I didn't know I was experiencing burnout until it was too late

You've just won two Olympic medals, reached the peak of your career so far, you're the strongest you've ever been, right? Wrong.

Laviai Nielsen says straight after the 2024 Paris Olympics she felt "emotionally, psychologically and mentally" burnt out.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, the 29-year-old says that once she realised she had burnout it was too late.

"It would take all of my energy to even get out of bed and get to the track," she says.

"It felt very unnatural for me, to think: 'Hold on, I need to slow down'."

Newsbeat has been hearing from young people who say they have experienced burnout for a range of reasons, including unmanageable workload and pressure - with some pushing back key milestones, like saving for a house, as a result.

In Nielsen's case, the Team GB sprinter decided to slow down and ended up taking a three-month break.

"It goes against everything you think an athlete should be," she says.

"The conversations leading up to the decision were the hardest bit, but once I made that decision, it was so easy."

Nielsen began representing her country in her teens and won her first senior World Championship medal in 2017.

But by the time she'd reached the Paris Olympics, mid-twenties activities - like socialising - became "exhausting".

Despite competing at a high level athletically, she's not alone in her experience and young people are struggling with burnout in the workplace.

The charity Mental Health UK reports that two in five (39%) of young workers aged 18 to 24 took time off due to poor mental health caused by stress in 2025.

The charity describes burnout as "a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion".

It can build up over a long period of time - meaning it can take a while to recognise.

The charity found that while young people are often seen as championing improved attitudes towards mental health at work, many were found to be "staying silent" about their own stress.

Mental Health UK's 2026 burnout report also highlighted other aspects of life.

"This group is facing pressures both inside and outside work, alongside an uncertain job market where AI is increasingly seen as a threat to some entry-level roles," says the charity's chief executive Brian Dow.

"For many, the social contract that rewarded previous generations for hard work is breaking down," he adds.

Younger workers aged 18 to 24 were second most likely to report stress due to money worries (64%), behind 65% of those aged 25 to 34, who agreed.

University students are also struggling, says cognitive behavioural therapist Hannah Paskin.

"We're now getting lots and lots of graduates that can't get into graduate-level type jobs," she tells Newsbeat.

"So they're working really hard at university and then basically entering into quite low-paid, not career-oriented jobs."

Mimi Abbas started to experience burnout in her final year of university and struggled with life after graduation.

"You know that you only have a month left of your degree and nothing in you has the spark or motivation to just carry on," Abbas says.

The 23-year-old then returned home and spent six months applying for jobs, which she describes as a "really difficult period".

"It was just never-ending," she tells Newsbeat.

The Bristol graduate ended up landing a job in the events industry, which she said was "great" but "tiring with long hours".

"I was going into the office, working, coming home, falling asleep. I didn't really have the energy to see my friends or go to the gym," she recalls.

"Any hobbies or passions I had on the side were kind of just put on the side."

Abbas ended up leaving her corporate role and withdrawing her house savings.

She now works part-time jobs in London - and feels better for it.

"I'd rather be happy and not feel so drained all the time," she says.

Dr Becca Salmon began posting about her own burnout after she left her NHS job.

"I look back on videos and pictures of myself from when I was working as a doctor and I look so unwell," she tells Newsbeat.

The 29-year-old's video about quitting her role as a doctor in January 2024 sparked a big reaction and following.

"I had so much anxiety posting it, but the support and the familiarity from other people towards that was crazy," says Salmon.

She says it took her six months to a year to fully recover from burnout.

"I think that's what people quite like in my story," she adds.

"It's just nice to know that burnout doesn't have to be the end."

Spencer Clark, 23, can also relate to feeling burnout when trying to pursue a dream role.

He tells Newsbeat he has been building his social media presence as he wants to be an online fitness coach, but is also working a full-time job in the precious metal industry so he can pay the bills.

"I do 12-hour shifts at work and trying to muddle all of them together has just been really hard," Clark says.

"My nutrition's on point, I go to the gym, I'm a healthy guy, but I've just overworked myself clearly."

He says he often sees self-proclaimed "fitness gurus" on social media who are encouraging others to reduce their sleep to fit more in, but he believes that's not the answer.

While the Mental Health UK report shows a notable number of young people are being affected by burnout, clinical psychologist Dr Claire Plumley says it is not a new issue - it's just "being talked about a lot more".

She explains that because it's not an official mental health diagnosis, doctors previously weren't using the term, but there is now greater understanding of it.

Plumley, who has written a book on how to manage burnout, also notes it doesn't just affect the younger workforce.

"Millennials and Gen X, they'll have better-paid jobs, perhaps, but extra responsibilities," she adds.

However, there are aspects of today's digital society which can particularly affect young people, therapist Paskin says.

"From quite a young age, their life has been on social media, through teenage years when we're very impressionable," she says.

"A lot of people's default when they can't switch off is to scroll.

"Scrolling in bed before they go to sleep, and first thing when they're getting up."

Choice overload, particularly for chronically online young people, can also lead to burnout, she adds.

Preventing burnout

There are things you can do to help prevent burnout, Paskin says.

"It's that desire to step out of the commercial world, step out of all those sorts of bits of life, step back from phone use."

She suggests that getting breathing space from stress can restore energy, which is something Nielsen is doing.

She is back to training and says rest is her top priority.

"We are a society that pride ourselves on continuing to work hard and going higher and pushing higher," Nielsen says.

"Rest is not laziness. It's a necessity."

The professional athlete says that she now has more balance as a result.

"Instead of being solely focused on athletics, I'm making sure that I'm nourishing some things away from the track," she adds.

Salmon agrees, saying she now limits how much she books in.

"You're definitely not alone and it definitely does get better," she says.

"Be kind to yourself, take that rest."

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