The Lilac Minds burnout assessment is a free, structured screening tool that measures the three dimensions burnout researchers have identified as the core of the syndrome — emotional exhaustion, work detachment or cynicism, and the physical signs that the body has been running on stress hormones for too long. It takes four to six minutes and consists of twelve questions distributed across these three areas, drawing on the framework established by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and adapted into accessible language for self-screening.
Burnout is not laziness, not a personality flaw, and not the same thing as ordinary tiredness. It is what happens when chronic workplace stress — high demands, low control, mismatched values, inadequate recovery — is not successfully resolved. The early signs are easy to dismiss: a slow loss of enthusiasm for work that used to feel meaningful, irritability with colleagues or clients, a sense of going through the motions, disrupted sleep that does not respond to weekend rest, and physical complaints like persistent headaches, gut issues, or muscle tension that have no clear medical cause.
Your responses generate a score across three risk levels: low, moderate, and high. A low-risk result suggests the stress in your work life is currently within the range your recovery practices can handle, with practical suggestions to protect that balance. Moderate-risk results point toward structural changes — boundary work, recovery time, stress-management techniques — that can intervene before burnout deepens. High-risk results recommend professional support, both because burnout at this level rarely resolves through individual effort alone and because it shares clinical territory with depression and anxiety, which need proper assessment.
This tool is a screen, not a diagnosis. Psychologist Prarthana Thaker built it as a first step for clients who suspect their working life has tipped from demanding into corrosive. If your result lands in the moderate or high range, the recommendation is to book a consultation — burnout responds well to structured intervention, and the earlier the work begins, the shorter the recovery typically is. Available alongside the broader stress-management services at Lilac Minds.