STRESS AND BURNOUT

Stress is our body’s natural response to everyday or extraordinary stressors but

when it becomes chronic, it may lead to burnout. Stress is not bad as it seems because
it can actually make us prioritize our tasks so that we can start working on the most
important work first. The reason is that the released adrenaline gives us a sense of
urgency making us feel that we do not have enough time to do everything. But what
happens when stress is experienced for an extended period of time without being able to
change it? Stress that is too much and for too long can lead to burnout, which is a state
of mental and physical exhaustion.

It can be challenging to distinguish between stress and burnout because the lines
between the two are often blurred. Stress could be in one form or another such as being
a parent, in schoolwork, at work, etc. However, when faced with these kinds of stress
coupled with anxiety constantly, it may lead to depression or even post-traumatic stress
disorder. If a person sees the situation as not anymore temporary and unresolvable, then
helplessness and hopeless thoughts could lead to burnout. It is clear that when a person
is stressed out, the person feels that he or she is in control of the situation compared to
burnout where the person feels that the stressors are getting out of hand and there is no
way that a person could resolve it resulting to mental, physical, and emotional fatigue.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought stress to all people while some experienced
burnout. Losing jobs, financial difficulties, a sudden shift of work set-up from offices to
home while attending to their child’s needs, etc. were some of the stressors that could
have experienced by many people. The uncertainty of things during the declaration of
lockdown has brought burnout, especially to the healthcare workers because the
pandemic seems to have no end.

Stress will always be part of our lives, but burnout could be prevented if we know
our limits and do some self-care when experiencing stress. First, self-assessment and
awareness of how we are feeling, thinking, and behaving is a must because this will help
us be aware of what causes the feeling of burning out. With this understanding, you put
yourself not at risk of repeating negative behaviors over and over again. Second, develop
a self-care plan that would give you a healthy work-life balance which is an important
aspect of overall mental health. Third, do not forget to have some leisure time as well as
personal time. It is important to know when either our body is experiencing stress or
burnout because if responsibilities both in our work and personal lives are too much to
handle, it would be beneficial to see a psychologist because this could affect our mental
health if not taken seriously.