Stress or Burnout?
We live in a world where being “stressed” has become normalised — busy calendars, deadlines, and constant demands. But stress and burnout are not the same thing. Stress can be intense, but temporary. Burnout is when the cycle never ends, and it starts to erode your wellbeing at a much deeper level.
Learning to tell the difference matters, because stress can often be managed with short-term recovery, while burnout requires deeper shifts in how you relate to yourself, your work, and your life.
What is stress?
Stress is your body’s natural response to pressure. You might feel your heart race before a big presentation, or notice tension in your shoulders when deadlines pile up. Stress isn’t always “bad” — sometimes it motivates us to rise to the challenge.
Stress usually looks like:
Short-term anxiety or worry linked to a specific situation
Physical tension that eases when the pressure passes
Energy spikes and dips, but with recovery afterwards
Relief once the task is complete or the event is over
What is burnout?
Burnout happens when stress is no longer temporary. It’s the result of being in overdrive for too long, without enough rest, support, or balance. Instead of bouncing back, you feel flat, drained, and detached.
Burnout often looks like:
Constant exhaustion, no matter how much you rest
Feeling cynical, detached, or unmotivated
Loss of joy in things that used to matter
Trouble concentrating, brain fog, or forgetfulness
Mood swings, irritability, or emotional numbness
A sense of “what’s the point?” that lingers
My own experience
For years, I thought I was “just stressed.” I’d pile achievement on achievement — Ironman triathlons, a Master’s degree, running a nationwide campaign — and then collapse in exhaustion. What I didn’t realise was that I was living in a cycle of burnout. Stress ended when the deadline passed. Burnout followed me everywhere, because it was tied to the way I related to myself and my “need” to achieve.
How to begin shifting from burnout
If you recognise yourself more on the burnout side of this table, know that you’re not broken — and you’re not alone. Burnout is a signal that something deeper needs attention.
A few places to start:
Awareness: Notice the patterns. Are you constantly overextending or proving yourself? What thoughts or feelings do you experience when you think about stopping or slowing down?
Boundaries: Practice saying no to what drains you, even in small ways.
Self-compassion: Replace the inner critic with kinder self-dialogue.
Support: Burnout recovery is easier when you don’t do it alone.
Stress comes and goes. Burnout lingers and reshapes how you feel about life. It’s like running through deep mud in a perpetual state of exhaustion.
Knowing the difference is the first step toward change.
If you’re ready to move beyond burnout and create a life that feels more alive, aligned, and at ease, I’d love to support you.
