Burnout Series: How to Stop Stress in Its Tracks
We can’t talk about work without talking about the elephant in the room — burnout.
The numbers are staggering:
Millennials are the most burned-out generation, with 59% experiencing at least some symptoms of burnout.
GenZ burns out quicker than any other generation — rising from 47 to 58% in a year.
Burned-out employees are over 50% more likely to seek a new job.
No matter how hard we try, we simply can’t seem to outrun stress, especially on the job.
With remote work on the rise since 2020, it can feel impossible to unplug even when it’s time to clock out. Our hyper-connectedness makes it too easy to check (and even respond) to work emails after hours. We think, “Oh, it’ll just take me a minute, and I’ll save time tomorrow.”
We tend to associate burnout only with our jobs, but burnout can pop up in many areas of our lives, from sports to home life to school to social obligations. We often don’t notice it until it’s too late.
But what is burnout costing us?
The truth is, we weren’t wired to be constantly plugged into work. That’s why it’s no surprise that burnout is on the rise, and The World Health Organization (WHO) has even recognized job burnout as an official health diagnosis.
The WHO officially classifies burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Four symptoms are present during burnout:
Feelings of energy depletion, exhaustion, and fatigue
Increased mental space from work
Negative emotions or cynicism related to work
Decreased proficiency
Sneaky Contributors to Burnout
Burnout stems from perfectionism, ideas about what we think we should be doing, and our availability. If we’re the kind of employee who says YES to every task and has trouble delegating, we can easily take on too much.
On the flip side, if we happily accept extra assignments and responsibility at work, we might use our jobs as a numbing mechanism. We won’t have time to focus on what’s truly bothering us if we’re consumed with deadlines, right? We’re so much more accessible today with smartphones. Work can come with us anywhere; if we don’t intentionally turn it off, it can take over and consume our lives.
Without strong boundaries around our time at work and at home or even with our friends, we end up giving more to others, leaving nothing left for ourselves.
Additionally, we're not honoring ourselves when we link our worth to our role, income, or external pressures such as socialization, life circumstances, and expectations.
All these paths lead to one place — burnout.
Burnout looks different for men and women.
Men typically tend to disassociate and disengage from their work. It can come across like they’re being lazy, which is usually not the case.
When women are burnt out, it looks more like emotional exhaustion. The work never seems to stop, and they can feel overwhelmed and exhausted all the time. It’s as if they’re doing more and more and never reaching the end of their to-do lists. For women, it often shows up as having a short fuse and getting triggered easily.
Working less isn’t enough to reduce stress, improve well-being, or prevent burnout.
The good news? There’s a better way to beat burnout.
Even if you can’t ditch all your stressors (most of us can’t), you can prevent burnout by learning how to complete the stress cycle. Burnout only wreaks havoc when we don’t satisfy the stress cycle. We have stressors like our commute, deadlines, children, and soccer practice, and then we have physiological stress. Physiological experience is what we do when we face a threat and have that fight, flight, or freeze response.
We have too many stressors, and we're not addressing the stress, which is causing a consistent overload of adrenaline and negative feelings. We were never designed to live under this much stress. Our bodies are made to manage the threat and then relax. We’re typically meant to live in a state of relaxation, but that’s not how many people in our modern society are living.
It’s simply not sustainable to live this way for long. Stress is supposed to be a short-term event. Here’s the cycle and how to complete it:
Perceive the stress.
We often skip this step because we think it’s simply a part of life. When we perceive a threat, our basic brain thinks something is trying to kill us.Do something physical to address the stress to reach the final phase.
Move your body with physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Even some jumping jacks, walking, and bodyweight exercises can be effective. If you’re unable to exercise due to physical limitations, tense your body for 10 seconds, relax, and then repeat a few times. This tension tells our brain that we’re moving.Relax and return to calm.
This is when our body knows it’s safe. If you live with others, try a hug to calm your nerves. Create a love bubble and connect with others. What can you care for right now? Create communities for yourself where you can connect and socialize, whether with family, friends, or people in your greater community.
Simply telling yourself to be calm isn’t enough. If you find yourself thinking, “I need more grit!” This can actually be a good sign. It means it’s time for some support. It’s a signal that instead of trying to be radically independent, it’s time we become interdependent. Instead of struggling through it alone, ask for and share support to help quell feelings of isolation.
Lastly, see where you can reduce everyday stressors when you can. Get adequate sleep and extra support at work and/or home, and eat healthy, whole foods.
Do you need support with stress? If life or work is starting to feel like too much, let’s chat.
