Stress or burnout: what’s the difference?

If you’re reading this, the chances are you have been struggling with feeling overwhelmed, stressed or starting to feel burnt out.

Modern life can feel like we have a constant list of boxes we should be ticking off each week. With the pressure to try and keep on top of it all, whether that be internal or external, it can feel like a lot to carry.

Why do so many of us feel like this?

There’s often this underlying pressure running in the background of our lives:

• "Excel in your work"
• "Start a family"
• "Maintain good friendships"
• "Find a stable partner" 
• "Exercise regularly"
• "Avoid unhealthy processed foods"
• "Meet that deadline, but make sure you take breaks"
• "Use this supplement to feel calmer"
• "Don’t do too much, but also don’t fall behind"
• "Prioritise rest, but don’t miss out"

It is a lot, and can be draining.

Over time, trying to hold all of that can leave you feeling stretched thin, like you’re constantly “on”, constantly trying to keep up, but never quite feeling on top of things. It’s no surprise so many of us find ourselves swinging somewhere between stress and burnout.

So, what is stress?

Stress is that feeling of everything being a bit too much. It tends to show up when the demands on you feel greater than your ability to cope in that moment. You might feel you’re overworked and struggling to prioritise.

Stress can impact us in many ways, in how we feel, how we think, what we do and how our body responds.

You might notice your mind racing, overthinking things, second-guessing yourself, or struggling to switch off. You might feel more irritable, anxious, or on edge. In your body, you might notice muscle tension, headaches, and that constant "wired" feeling. You might find yourself unable to concentrate, drinking more or having difficulty falling or staying asleep.

However, it’s important to say here that stress isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it can give us a push or highlight that something in our life needs attention. But when it’s constant, and there’s no real break from it, that’s when it can start to wear you down.

And what about burnout?

Burnout is the feeling you get when that stress has been there for a while, without enough time or space to recover.

Just like stress, burnout can impact how we feel, how we think, what we do and how our body feels. But instead of feeling overwhelmed, burnout often feels like the opposite. Flat. Drained. Detached. A sense of low productivity, hopelessness, or negativity.

You might notice a lack of energy, low motivation, or things you’d normally care about just don’t feel the same anymore. Even the small tasks feel heavy. You might find yourself calling in sick from work, feeling unwell or wanting to isolate yourself from the world. Maybe feeling like you just don’t have much left to give.

Burnout can also come with a lot of guilt, like you “should” be able to cope better or do more than you currently can.

What’s the difference?

A simple way to think about it is:

• stress feels like too much
• burnout feels like nothing is left

Both are difficult, just in different ways. 

Take a moment here to reflect on your week, and ask yourself where you are right now.

If you’re recognising yourself in this, what can help?

You don’t need to dramatically change your whole life overnight, but small, realistic shifts can start to take some of that pressure off.

One thing I want to say here is that even reading a list like this can sometimes feel like there are more things to do, especially if you’re already feeling close to burnout.

If that’s the case, try not to approach this as a checklist. Take what feels supportive, and let yourself leave the rest. Rest itself is part of the process too. So please go gently with yourself as you read this.

Understand how stress and burnout show up for you

This is about building self-awareness so you can notice things earlier, before they build up further. Have a look back through the symptoms in this article and see what resonates.

Notice your triggers

A lot of the time, we just push through, and we don’t often stop and check in with ourselves. Journaling can be really helpful here. When you notice any of these feelings coming up, try writing things down.

Try to ask yourself:

• What am I feeling?
• What’s contributing to this?
• What do I need?

You might be thinking, "But I don’t have time to journal when I’m already stressed”, and I get that.

But even five minutes to get things out of your head and onto paper can help you untangle what’s going on. Often, the thoughts are already there; they just feel like a mess until you slow down and look at them.

Sometimes burnout can also bring a lot of guilt or self-criticism, especially when things start to feel unmanageable. Journaling can help you notice those thoughts, rather than getting stuck in them, and begin to soften that internal pressure.

Talking to someone about it

You’ve probably heard this before, but talking really does help. When everything stays in your head, it can build up quickly and start to feel heavier than it actually is.

This might be with a friend or family member, but sometimes it’s hard to feel fully heard, or to say everything you actually want to say. This is where therapy can feel different. Having a space that’s just for you, where you can offload, be listened to properly, and start to make sense of things, can be a real shift.

Therapy can be a really valuable place to reduce your overwhelm by supporting you to understand yourself more, notice patterns and find ways of coping that actually work for you.

Try to take some pressure off your day

When you’re stressed, everything can feel like it needs your attention right now. But the reality is, not everything does.

Trying to prioritise what actually matters, breaking things into smaller steps, and giving yourself permission to pause can make things feel more manageable. This is especially supportive if you’re feeling burnt out.

Even something simple like writing a short to-do list can help. Not a huge overwhelming one, just a few key things. It can be the difference between a chaotic day and one that feels a bit more manageable and purposeful.

There’s also a reason it feels so good to tick things off - your brain releases dopamine, giving a sense of reward and motivation to keep going. 

Something I often suggest (and do myself) is adding small, non-work things to that list too, like “reply to a message” or “do the washing”. More structure, more organisation and more momentum. It might sound basic, but ticking things off can genuinely help when everything feels a bit chaotic.

Meditation and mindfulness

When people hear meditation, they often think it means sitting still, eyes closed, listening to music and trying to clear their mind. And if that works for you, that’s great. But when you’re already feeling stressed, that can feel almost impossible.

Meditation doesn’t have to look like that. At its core, it’s just about focused attention.  This is something that’s helped me a lot personally, and it doesn’t have to take long. It could be doing anything that stops your mind from focusing on what you’re stressing about.

For example:

• making a cup of tea and actually focusing on it
• going for a walk and noticing what’s around you
• cooking and being fully present with what you’re doing
• doing the washing up and noticing the feeling of the warm water on your hands

You might hear yourself thinking, “But when am I going to find the time to meditate?”  Even 5 minutes of bringing your attention back to the present can be enough to help regulate your nervous system.

A quick grounding tool you can try is the 5-4-3-2-1 method:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can hear
• 3 things you can touch
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

It may sound simple, but it can really help settle your system when you are feeling stressed or burnt out.

Stress is something most of us experience at some point, but it’s not something you have to keep pushing through until you’re completely exhausted and burnt out. Sometimes, just understanding what’s going on for you is the first step. If this resonates with you and you’re feeling like things have been building for a while, it might help to talk it through with someone. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.