9 Tips to Avoid Burnout in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is notorious for its relentless pace and the need to constantly stay on top of vulnerabilities, threats, and other risks. It often feels like there is no end to the tight deadlines. But your first priority still needs to be you. Take regular breaks throughout the workday to rest and recharge.

"There is often limited or no support for the 'rest and recovery' phase of the stress cycle," says Dr. Ryan Louie, a psychiatrist focused on mental health in cybersecurity.

That needs to change, he says. And it starts with prioritizing your own rest and well-being first.

Focus on the most critical tasks and learn to delegate or defer less important ones. In cybersecurity, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of potential threats and responsibilities. However, not all tasks carry the same weight or urgency — even if it feels like they do.

"If you have a limited budget, the things you need to manage first are the things that are going to kill you," says Malcolm Harkins, a cybersecurity veteran who often talks about burnout and now serves as chief security and trust officer at HiddenLayer.

Whether it's limited budget, limited time, or a limited mental capacity to deal with each day's demands, ensure that your efforts are concentrated on the areas that have the most significant impact on your organization's security posture — and then find creative ways to lighten your load in other areas.

Sometimes it is hard to realize when your job is taking a toll on your mental health. Thankfully, that is changing a bit in cybersecurity, says Louie.

"There is more public awareness, and addressing burnout has become a more mainstream part of the cybersecurity environment," he adds.

Louie advises security pros start being more candid about mental health — and to get others talking about it, too.

"You don't have to be a mental health professional to talk about mental health: Give yourself the permission to speak about it with authority, because the authority has always been there," he says. "It is in your DNA as a person taking care of your own mental health."

Talk to friends, talk to family, or talk to a therapist. But don't neglect your mental health by keeping it under wraps.

The cybersecurity community can at times feel isolating because so much of the work demands discretion and even secrecy. That's why it is essential to build a community of trusted peers and mentors to share challenges and seek advice.

"Create a community not only to network but smaller support groups where they can share and support each other through the challenges of the job," says Shamla Naidoo, head of cloud strategy and innovation at Netskope, who has written extensively about burnout.

In addition to a support network, it is important for conversations about mental health and stress to happen on the job. Encourage open communication within your team and organization about workload and stress.

Louie says this model was particularly helpful in his early days of medical training.

"Our team's attending physician highlighted that we are a team, and everyone should feel free to say whenever they feel they have too much on their plate," he says. "There was genuine psychological safety."

Adds Naidoo: "CEOs need to create a psychologically safe place where CISOs can seek help, ask for support, and generally discuss the difficult decisions they have to make every day."

If your organization doesn't provide adequate support and resources for cybersecurity teams, including mental health resources and professional development opportunities, advocate for them yourself. It is critical to surround yourself with the resources you need to feel supported, and executive leadership should be providing it.

"CEOs have a duty to care for the well-being and mental health of CISOs because an unwell CISO will be less effective in protecting the company from the many serious threats it faces every day," Naidoo says.

A cybersecurity role needs to be about more than just fighting fires. Harkins created a framework, called "I Believe, I Belong, I Matter," that he hopes can help security professionals feel a sense of purpose, passion, and persistence to avoid burnout. Part of it is ensuring your work aligns with the broader goals of the organization to maintain a sense of purpose and direction.

"Understanding the risks, getting alignment with the business on those risks, and then being true and intellectually honest around the state of the state" is the goal, Harkins says.

Professional development can also help with that sense of purpose. Engage in continuous learning and development to stay ahead of industry trends and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by new challenges.

"We need to all think together, across specialties," Louie says, highlighting the importance of ongoing education and collaboration.

Be vigilant about recognizing the early signs of burnout in yourself and others and take proactive steps to address them. If possible, consider a break — or even a long vacation to rest and reset.

"Burnout can often be mitigated by early intervention and support," says Louie.

Be vigilant about recognizing the early signs of burnout in yourself and others and take proactive steps to address them. If possible, consider a break — or even a long vacation to rest and reset.

"Burnout can often be mitigated by early intervention and support," says Louie.