get off of. It can be hard for people to engage in treatment if they truly believe they’re this close to finally fulfilling everything OCD wants.”
Burnout may also push people with OCD towards avoidance or emotional numbing—directly interfering with ERP therapy, which relies on confronting fears head-on, Jonker explains. “This mental and emotional shutdown makes it incredibly difficult to engage in self-care, connect with support, or find the motivation to continue with treatment,” she says.
Finding relief from OCD and burnout
If you’re struggling to manage burnout alongside OCD symptoms, you’re not alone, and there are ways to find relief and continue on the path to recovery.
Here’s how to start:
Start with the basics
Supporting your physical well-being is a strong foundation for managing both OCD and burnout. According to Jonker, the four essential areas to focus on are sleep, nutrition, movement, and rest.
Here are her tips for each:
Prioritize consistent, quality sleep each night
Choose nutrient-dense foods and reduce processed options when possible
Move your body daily—whether it’s walking, yoga, working out, or playing a team sport
Schedule downtime throughout your week that doesn’t involve “doing,” “fixing,” or solving problems
Use ERP strategically, not rigidly
ERP involves intentionally facing anxiety-inducing situations and resisting compulsions, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s completely normal to feel challenged by ERP, but therapy should be adjusted to match your capacity, especially if you’re feeling burned out.
“I ask them a simple question: If what you’ve been doing hasn’t worked for you, do you want to keep doing what hasn’t been working, hoping that next time will be the time that it does, or would you like to do something else?” Dr. McGrath says. “The idea isn’t to try harder at things that aren’t working—it’s to do something different and see if that works.”
ERP is flexible, and a skilled therapist can help you work at a sustainable pace that can still lead to progress.
Track patterns with curiosity, not judgment
Keeping track of your symptoms, energy, and mood can help you better understand how OCD and burnout interact, but how you approach this process matters. “Start noticing when your energy dips, when OCD feels worse, or what activities drain you,” Jonker says. “Do this with a gentle, curious attitude, not self-criticism. This awareness is the first step to making intentional changes.”
Use compassion-focused techniques for self-talk
Jonker says that OCD and burnout can thrive on harsh self-criticism, which is why it’s crucial to practice self-compassion actively. “Challenge the urge to ‘push harder’ or ‘be perfect,’” Jonker explains. “Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding you'd offer a dear friend.”
Build your support system
Don’t feel that you have to navigate this on your own. Leaning on others can lighten your mental and emotional load. “Connect with family, trusted friends, or support groups who understand or are willing to learn,” Jonker says. “Sharing your experience can significantly reduce the burden of isolation.”
When to seek help
Both burnout and OCD can intensify if left untreated. Here are some signs it may be time to reach out for professional support, according to Jonker:
Symptoms that persist for weeks or months without improvement
Difficulty performing everyday tasks
Strained relationships or withdrawal from others
Increased feelings of hopelessness or despair
Trouble resting or sleeping, even when you’re exhausted
How to find support for stress and burnout
If you need help managing stress and burnout, Meru Health offers a 12-week, app-based treatment program that focuses on emotional regulation, lifestyle strategies, and core wellness habits, including sleep, nutrition, and mindfulness.
“Sometimes, people need coping or emotional regulation skills before or after they’ve done therapy work,” Jonker explains. “They need a program like Meru to help sustain the work they’ve done and keep them focused on lifestyle strategies that help them maintain their well-being.”
How to find support for OCD
For OCD specifically, the best treatment is ERP therapy. Working with a therapist trained in ERP is essential, as they can help you identify your triggers, obsessions, and compulsions, and work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that leads to long-term relief.
“People often think the goal of ERP is that they’ll never have OCD-related thoughts, images, or urges ever again,” Dr. McGrath says. “However, the goal of treatment is to handle the discomfort that OCD brings without having to do a compulsion as a way to neutralize it.”
It’s also essential that the therapist is responsive to your needs and makes adjustments to your treatment when you’re feeling depleted. NOCD has a network of over 650 licensed therapists who specialize in ERP for all OCD subtypes, as well as common co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, and tic disorders. NOCD is making OCD treatment more accessible than ever, now accepting more insurance plans that cover over 155 million Americans.
Managing OCD is challenging enough on its own, and when you layer in burnout, it can feel overwhelming, and maybe even hopeless at times. But know you’re not alone, and you don’t have to push through it by yourself. With the right support, it’s possible to find relief, rebuild your energy, and continue on your path to recovery.
Whether you’re just beginning treatment or you’ve been at it for a while, know that there are tools and people who can help. Programs like Meru Health can support emotional resilience and burnout recovery, while ERP therapy at NOCD can help you break free from the OCD cycle.
Trish Jonker, LPC, is a licensed therapist with 20 years of experience, specializing in anxiety treatment. She serves as a Clinical Manager at Meru Health, where she delivers personalized care through a clinically proven, app-based therapy program. She holds a certification in Integrative Medicine for Mental Health and has a passion for using holistic interventions to support a client’s mental health and well-being. Patrick McGrath, PhD, is the Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD, the leading provider of virtual therapy for OCD. With over 20 years of experience, he trains and supervises a nationwide network of licensed therapists. He also serves as Lead Psychologist at Ascension Illinois Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, delivering intensive treatment for anxiety disorders, school refusal, and OCD. Dr. McGrath is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Boards of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the former President of OCD Midwest.
