Are you feeling exhausted or overwhelmed at work? How can you tell the difference between experiencing general stress vs total burnout? And what, if anything, can we do about it?
The following is for informational purposes only. For an official diagnosis or medical advice, please consult with a medical professional or mental health counselor regarding your particular circumstances.
Stress vs. Burnout: Key Differences
I asked AI to summarize the key differences between stress and burnout and it identified three areas to consider when you are you are reflecting on whether you’re experiencing work-related stress or burn-out.
Engagement Experience:
Stress is an experience of over-engagement. It’s often charactered by feeling pressured and overwhelmed. There’s a sense of things being “too much” or “pressing.” Some emotions associated with stress are anxiety, irritability, and overwhelm.
Burnout is an experience of disengagement. It is often characterized by feeling numb or apathetic. There’s a sense of being “checked out,” disconnected or detached. Some emotions associated with burnout are emptiness, cynicism, or hopelessness.
Time & Duration:
Stress is short-term in duration and tends to come in waves or seasons. It feels intense in the moment but it can and does subside with time and intentional rest.
Burnout tends to be long-term and on-going. There’s an endlessness feeling that leads to a sense of hopelessness.
Recovery:
Stress can usually lessen with getting rest or taking breaks.
Burnout often requires professional support and significant lifestyle changes.
Assessments & Tools
Self-Assessments
Symptom checklists and quizzes: Like many things in life, self-awareness is the starting point for understanding whether you’re experiencing stress or burnout. There are several online quizzes, like the one offered by Verywell Mind, that can provide an initial indication of whether your symptoms align more with stress or burnout. These lists and quizzes often focus on key differences like emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of inefficacy or hopelessness.
Self-reflection and Journaling: Keeping track of your mood, energy levels, and stress triggers can help you identify patterns and the duration of your symptoms. Key questions to ask yourself can include:
- Do I feel a sense of hopelessness or detachment, rather than just being overwhelmed?
- Am I becoming cynical about my work?
- Do I feel so emotionally drained that I am unable to recover on days off?
Professional Assessments
There several assessments that health care providers can reliably use to measure burnout and stress. These are often administered by professionals in the context of medical or mental health care settings. Examples include:
- Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) – Widely used by professionals to measure general stress levels. You can view this self-assessment style version of the PSS that’s put out by the New Hampshire Employee Assistance Program.
- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) – Considered the “gold standard” for measuring burnout, the MBI assesses three core dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynicism), and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.
- Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) – 16-item scale measures exhaustion and disengagement from work, and is suitable across various occupations.
- Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) – evaluates the severity of burnout symptoms, including exhaustion, mental distance, and cognitive impairment.
Ask your general practitioner or mental health care provider if one of these assessment could be beneficial for you in determining the severity of your symptoms.
Managing Stress & Recovering from Burnout:
Here are five strategies for helping you manage your stress and/or recover from burn out.
1. Acknowledgement & Distance
- Acknowledge Reality: Admit and accept that you are experiencing stress or burnout; this is the first step toward healing and recovery.
- Create Distance: If possible, take immediate time off or plan a “reset” window to disconnect from your primary stressors.
2. Prioritize Nervous System Rest
- Establish Sleep Hygiene: Aim for a consistent 7–9 hours of sleep each night, as it is the foundation for brain and nervous system repair.
- Mindfulness and Movement: Practice low-impact movement like yoga or walking (aim for 5,000 steps daily) and 5–10 minutes of daily meditation or silence to lower stress hormones.
- Deep Breathing: Use simple techniques like diaphragmatic breathing or progressive muscle relaxation throughout the day to reset your stress response. You can refer to Ann’s post on Five Ways to Ground Yourself When You Feel Overwhelmed.
3. Reclaim Control with Boundaries
- Set Micro-Boundaries: Start small by saying “no” to non-essential tasks or establishing 15-minute “micro-breaks” to eat without distractions.
- Define Work-Life Limits: Set hard stop times for work, turn off after-hours notifications, and use your PTO intentionally.
- Delegate and Simplify: Identify repetitive tasks that can be automated or handed off to others to lighten your mental load.
4. Build a Sustainable Support System
- Seek Professional Therapy: Consider beginning psychotherapy. There are a many kinds of therapies out there, from skills or solutions focused therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (to challenge negative thought patterns), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (to align with values), or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (for emotion regulation), to depth-oriented psychotherapies that explore the unconscious conflicts and patterns, reaching to the why underneath the outward symptoms.
- Connect with Peers: Join support groups or connect with trusted colleagues and friends to reduce isolation and validate your experiences. Sharing with others helps you feel less alone in your experiences.
5. Reconnect with Personal Values
- Rediscover Joy: Re-engage in hobbies, creative outlets (art, music), or time in nature that grounds you in the present moment.
- Goal Re-evaluation: Reassess your professional and personal goals to ensure they align with your core values and current capacity.
- Daily Reflection: Write in a gratitude journal daily to track progress and identify what energizes versus drains you.
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