Is It Stress or Is It Burnout?

By Jasmine Kapoor, Mental Health Education Assistant (psychology and neuroscience)

As a student, it can be incredibly difficult to manage our classes, social lives, extracurriculars, and jobs all at the same time. A lot of the time, it can feel like we are constantly stressed out, and it is such a regular feeling that we start to feel it every day. Even though it can become such a normal part of our daily life, it is important to recognize and understand the differences between stress and burnout. Although stress can be a normal aspect of being a student, chronic stress can cause burnout, which calls for deeper restoration techniques.

What is Stress?

It is important to keep in mind that stress is a natural response to any threat we may perceive, and it acts as a way to protect us from the threat. There are two types of stress: acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is what people feel in their day-to-day lives and is short-term. Some common physiological symptoms of acute stress include shortness of breath, feeling lightheaded, indigestion, and excessive sweating.

Chronic stress, on the other hand, is more long-term and can sometimes last for months or even years.  Some common physiological symptoms include insomnia, a major increase/decrease in appetite, extremely low energy, and unconscious isolation.

What is Burnout?

Burnout is defined by the American Psychological Association as the “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.” There are also four distinct types of burnout that affect people.

Overload Burnout

Overload burnout is when you keep on overworking yourself just to try and reach a specific goal of success. Often, this can look like taking on more than you can handle and potentially sacrificing your physical and mental well-being just to succeed.

Under-Challenged Burnout

Under-challenged burnout is the opposite of overload burnout, where you do not feel challenged at all. For example, in your job you can feel under-appreciated or bored because you are not being given enough work to challenge yourself to grow and learn. Some consequences of this can be isolating yourself, becoming pessimistic, and avoiding any responsibilities you might have.

Neglect Burnout

Neglect burnout can happen when you feel powerless. If things are constantly not going your way, you can start to believe that you are incompetent and feel like you can’t keep up with all your work and responsibilities. Often, this specific type of burnout can be linked to something called imposter syndrome (constant doubt about your abilities).

Habitual Burnout

This is the most talked about burnout as it is the most concerning type. This type of burnout happens when an individual’s mental and physical fatigue is chronic. This can look like feeling sad constantly and having major behavioural changes. It can even lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. If you ever feel like this, please reach out to a mental health professional for help.

Preventative Measures

Strategies to prevent burnout can differ from person to person but maintaining consistent self-care and setting healthy boundaries are essential. For example, I dedicate time each week to socializing with friends outside of school to help me recharge. I also designate Sundays as my reset day for cleaning and preparing for the upcoming week. Staying organized ensures I make the most of my time and prioritize self-care effectively. This balance helps me maintain my wellbeing and avoid burnout. On a typical school day, I set clear boundaries around work; I aim to stop studying by 10:00 p.m. to allow time for my bedtime routine and to prepare for the next day.

It’s important to remember that preventative measures don’t always work, and seeking help is perfectly okay. Burnout is a common and natural experience when caring for yourself and others, so it’s important to approach it with self-compassion rather than shame.

Recovery from Burnout

Recovering from burnout can take anywhere from three months to even an entire year, depending on how severe it is. In order to begin to recover, it’s important to first accept that you are burnt out.

Some recovery techniques:

• Ask for professional help, such as making an appointment for counselling from the Student Wellness Centre
• Reach out to your support system
• Practice self-compassion
• Re-evaluate your goals and values
• Reintegrate self-care into your routine

Campus Resources

If you have realized you are experiencing symptoms of burnout, please reach out to a mental health professional on campus. At Laurier, there are many resources available for students that can be found here.

References

American Psychological Association. (2018, April 19). APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://dictionary.apa.org/burnout

Begum, J. (2024, March 5). Burnout: Symptoms, risk facturus, prevention, treatment. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/burnout-symptoms-signs Cleveland Clinic. (2023, June 5). 12 ways to recover from Burnout. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-recover-from-burnout

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Apathetic definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apathetic

Ponocny-Seliger, E., & Winker, R. (2014). 12-Phasen-Burnout-Screening. Arbeitsmed Sozialmed Umweltmed, 49, 927-935.

White-Gibson, Z. (2022, February 22). Acute stress vs. Chronic Stress: Is there a difference? Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/stress/chronic-stress-vs-acute-stress#chronic-stress