Is this Burnout or Am I Stressed Out?

What is the difference between burnout and being stressed out? The answer? Not much! Burnout is simply a less-stigmatized word professionals use to describe being stressed out. In other words, professionals burn out whereas average people become stressed out. Think of your resources as a container, like a coffee cup or mug. Now, if your stress overflows the mug, then you ll feel overwhelmed because your resources are inadequate to contain the stress in your life. Now, we all have different size coffee mugs because some of us have more resources than others.

However, if your mug becomes chronically overflowing, 01:28 - day after day, then you’ll become stressed out. So, what are some signs that you’re stressed out or burned out? Well, here are some common ones: Now, the more of these signs and symptoms you’re experiencing, the more likely you’re stressed out, which really is your mind/body’s way of telling you: I know that might be a difficult message to hear, but if you ignore this cry for help from your mind/body, then you’ll risk having a complete physical and mental breakdown. So, what should you do? Here are some questions to help you identify the sources of your stress: If you said no to any of these questions, then you’ve identified areas of self-care that you need to improve. For example, you could learn to say no more often to others, which would reduce the demands on you and add a new skill to your toolkit for coping with stress. Or you could learn to stop spending compulsively, which would decrease your financial burdens, by learning to cope with stress through exercise and meditation, which would also add to your toolkit.

06:15 - Or you could learn and practice good sleep hygiene, which would add resources to your toolkit while reducing the stress of feeling exhausted every day. If you’d like help in this journey, then visit my website, serenityonlinetherapy.com, to learn more about the online services I provide. If you liked this video, please click the Thumbs Up button and then subscribe to my channel to hear more from me. And finally, keep paying attention to your life! Until next time. .