Stress and Burnout
Stress
Coping with stress is something we all need to be able do in today’s fast-paced and uncertain world. Our bodies are perfectly designed to handle small doses of stress. But, we are not well-equipped to handle long-term, chronic stress. Stress can affect our immune system, our cardiovascular and nervous systems and take a severe emotional toll. It can cause high levels of anxiety, panic attacks, low mood, disturb our sleep, affect our appetite, our motivation and our levels of concentration. It can also cause havoc with our relationships and in our workplace.
What is stress?
First of all, what do we mean by stress and what are the physical, emotional, cognitive (brain) and behavioural symptoms? The “stress hormone” cortisol is released in response to fear or stress by the adrenal glands as part of the fight / flight/freeze basic survival mechanism. Cortisol has the potential to interfere with learning and memory, to increase risk for depression, to lower life expectancy, to lower immune function and bone density, to increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease and many more mental and physical symptoms.
Stress means different things to different people. What causes stress in one person may have no effect or have a positive effect on another person. Not all stress is bad. In small doses, stress can help you to achieve what you want to achieve in life such as passing an exam or meeting a deadline. It can prevent you from getting harmed in a dangerous situation. Coping with stress involves finding positive, healthy ways to manage it. Just as we all experience stress differently and find different experiences stressful, the ways we have of coping with stress are different too.
Burnout
Burnout may be the RESULT of too much stress, but it isn’t the SAME as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves TOO MUCH: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and mentally. However, stressed people can still imagine that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.
Burnout, on the other hand, is about NOT ENOUGH. Being burned out means feeling empty and mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. And while you’re usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don’t always notice burnout when it happens.
Am I burned out?
Burnout is a gradual process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but can creep up on you. The signs and symptoms are subtle at first, but they get worse as time goes on. Think of the early symptoms as red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention and act to reduce your stress, you can prevent a major breakdown. If you ignore them, you’ll eventually burn out.
You may be on the road to burnout if:
- Every day is a bad day.
- Caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy.
- You’re exhausted all the time.
- Most of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.
- You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.
Most of us have days when we feel helpless, overloaded, or unappreciated—when dragging ourselves out of bed requires the determination of Hercules. If you feel like this MOST OF THE TIME, however, you may be burned out.
It’s not ALWAYS workplace-related
We generally assume that burnout only happens in the workplace but it is important to say that ANYONE who feels overworked and undervalued is at risk for burnout—it can also affect stay-at-home parents coping with all kinds of demands, or indeed anyone in a caring role such as those caring for a sick or elderly relative or partner. And the way we live our lives outside of work can also make us more prone to burnout:
Work related burnout
- Feeling like you have little or no control over your work
- Lack of recognition or reward for good work
- Unclear or overly demanding job expectations
- Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging
- Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment
General lifestyle causes of burnout
- Working too much, without enough time for socialising or relaxing
- Lack of close, supportive relationships
- Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others
- Not getting enough sleep
If you are experiencing stress or burnout in any area of your life and would like to talk it through, learn tools and strategies that will help, make a plan, call me today:
Book a counselling session today!
These blogs have more information:
https://corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie/blog/managing-stress/
https://corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie/burnout/stress-and-burnout/
https://corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie/stress/how-can-i-manage-burnout-part-1/
https://corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie/stress/what-does-burnout-feel-like/