Chronic stress
A sustained and prolonged stress response; which can cause wear and tear on the body and mind. Chronic stress could occur from a sustained acute stress response or from ongoing, cumulative, lower level persistent stress or duress.
Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged duress.
It is change that occurs as a result of continually being under significant levels of stress. It includes feelings of overwhelm, being emotionally drained and being unable to meet constant demands. It often results in loss of interest and motivation in things you once enjoyed.
Self-help for chronic stress and burnout
- Increased self-awareness – recognise and monitor your signs of stress
- Increase level of self-care to reduce signs of stress
- Proactively ensure a work-life balance
- Proactively manage workload
- Take regular breaks
- Seek social support form colleagues, a buddy system can be great to monitor and share ideas about managing impact of exposure
- Be boundaried about work and personal time – your brain needs downtime
- Look after your physical health – think about what you eat and the fluids you consume