Life transitions don’t just change your schedule—they change your identity, your roles, and what your nervous system has to manage day after day. In my private practice in Denver, I see this across the board: students navigating school pressure, professionals shifting careers, parents adapting to new family demands, and adults facing health or caregiving changes.

Burnout is often described casually as “too much stress,” but research-based definitions are more specific. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies burnout as a syndrome related to chronic, unmanageable workplace stress, marked by exhaustion, mental distance/cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout research also commonly describes a triad of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization/cynicism, and reduced sense of accomplishment. 

Even when a transition isn’t “work,” transitions can create burnout-like strain by stacking demands faster than you can replenish internal and external resources. Below are four common types of transitions—and the most therapy-relevant ways they can push stress into burnout.

1) Developmental transitions

Examples: finishing high school, starting college, entering the workforce, becoming a parent, midlife reassessment, retirement.

Developmental psychology emphasizes that different life stages come with predictable developmental tasks—not because everyone follows the same path, but because human growth reliably involves shifts in identity, responsibility, and meaning over time. Early adulthood often centers on identity formation: clarifying who you are, what you value, and how you want to live, particularly in relation to work, relationships, and independence. As adulthood progresses, there is a growing expectation of increasing autonomy, which includes managing finances, careers, households, and emotional regulation with less external structure or guidance.

Midlife and later adulthood frequently involve role consolidation, where individuals are expected to sustain multiple, often competing roles—professional, partner, parent, caregiver, community member—while maintaining productivity and emotional stability. At the same time, many people experience a deeper pull toward meaning-making, asking questions such as “Is this life aligned with what matters to me?” or “What do I want the next phase of my life to stand for?”

These developmental tasks are inherently demanding, even under ideal conditions. When life circumstances, health, systemic pressures, or lack of support interfere with a person’s ability to meet these tasks, stress can accumulate. Over time, this mismatch between developmental demands and available emotional, cognitive, and relational resources can contribute to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout—especially for high-functioning individuals who feel pressure to “keep up” rather than slow down and adapt.

A key example is “emerging adulthood,” a period often described as the late teens through the twenties, when identity exploration and instability can be high. 

How this can lead to stress or burnout

• Identity load: “Who am I now?” questions can be mentally exhausting, especially for perfectionistic or high-achieving people.

• Skill–demand mismatch: Your responsibilities may change faster than your coping skills, routines, and supports can adapt.

• Ambiguous milestones: If the path feels unclear (major changes, early career uncertainty, relationship uncertainty), chronic worry increases.

Therapy-informed supports

• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy): build psychological flexibility so uncertainty doesn’t run your life; practice values-based choices even when you feel unready.

• CBT: identify spirals like catastrophizing (“If I don’t figure this out now, I’m doomed”) and replace with realistic coping thoughts and problem-solving.

• Behavioral scaffolding: transitions stabilize faster when sleep, movement, meals, and social connection become “non-negotiable anchors,” not afterthoughts.

2) Situational transitions (school, work, and role shifts)

Examples: starting a new job, layoffs, promotions, clinical rotations/grad school, moving to Denver, switching majors, starting a business.

These transitions often look “positive” from the outside, but they can be physiologically taxing. New systems, new expectations, new people, and high performance pressure can create sustained activation—especially if your internal standard is “I must do this perfectly.”

How this can lead to stress or burnout

• Chronic performance strain: When your identity depends on outcomes, your brain treats everyday feedback like a threat.

• Loss of competence: Even confident people feel dysregulated when they go from “expert” to “beginner.”

• Workplace burnout risk: When stress stays high and feels unmanageable, it matches the WHO’s burnout framework for occupational stress. 

Therapy-informed supports

A practical transition framework used in adult development and professional training is Schlossberg’s “4 S’s”: Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies. In therapy, this model helps slow the experience down and move clients out of self-blame by clarifying why a transition feels so hard—and where meaningful change is possible.

Rather than treating stress or burnout as a personal weakness, the 4 S’s offer a structured way to assess the fit between current demands and available resources. Clients often feel immediate relief when they see that their distress makes sense given the circumstances.

• Situation: Therapy helps clients name what exactly changed, including timing, degree of control, and competing demands. A transition that is unexpected, high-stakes, or layered on top of other stressors (for example, a job change during a family illness) will place far more strain on the nervous system than a single, well-timed change.

• Self: This area focuses on personal factors that shape how the transition is experienced—such as coping style, perfectionism, prior transitions, values, physical health, and mental health history. In therapy, this helps distinguish between what is situational stress and what patterns (like over-responsibility or self-criticism) may be amplifying burnout.

• Support: Many clients underestimate how much support they actually need during transitions. Therapy helps assess both formal and informal supports—partners, friends, mentors, workplace flexibility, and professional help—and identify gaps. Burnout risk rises sharply when demands increase while support stays the same or decreases.

• Strategies: Finally, therapy focuses on realistic, sustainable coping strategies rather than “doing more.” This may include boundary setting, nervous-system regulation skills, values-based decision making (from ACT), or cognitive tools to reduce unhelpful thinking patterns. The goal is not to eliminate discomfort, but to build adaptive ways of moving through change without exhausting internal resources.

Used together, the 4 S’s provide a compassionate, practical roadmap that helps clients understand their stress, regain a sense of agency, and move through life transitions with greater steadiness and resilience.

3) Relational and family transitions

Examples: marriage/divorce, becoming a parent, infertility, blending families, caring for aging parents, teenagers gaining independence.

Relational transitions are emotionally intense because they involve attachment, responsibility, and often invisible labor. They also tend to reduce recovery time—the very thing that protects against burnout.

How this can lead to stress or burnout

• Role overload: work + home + caregiving + logistics = no “off” switch.

• Emotional labor: managing everyone else’s needs can quietly drain your reserves.

• Value conflict: you may feel pulled between competing values (career, parenting, partnership, health).

Therapy-informed supports

• Boundary skills (CBT + behavioral): identify what’s truly essential, what’s negotiable, and what needs to be renegotiated.

• ACT values work: ask “What matters most in how I show up?” and choose small, values-aligned actions that protect energy.

• Communication tools: reduce chronic conflict and improve repair—because unresolved relational stress is a major burnout accelerant.

4) Other types of transitions: Health, loss, and identity

Examples: injury/illness, chronic pain, perimenopause, disability changes, grief, trauma recovery, caregiving for a sick family member.

These transitions often come with real constraints and real losses—including loss of ability, predictability, body trust, or identity (“I’m the capable one”).

How this can lead to stress or burnout

• All-or-nothing coping: pushing through until you crash.

• Uncertainty fatigue: medical ambiguity and changing symptoms can keep your nervous system on high alert.

• Meaning disruption: loss can fracture your sense of purpose or future plans.

Therapy-informed supports

• Acceptance-based coping (ACT): making room for grief and frustration without letting them dictate every decision.

• Pacing and self-compassion: treating energy as a limited resource and building sustainable rhythms.

• Mindfulness: training attention to return to the present moment—especially when your mind time-travels into fear.

Frequently Asked Questions About Life Transitions, Stress, and Burnout

Can life transitions really cause burnout, or is it just stress?

Life transitions can absolutely contribute to burnout—not just everyday stress. While the World Health Organization formally defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon, many transitions create burnout-like conditions by combining high demands, emotional strain, and limited recovery time. When a transition increases responsibility, uncertainty, or identity pressure without a corresponding increase in support, people often experience chronic exhaustion, emotional depletion, and reduced effectiveness—hallmarks of burnout.

Why do “positive” transitions still feel so overwhelming?

Even positive transitions—such as promotions, moving to a new city, becoming a parent, or starting school—require rapid adaptation. They often involve learning new roles, renegotiating identity, and tolerating uncertainty. From a nervous-system perspective, any major change increases cognitive and emotional load. If your internal expectation is that you “should be grateful” or “handle it better,” you may push through warning signs instead of adjusting, which increases burnout risk.

What are early signs that I’m not adapting well to a transition?

Early signs often show up as patterns rather than single bad days. Common indicators include:

• Persistent physical or emotional exhaustion

• Increased irritability, anxiety, or emotional numbness

• Dread about responsibilities that once felt manageable

• Sleep disruption or difficulty mentally “shutting off”

• Cynicism, detachment, or loss of motivation

• Trouble concentrating or feeling constantly behind

When these symptoms persist most days for several weeks, it’s a signal that your coping resources may be outmatched by current demands.

How do I know if what I’m experiencing is burnout, anxiety, or depression?

These experiences can overlap, which is why self-diagnosis can be confusing. Burnout is often context-specific and tied to chronic overload, anxiety tends to involve persistent worry and physiological arousal, and depression more often includes low mood, hopelessness, or loss of interest. Therapy helps clarify what’s driving your symptoms and guides treatment accordingly—often addressing multiple processes at once.

Is it normal to feel like my identity is unsettled during transitions?

Yes. Many transitions involve identity disruption, even if that isn’t obvious on the surface. Developmental psychology shows that transitions often reactivate questions like Who am I now? or What matters most at this stage of life? When identity questions collide with pressure to perform or “keep it together,” stress intensifies. Therapy provides space to explore these shifts without rushing to premature answers.

What if I’ve always handled change well before—why is this one harder?

Past resilience doesn’t guarantee future ease. Burnout often emerges when multiple stressors accumulate- like life stage changes, health factors, relational demands, or prolonged uncertainty. Transitions can also expose coping styles—such as perfectionism or over-responsibility—that once worked but are no longer sustainable. Therapy helps update coping strategies, so they fit your current life, not an earlier version of you.

How does therapy actually help with life transitions and burnout?

Therapy doesn’t just offer emotional support—it provides structure, skills, and perspective. Evidence-based approaches such as ACT and CBT help clients:

• Regulate the nervous system and reduce chronic stress activation

• Clarify values to guide decisions during uncertainty

• Identify unhelpful thinking patterns that amplify burnout

• Set realistic boundaries and expectations

• Develop sustainable coping strategies rather than “pushing through”

The goal is not to eliminate discomfort, but to help you adapt without sacrificing well-being.

When should I consider therapy in Denver for stress or burnout?

You might consider therapy if:

• Stress has lasted weeks or months rather than days

• Your usual coping strategies aren’t working

• You feel emotionally drained, detached, or stuck

• Relationships or work performance are being affected

• You’re losing motivation, clarity, or confidence

Early support can prevent stress from progressing into deeper burnout and help you navigate transitions with more steadiness and self-compassion.

Do I need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy during a transition?

No. Many people seek therapy preventively during transitions to stabilize routines, process emotions, and make intentional choices. Therapy can be especially helpful when you sense you’re approaching a tipping point and want to protect your mental health before burnout takes hold.

Start Burnout Treatment in Denver, CO

If you’re in the middle of a big life transition and you can feel your stress inching toward burnout, you don’t have to muscle through it alone. Therapy can help you sort out what’s changing, steady your nervous system, and build a sustainable plan for this season—without waiting until you hit a breaking point. As a Denver-based therapist, I'm happy to offer support in addressing what support would actually help, and how to move forward with more clarity, boundaries, and breathing room. You can start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:

1. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation

2. Meet with a caring therapist

3. Start growing and making the most of transitions!

Other Services Offered by Dr. Olson-Madden Online Throughout Colorado

Burnout treatment is an important part of my work, but it isn't the only service I offer support from my Denver-based practice. I'm happy to also offer support in managing anxiety, providing trauma-informed approaches to recovery, and support for perfectionism. Other services offered include guidance through major life transitions, individualized psychological services, and tailored assessments.

Feel free to learn more by visiting my mental health blog, downloading my free e-book or following me on social media, including X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.