Is It Burnout or Just A Bad Week?

Feeling tired all the time? Teary? Like you might snap at any moment? 

It could be more than just a bad day at the office—it might be burnout creeping in. 

Contrary to popular belief, burnout isn't just your run-of-the-mill workplace stress. It’s actually much more serious and, if you have it, you’ll need to make significant adjustments to your lifestyle to bounce back. 

There's a clear line between a rough week and burnout, and knowing the difference is crucial to taking care of yourself and preventing further damage.

The difference between stress and burnout 

Many people use the terms “stressed” and “burned out” interchangeably. But, according to Jacky Francis Walker, Psychotherapist at the Harley Consultancy, the two actually represent very different stages on what she calls “the stress continuum.”

“Stress and burnout are both states of physical, mental and emotional depletion,” she explains. “But stress is the earlier phase, whereas burnout builds up over an extended period—typically six to eighteen months.”

In essence, burnout is the result of prolonged, untreated stress. It occurs when you’ve used up all the inner grit and resilience your body has to offer.   

“When we are under stress, our body still has reserves of resilience that it can draw on to bounce back after a small amount of recuperation,” Francis Walker says. “By the time we’ve hit burnout—the more serious of the two—that resilience has long been used up, and there’s no reserve tank to draw on to keep us going.”

What tips the scale? 

Unfortunately, for most of us, stress is an inevitable aspect of working life. In fact, Gallup research shows that workplace-induced stress reached an all time high last year. 

Thankfully, stress doesn’t have to lead to burnout—it’s not inevitable that you’ll continue along the stress continuum until you have nothing left to give. But to turn things around, you have to be conscious of recharging your batteries. 

“So long as you can get some good recovery time between stints in the “stress zone,” you should have enough in your resilience tank to bounce back,” Francis Walker says. She explains that good recovery is crucial: “People can get caught in a cycle of deplete, partially charge, deplete, which is the quickest way to cross into burnout.” 

“Partial charging” often looks like getting a good night’s sleep and eating healthy meals, but letting friendships, family time and hobbies you enjoy slip to the wayside. 

“It can be very tempting to cut back on what you consider ‘optional’ activities, including quality and social time, so you can put more hours into keeping all the plates spinning,” she explains, “But this only exacerbates the downward spiral.” 

Where are you on the stress continuum?

If you’ve been feeling stressed for a while, you’re probably wondering whether you’ve crossed the threshold into burnout. Here’s how to know for sure: 

• You don’t bounce back after a rest period: “The simplest way to tell the difference is whether you can bounce back with a few days rest,” Francis Walker says, noting that people who are stressed will typically feel like themselves again after a few days off. With burnout, recovery takes at least a few months. 
• You feel bone tired: “With burnout, you will be experiencing a deep and enduring fatigue,” she says. “Your mental ‘executive functions’ will be fuzzy. You will feel out of control, and you may even notice an increasing emotional numbness.” 
• Your stress symptoms are more intense: “When stressed, typically you may feel under more pressure than is sustainable, you become more tired than usual, and can find yourself having a shorter fuse with people,” Francis Walker explains. However, when you tip into burnout, you’ll notice these symptoms becoming more all-consuming and acute. You may be moody, impatient, and have a deep sense of hopelessness that your efforts at work have all been in vain.

I’m burned out! Now what?

Okay, so you’ve realized you're heading towards burning out. The next step? Taking action so you can get back to thriving. 

This is about much more than taking some personal days or scheduling an aromatherapy massage. You’ll need to take a long-range view and re-evaluate your entire approach to work and play. 

“During the first few weeks it’s crucial to take as much of the load off as you can—mentally, emotionally and physically. Your brain and body needs a break so it can start to refuel,” says Francis Walker. 

For workaholic personalities, the idea of taking time away from your desk for weeks on end can be horrifying—but it really is crucial. 

“It might be possible to carry on working during this phase, but it’s easier if you are able to put work down for a while,” Francis Walker advises. “It’s a bit like breaking your leg. Would you really expect it to heal if you carry on putting weight on it?”

After a few weeks or months of time out, “there will come a moment when you’ll suddenly realize you are back to your usual self,” she reassures. 

But your recovery isn’t done there. The next step is ensuring you don’t relapse again further down line. 

“Look at what brought you to this point and how things can be addressed, so that you don’t end up in an inevitable cycle of stress and burnout,” she says. 

That will involve a level of honesty about what you really need from your career, what motivates and fulfills you, the type of environment in which you thrive (or wither), and what kind of life/work balance you need. It may also mean setting boundaries and learning to say “no” to unreasonable requests, even if it means risking disappointing your colleagues or boss. 

How to prevent stress from turning into burnout

Even if you’re not burned out, it’s important to manage your stress levels and stop them reaching the point where you’re teetering on the edge.

Francis Walker’s advice? Learn to recognize that rest is essential for productivity.  

“The need to ‘soldier on’ is something I often hear from clients who are used to achieving at high levels. But this only depletes your body’s resources,” she says. “The correct priority is to top up the tank so that you have the reserves to get tasks done.” 

And that’s the crux of the matter. Rest is not a luxury. It’s as important to your performance as doing your actual job is, and crucial for your mental and physical health. 

Of course, what rest and recuperation mean to you will depend on your unique personality traits. As Francis Walker advises, “do anything that helps you mentally take time out, gives your overloaded mental circuits a break, and builds your resilience back.”

Whether that’s “nature, moderate exercise, enjoyable time with people, or plenty of early nights,” focus on doing things that wholly re-energize your resilience tank. 

Not only will you feel lightyears better for it, but topping up your resources will also fuel your productivity.