Working professionals all experience stress at work due to tight deadlines, challenging projects and increased workload attributed to busy seasons. In many cases, stress can even be beneficial at work because it can help you stay focused, motivated and productive.
Burnout is different.
“Burnout is workplace stress that has been unmanaged or is unmanageable,” says Deniece Christ-Rice, LCSW-S, a licensed clinical social worker-supervisor and systemwide program therapist with Memorial Hermann Employee Wellness.
Rather than an occasional stressful week or demanding project, burnout occurs when workplace stress continues for so long that the mind and body never have an opportunity to recover. “Think of stress as a cold; if it never resolves and continues to get worse, that simple cold can lead to pneumonia,” Christ-Rice explains. “Stress is to a cold as burnout is to pneumonia.”
Recognizing chronic stress early is important because burnout can affect far more than your job performance. Left unchecked, it can influence your physical health, emotional well-being and relationships.
Stress Isn't the Problem. Chronic Stress Is.
Stress often gets a bad reputation, but not all stress is harmful.
Whether you're preparing for a presentation, studying for an exam or responding to an emergency, stress activates the body's natural response system to help you meet the moment. “A certain amount of stress can lead to productivity and can be really helpful,” Christ-Rice says. “It can motivate you, activate and engage your body to meet deadlines or even protect yourself from danger.”
However, problems arise when stress never lets up. “The problem is when we have chronic stress,” she continues. “And when we don't get a break, we're not able to recover from having stressful moments. At that point, stress starts to become damaging, and this is what puts us at risk for burnout.”
How Chronic Stress Can Affect Your Body
When you experience stress, your body shifts into what is commonly known as the "fight or flight" mode. During stressful situations, your sympathetic nervous system is activated and helps prepare you to respond to a stressful situation by increasing your heart rate, tightening your muscles, slowing your digestion and releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
Those changes are helpful in the short term to deal with that stress. However, when the body remains in that heightened state for weeks or months, the effects can begin to add up. “In the moments when we need that ‘boost,’ activating the fight-or-flight response can be really beneficial,” Christ-Rice says. “In the long run, though, if your heart rate stays elevated and your body stays alert, your system never gets a break, which can create a lot of wear and tear on your body.”
Christ-Rice says that chronic stress can contribute to:
- Anxiety and depression
- High blood pressure
- Elevated blood sugar
- Hormonal changes
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Muscle tension and fatigue
- Relationship difficulties
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Three Signs You May Be Experiencing Burnout
Burnout often develops gradually, which is partly why it can be difficult to recognize until symptoms become significant. Christ-Rice says three hallmark signs tend to appear together.
Exhaustion
Burnout involves more than feeling physically tired after a long day; there is also a mental exhaustion. Unlike ordinary fatigue, burnout-related exhaustion often persists even after weekends or vacations. “It’s not just a physical exhaustion; it’s more like a deep soul exhaustion,” Christ-Rice says. “No matter how much sleep you get, no matter how much time you get off, you never feel energized or refreshed.”
Cynicism
Another common sign is becoming emotionally disconnected from work that once felt meaningful. That emotional distancing can make people feel increasingly negative, detached or indifferent toward coworkers, responsibilities and even careers they once enjoyed. “There is a self-protective response where you start to try to withdraw from something that you perceive to be causing harm or damage,” Christ-Rice says. “And so, there's mental distancing where you start to disengage, become cynical and lose your connection to feeling like what you’re doing is meaningful and purposeful.”
Inefficacy
As burnout progresses, many people begin feeling less capable and less productive. Simple tasks may start feeling overwhelming, motivation declines and work that once felt manageable can become increasingly difficult to complete. “You just lose your effectiveness at work,” explains Christ-Rice. “You may avoid doing certain tasks and become less engaged and less productive at work.”
Why Some People Are More Prone to Burnout
Not everyone experiences burnout the same way. Burnout typically stems from a combination of three key factors:
- Personality. People with perfectionist tendencies or strong caregiver personalities may be more likely to push themselves beyond healthy limits.
- Health behaviors. Some people cope with stress through what Christ-Rice calls "false cures," such as overeating, excessive alcohol use or other habits that provide temporary relief while creating additional problems over time.
- Work environment. Staffing shortages, heavy workloads, workplace culture and organizational expectations can all contribute to chronic stress.
Recognizing which factors are contributing to burnout can help identify where meaningful changes are possible.
Practical Ways to Recover from Burnout
Recovering from burnout rarely happens overnight, but small, intentional changes can help interrupt the cycle of chronic stress.
- Ask for help and delegate when possible.
Many people believe they need to handle everything themselves, especially during busy periods. Instead, identify opportunities where you can share responsibilities, both at work and at home. If workloads become overwhelming, consider talking with a supervisor about priorities or asking coworkers for assistance. Outside of work, outsourcing errands, grocery shopping or meal preparation may also create valuable breathing room.
- Let go of perfection.
Burnout often is accompanied by having unrealistic expectations. While you may feel the need to give 110% every day, it is just not possible to do that in a sustainable way. The key, according to Christ-Rice, is accepting that your best may look different from one day to the next. This can help reduce unnecessary pressure while still allowing you to perform your job well.
- Take microbreaks throughout the day.
One of Christ-Rice's favorite strategies involves creating what she calls "micro-moments." If the problem is that stress is chronic, taking small breaks to reset prevents that stress from being continuous. These resets may take only a few seconds and could include some of the following:
- Taking several slow, deep breaths
- Practicing a brief grounding exercise
- Stretching
- Stepping outside for fresh air
- Sharing a positive interaction with a coworker
- Avoid “false cures”
When people feel overwhelmed, it is natural to seek quick relief, but this can often include behaviors that feel good in the moment but create additional problems later, such as overeating or substance abuse.
While it may be hard to stop something that seems to “help,” Christ-Rice says that it is important to replace these “false cures” with positive coping behaviors. Notably, she emphasizes the importance of human connection and being in touch with others rather than navigating life’s difficulties alone.
Checking In Before Burnout Takes Over
Because burnout develops gradually, many people don’t realize how overwhelmed they have become until they are already struggling. Christ-Rice encourages people to check in with themselves regularly and pay attention to changes in their energy, outlook and effectiveness. “Burnout tends to happen over time,” she says. “And if we become tolerant to chronic stress, a lot of times we don't realize when we get to burnout.”
While prevention cannot eliminate every stressful situation, building healthy habits before burnout develops can make recovery easier if difficult seasons arise. Most importantly, Christ-Rice wants people to remember they do not have to face burnout alone.
“It's okay to admit that you need help and support,” she says. “Whether that support comes from coworkers, family, friends or a mental health professional, reaching out may be one of the most important steps toward recovering from burnout.”
