Stress and burnout may look and feel the same sometimes. First of all, both are rather unpleasant. Both could make you dislike going to work. They can trigger physical and mental symptoms like tiredness and mood fluctuations.
So, why does it matter to know the difference between stress vs. burnout?
Despite the similarities, these two phenomena differ in a few crucial points. Consequentially, managing one or the other could also involve distinct techniques.
For this reason, it is essential to understand if you are undergoing a phase of heightened stress at the workplace or approaching burnout. This article will help you tell the difference.
What is the Relationship Between Stress and Burnout?
Before we can look at the difference between stress and burnout, we need to understand the relationship between the two. While stress can happen in any area of our lives, for the purpose of this article we are going to focus on stress related to our jobs and careers.
Burnout and stress are among the gravest threats to modern organizations, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Stress and burnout in nursing, physicians, and healthcare workers at all levels have been at their highest. According to a recent review, nearly three in five employees report some adverse responses to work-related stressors.
Let’s start with two quick definitions:
- Stress is our psychological and physiological response to tension and pressure. Work-related stress is, therefore, our reaction to various demanding situations at work.
- On the other hand, burnout is defined as a state of emotional exhaustion, detachment from one’s job, and significantly reduced work efficacy.
Although most of the literature on stress vs burnout states that chronic stress causes burnout, recent scientific findings indicate that the relationship is much more complex. Yes, chronic stress may lead to a state of emotional exhaustion and a nearly complete lack of motivation, but this does not automatically mean that a person will develop burnout syndrome. Factors such as the availability of support systems, feelings of control, and mechanisms of self-care are strong mediating factors between long-term stress and work burnout.
According to some new research, there seems to be a reciprocal effect between stress and burnout. A stressful situation may trigger burnout, but this is not always so. It could start creeping up on you for other reasons. For example, you might feel underappreciated at work or that management doesn’t have your back. Maybe you saw your efforts go in vain one too many times or that expectations are unrealistic. Unlike stressors, which initiate the body’s “fight, flight, or flee” reaction, these types of situations trigger emotional and mental reactions.
Left unchecked, burnout can develop, and as a result this actually feeds into work-related stress. It builds up slowly and makes work more and more stressful.
In other words, feeling burnout adds to stress. On the other hand, in the absence of a toxic work environment, work-related stressors have only a moderate impact on burnout.
In short, real or perceived stress at work is a component of burnout syndrome, but chronic stress does not automatically lead to burnout.
Top 5 Differences Between Stress vs Burnout
These days, it seems like people throw the words “stress” and “burnout” out all the time, often using them interchangeably. We may be tempted to think of burnout and stress as different merely in intensity. However, they are two distinct conditions that can exist separately or together.
Here are a few crucial differences between burnout and stress:
1 - Stress can be described as a period of hyperactivity.
We try harder to accomplish everything. We work more, learn harder, and multitask. On the other hand, when we are burnt out, we get deflated. We lose motivation, feel our efforts are futile, and start slacking. In that sense, burnout may seem more similar to depression, while stress resembles anxiety more. Sometimes, depression and burnout are difficult to differentiate. Still, there is a significant difference, which is the fact that depression is free from context, whereas burnout is tied to the work environment.
2 - Stress is, compared to burnout, more evident at the physical level.
We feel it in our bodies. Muscle tension, racing heart, shallow breathing, and sweating are hard to ignore. Burnout, on the other hand, mostly happens on a mental level. Our emotions and thinking change. We become flat and disinterested. We start to evaluate our work differently and feel that it has lost its significance.
3 - Stress usually passes rather quickly once the stressor is removed.
A little bit of rest, even a weekend off, could make you feel energized again. On the other hand, burnout does not seem to pass with pressures subsiding. Even a vacation might not help you recover from it. The reason is the cause of burnout, which is not simply too many tasks on your list.
4 - Stress is, in a way, a state of being over-engaged and attached to the situation.
When you have a massive project to complete on short notice, you may feel as if your world would collapse if you did not manage to get it done. You become strongly invested, and you take it personally. On the other hand, as a protective mechanism, people with burnout become detached from their work. They distance themselves and feel it has absolutely nothing to do with them. This leads to a drop in efficacy, absenteeism, and, eventually, termination.
5 – Stress can exist without developing into burnout; burnout syndrome always has some type of stress associated with it.
As discussed earlier, just because someone experiences stress at work — either short-term or long-term — does not mean they are going to develop burnout syndrome. As a matter of fact, the sooner a person takes preventive measures to care for themselves and learn to cope with stress, the less burnt out they will feel. However, working in an environment with emotional and mental stressors such as lack of support, feeling unappreciated, loss of control, and no sense of purpose — especially if they are coupled with other work-related stressors — is a sure road to burnout syndrome without intervention.
Different Strategies for Coping with Burnout vs Stress
The difference between burnout and stress requires you to approach dealing with them differently. What could work for stress might do nothing about burnout.
Recent research supports this assumption. A 2016 study demonstrated that medical students’ stress vs burnout rates, as well as effective coping strategies, were different. Another study showed that even when two people are both dealing with burnout, their reactions might not be the same. Some will suffer higher levels of depersonalization; others will mostly be emotionally exhausted.
Varying symptoms warrant slightly different approaches to dealing with the outcomes of burnout and stress.
Here are some vital distinctions and similarities in how to cope with stress and burnout:
- Taking a couple of days off work might help relieve stress, but this is unlikely to mend burnout.
- Time management, delegation, and other self-organizing strategies could alleviate stress but not necessarily burnout.
- Research shows that both stress and burnout respond well to mindful meditation because it decreases self-judgment and increases resiliency, compassion, and emotional regulation.
- Finding meaning and rekindling pride in what you do is particularly significant for burnout. In contrast, it might not be as necessary for tackling work-related stress.
Overwhelmed by Stress? Don’t Drain Out Your Batteries!
Despite the fact that stress and burnout syndrome are two different things, it is important to remember that both long-term stress and chronic burnout syndrome can impact the body and manifest themselves through serious, even life-threatening medical conditions.
Both stress and burnout can deplete all the joy out of work. And, since our jobs consume at least one-third of our time, burnout and chronic work-related stress can make our lives miserable.
Therefore, do not wait for all your zest to dry out. If work-related stress is starting to overwhelm you, it’s important to assess how low your battery level has dropped. Take action to recover before you drain out all your power.
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