What’s the Difference Between Stress and Burnout?
All products featured on Self are independently selected by Self editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission.
Antonio Rodriguez/Adobe Stock
Some weeks, work can just be…a lot. Maybe you’ve been busting your ass on endless assignments that make you want to cry, scream, or quit. Or, you’re so over it that hearing an email ping on a Friday night is enough to ruin your weekend.
In a culture that prizes productivity, it’s unfortunately all too common to feel utterly exhausted, depleted, and, some would even say, “burnt out.” But actually, there’s a major difference between run-of-the-mill stress and true burnout, Jessi Gold, MD, chief wellness officer for the University of Tennessee System and author of How Do You Feel?: One Doctor’s Search for Humanity in Medicine, tells SELF.
“We tend to use a lot of mental health words loosely—and burnout is definitely one of them,” Dr. Gold says. “A lot of people say they’re experiencing it when they really mean they’re tired or overworked.” But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout doesn’t refer to an occasional, temporary feeling of overwhelm in response to high stress; it’s a syndrome caused by a buildup of chronic stress that hasn’t been effectively managed.
Of course, when you’re losing sleep from multiple late-night shifts in a row or drowning in a never-ending to-do list, it can be hard to know whether you just need a break or if you’re dealing with full-on burnout. That’s why we asked therapists to break down the key differences between the two.
1. Burnout is specific to work.
You might be sooo done with the bleak dating scene, say, or totally wiped after training for a bunch of 5K races. But technically speaking, the term “burnout” only refers to workplace exhaustion, according to the WHO.
“This means the fatigue you’re experiencing comes from your job—whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, full-time student, healthcare professional, or working in an office,” Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD, a psychology professor and the director of the Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders among African Americans (PRADAA) at Kent State University, tells SELF. So, terms like “dating burnout” and “exercise burnout” aren’t really accurate: What you’re likely referring to in these cases is simply feeling worn out.
2. Burnout won’t disappear after you finish a big assignment or hit one deadline.
Sure, a high-stakes presentation or major patient care crisis can spike anxiety. But if you experience a wave of relief once the pressure subsides (and go back to feeling like your old self again), you’re likely just dealing with normal stress rather than burnout.
As Dr. Neal-Barnett explains, stress is your body’s physiological response to a specific challenge. In the moment, you may feel restless, tense, or as if your heart is racing—but these symptoms should go away once the anxiety-inducing situation has passed. Burnout, on the other hand, is the result of ongoing, unresolved stress that’s been building up over time, usually for more than six months.
You’re not likely to be ‘burnt out’ from just one staffing shortage or deadline. “It’s more like you’ve been fighting this unrelenting stress for so long that it just depletes you of everything, and your body and brain kind of give up,” Dr. Neal-Barnett says—which explains why burnout can be more complicated to treat.
3. Unlike stress, burnout usually brings feelings of detachment or cynicism about your career.
Stress and burnout share a lot of symptoms in common, like anxiety, fatigue, and irritability. But with burnout, you’re so emotionally drained (and for such a long time) that you start feeling hopeless, cynical, and detached from your job, Christina Maslach, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and coauthor of The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Job, tells SELF.
When you’re stressed, you might still have enough energy and motivation to push through whereas with burnout, “you’re not doing your best, because your efforts feel pointless,” Dr. Maslach says. “You’re mentally checked out, only doing the bare minimum and thinking, How do I just get through this?” As a result, you might start withdrawing from your patients, say, since you’re struggling to show them the compassion they deserve. Or, if you achieve some major accomplishment (like a promotion or praise from your boss), you’re not happy or proud: You just…don’t care.
4. Your work performance will suffer when you’re burnt out.
“If you still really like your job and feel good about the quality of work you’re doing, you’re likely overextended but not experiencing burnout,” Dr. Maslach says. That’s because the latter, as we explained earlier, tends to make you feel pessimistic and completely unmotivated—which, naturally, lowers your job satisfaction and can cause your performance to suffer, too
You might find yourself missing important deadlines or submitting assignments without reviewing them for typos and errors—because, honestly, you don’t have it in you to give a damn anymore. Or, you might be so mentally and physically checked out, that you take longer to react in emergency situations.
However, you don’t have to necessarily be on the verge of getting fired to be in burnout territory: “It’s also common to develop a perceived sense of failure or a negative evaluation of yourself, like, I'm not good at this. I can’t handle this. I don’t want to do this anymore,” Dr. Maslach says—and this self-doubt can lead you to believe your work quality is slipping (even if others haven’t noticed).
5. Your usual stress relievers probably won’t magically ‘fix’ burnout symptoms…
Most of us have something to look forward to after a grueling weekday—whether it’s a good workout, drinks with friends, or an episode (or three) of a mindless TV show. But according to Dr. Gold, burnout drains your energy to the point that even the activities you once relied on for balance stop working.
For example, maybe you used to love cooking, but now you’re ordering takeout every night—not because you crave it, but because you can’t muster the motivation to chop, sauté, or even boil water. Or perhaps you’ve always found peace logging a few miles before heading into the office—but for the past few months, lacing up your running shoes and dragging yourself out the door has felt like a total chore. Basically, when your usual self-care no longer alleviates your stress, it could signal a more chronic issue like burnout.
6. …and neither will taking a few days off.
Again, burnout doesn’t come from just one super busy month or demanding assignment. Rather, it’s rooted in more systemic issues, like ongoing pressure from higher-ups, lack of support, or a constant stream of emergency calls (or urgent emails) keeping you on the clock, around the clock.
While a restful vacation may ease some of your symptoms, it might not do much for legit burnout, according to Dr. Maslach. “The bigger problem is that these respites usually don’t change the source of your burnout,” she explains—even the most relaxing getaway won’t address things like a toxic boss, unrealistic expectations, or a never-ending fear of layoffs, for example.
That’s why all the experts we spoke with agree: Workplaces and employers need to step up and make real changes towards a more supportive, positive environment. But since that’s not happening overnight (sadly), one of the best things you can do is to talk to your boss about ways to improve your situation, Dr. Neal-Barnett suggests.
This could mean reducing your workload, for instance, or adjusting your schedule so you’re not working back-to-back late-night shifts. And if that doesn’t get you anywhere, it might be time to start working on an exit strategy—by exploring new openings, networking with former colleagues, or saving up for a brief career break—because no job is worth sacrificing your mental health.
Regardless of your next steps, make sure to give yourself grace. “Remember, you’re not lazy. You’re not a failure for feeling this way,” Dr. Gold says. If this wasn’t clear from all the expert insight above: Burnout is a serious issue and a reflection of a broken system—not your worth.
Related:
Get more of SELF's helpful mental health tips delivered right to your inbox—for free.
Originally Appeared on Self
Solve the daily Crossword
