Picture a big few weeks: a deadline at work, school holidays to fill, a parent who needs help getting to appointments. By the end, you are wrung out. You sleep in on Saturday, get outside on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon you feel a little more like yourself.
Now picture the same few weeks and the same weekend, but Monday still feels flat. The sleep did not touch it, and things you used to enjoy have become more items on the list. You are still getting everything done, but it is harder to say why.
Both get called “being worn out”, yet they are not quite the same thing. In this article, we explain how stress, exhaustion and burnout differ: how each tends to feel, what usually helps, how long each lasts, and when it may be worth reaching out. It builds on one section of our article Burnout Is More Than Being Tired: Understanding and Recovering from Burnout, so start there if you would like the wider picture of burnout.
Three words, three different experiences
Stress, exhaustion and burnout overlap, and one can lead into the next. Each one asks a different question:
- Stress: is too much being asked of me right now?
- Exhaustion: have I run low on energy?
- Burnout: has the pressure lasted so long that my energy, interest and sense of purpose have worn down?
Stress: too much, all at once
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) describes stress as feeling overloaded, wound-up, tense and worried when a situation feels like more than we can cope with. Healthdirect notes that stress is a common and normal response to challenging or new situations, and in healthy amounts it can even be motivating.
- How it tends to feel: wound up, on edge, hard to switch off. You still care, there is just a lot to care about.
- What tends to help: easing the load where you can, taking time out, talking with family or friends, and asking others to take on some tasks. The APS lists these as everyday steps.
- How long it lasts: often it settles when the pressure does. Healthdirect says it becomes a concern when it leaves you overwhelmed or continues for a long time.
Exhaustion: running low on energy
Exhaustion is the sense of having little left in the tank, in body and mind. Healthdirect’s fatigue page lists many causes, from a busy schedule and poor sleep to infections and physical conditions such as iron deficiency or an underactive thyroid. It can also accompany stress, anxiety, depression or grief, so a GP check-up can be a sensible part of working out what is going on.
- How it tends to feel: heavy, slow and flat, like a phone on three per cent. When the cause is a busy patch, rest often helps at least a little.
- What tends to help: it depends on the cause. Sleep, regular meals, movement and less caffeine and alcohol are common starting points, as is treating any physical condition.
- How long it lasts: Healthdirect suggests seeing a doctor if it lasts more than two weeks without improving, or earlier if it worries you or stops you doing things.
Burnout: when the pressure has gone on too long
Burnout is not a medical diagnosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burn-out as an “occupational phenomenon” in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), its global system for classifying health conditions: a group of symptoms arising from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It names three features: feeling depleted, mental distance or cynicism about the job, and reduced effectiveness. The WHO applies the term to work only, while Beyond Blue uses it more broadly, for exhaustion from excessive demands at work or in personal life, including unpaid caring.
- How it tends to feel: Beyond Blue’s signs include feeling isolated and trapped, irritable, drained, disengaged from work you used to value, unable to sleep as usual, and having headaches and body pain. Where stress tends to feel like too much, burnout often feels like too little left.
- What tends to help: rest alone may not be enough, because the demands behind burnout usually need to change too. Beyond Blue suggests clearer boundaries, delegating, regular breaks and talking to someone you trust. Therapy can support you to look at what keeps the load so high.
- How long it lasts: it tends to build gradually, so easing it usually takes more than a weekend. A short break may only take the edge off if the same demands are still there when you return.
A quick way to tell them apart
Ask yourself:
- When the pressure eases, do you start to feel like yourself again? That points towards stress.
- Are you mostly tired but still interested in your life, and does rest help a bit? That points towards exhaustion, and is worth a GP check if it lingers.
- Has it gone on for a long stretch, with flatness, irritability or distance staying even after rest? That sits closer to burnout.
These are a starting point, not a diagnosis, and the three can happen together. Healthdirect notes that chronic stress could be a sign of depression, anxiety or another mental health condition.
When is it worth talking to someone?
You do not need to be at breaking point to ask for support. The APS suggests seeing a psychologist if stress is affecting your ability to enjoy life. It may be worth speaking with a GP or psychologist if:
- you have felt exhausted for more than two weeks without improvement
- rest, time off or a holiday are not shifting how you feel
- irritability, flatness or changes in sleep, appetite or concentration are affecting your work, relationships or enjoyment of life
- you are leaning on alcohol or other substances to get through the day
- you are not sure whether it is stress, burnout, low mood or something physical
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020-22 found that 21.5% of Australians aged 16 to 85 had experienced a mental disorder (a category that includes anxiety disorders) in the previous 12 months, and that fewer than half of them (45.1%) saw a health professional for their mental health. Stress and burnout are not diagnoses, so these figures give general context only.
Therapy can draw on approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which looks at how thoughts and actions affect how you feel, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on clarifying what matters to you and relating differently to unhelpful thoughts.
You are welcome to book an appointment directly as a private client without a referral. If you wish to claim Medicare rebates, you will need a valid referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP prior to your session.
Talking to the Team at The Avenue Place
At The Avenue Place, our registered psychologists work with adults, children and adolescents, including adults experiencing stress, burnout and overwhelm. We see clients in Berwick and surrounding suburbs (Narre Warren, Beaconsfield, Officer, Clyde North, Pakenham and Cranbourne), and telehealth appointments are available for clients across Victoria.
We welcome you to get in touch. Our reception team is happy to answer any questions about our fees, rebates, and finding the right fit for your needs.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual professional advice. If you or someone close to you is at risk of immediate harm, call 000. To talk to someone now, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
