We have all felt the strain of stress and burnout in various aspects of our life, whether that be school, work, family life, or relationships. It is a common human response to the pressures of life, and is something that is hard to avoid. We often associate burn-out and stress with each other, acting as synonyms to each other. However, being stressed and being burnt-out are two completely different things, existing as phases where one is the cause of the other. It is important to know the difference in order to overcome both instances.

Good Stress vs Bad Stress

When we often think of stress, we see it as a negative response to certain enforcements in our life. Our natural response is always, “Oh god I’m so stressed, I need a vacation!” However, not all stress we encounter is necessarily bad. In fact, good stress is what keeps us going towards our motivations and goals. So how can we identify the difference? 

One of the biggest ways to tell is our own response to stress. While good stress may be difficult, we respond to it with determination and resilience, and it pushes us towards our goals. It also allows us to be productive and understand the importance of deadlines, work, and responsibilities. 

The bad kind of stress, however, evokes unpleasant feelings of anxiety, depression, and fear that prevent us from achieving our goals. It comes once the motive behind the stress strays away from creativity and positive drive, instead pulling away from responsibilities and fixating on the problem. While good stress lasts in shorter spans of time, bad stress can be longer-lasting and chronic if not careful. 

Burnout 

The bad kind of stress, through its long-lasting negative impact, is what eventually leads to burnout. This is the phase where mental symptoms that develop in the bad stress phase worsen. Whereas bad stress causes people to release tension in some way, burnout is where the release stops and physical symptoms start to show. Deteriorating mental health could turn into signs of fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, illness, and lack of appetite to name a few.  People who are experiencing burnout feel exhausted and depleted, leading to an inactive state of mind which, eventually, turns into worsening mental health problems such as depression. 

The good news is that both bad stress and burn-out are reversible. Regardless of whether you are stressed or burnt-out, implementing diligent mental fitness habits can help you change your lifestyle for the better, preventing worsening mental and physical effects and setting you on the path to a healthy and fulfilling mental mindset. 

For more information on how to manage stress and burnout, go to anvayamovement.com, or book a chat with us at meetanvaya.com.

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