Stress isn’t inherently a bad thing.
Of course, if poorly managed, stress can quickly turn into burnout, exhaustion, and poor mental and physical health. But that has much more to do with how we experience and respond to stress than the stress itself.
In fact, stress is an essential ingredient for growth. When properly framed, stress can sharpen focus, build resilience, and drive performance.
It’s time to start harnessing stress to your advantage.
The Difference Between Healthy Stress and Burnout
What is Healthy Stress?
Healthy stress — also called adaptive stress — is the kind that challenges you, pushes you outside your comfort zone, and drives growth.
This pressure helps you meet deadlines and perform under pressure while staying engaged in meaningful work.
In fact, the first step of getting into flow state is going through struggle. So you need to go through the stress first to reap the benefits of flow.
When viewed positively, embracing stress can:
- Boost focus and motivation
- Improve problem-solving skills
- Enhance resilience and adaptability
- Trigger dopamine release, reinforcing courage and progress
Think of stress as a workout for your brain and body.
Just as muscles grow stronger when challenged, your mind becomes more resilient when you face stressors and recover from them. Don’t neglect your recovery.
What is Burnout?
By definition, burnout stems from chronically unmanaged workplace stress — leaving you feeling emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted.
Employee burnout signs include:
- Physical exhaustion. Feeling drained, fatigued, or constantly tired
- Emotional detachment. Becoming cynical, disengaged, or indifferent at work
- Cognitive decline. Struggling to focus, solve problems, or retain information
- Increased frustration. Feeling easily irritated, impatient, or overwhelmed
- Declining performance. Feeling ineffective or doubting your ability to succeed
Left unchecked, burnout leads to depleted energy, lower engagement, and significant health risks.
Research shows that burnout can even negatively rewire your brain, shrinking areas responsible for emotional regulation and decision-making.
How to Spot Stress vs. Burnout in Yourself and Others
Signs of a Healthy Relationship with Stress:
Feeling challenged, but capable. There’s pressure, but you know you can handle it.
For others: Ask your team members how challenged they feel. In what areas do they want to grow?
Recovering quickly after stressful situations. A tough day doesn’t linger on your mind for weeks afterwards.
For others: Check in on how well your team members can move on from stressful events. See what kind of support they need (from both themselves and others).
Feeling engaged and energized. Stress presents an exciting challenge for you — an opportunity, even.
For others: Do your team members dread upcoming projects, or find excitement in them? Try to put them in positions to challenge themselves in the way they want to be challenged.
Shifting smoothly between effort and recovery. You know when to work hard, and when to recharge.
For others: Check on people’s workloads, and make sure they’re tending to their recovery needs.
Signs of Burnout
You’re constantly exhausted. No amount of sleep or rest seems to change how tired you feel.
For others: Do your team members seem consistently tired and low-energy? Let them know you notice, and that you care.
Your mood is consistently low. You feel unmotivated, frustrated, or hopeless.
For others: Notice if your team members tend to be consistently negative. Try listening to them.
You experience physical symptoms – Headaches, digestive issues, or frequent illness.
For others: Listen to see if people are complaining often about ailments, or taking many sick days. Check in on their well-being.
You have difficulty focusing or caring about work. Even simple tasks feel overwhelming or impossible.
For others: Notice if they suddenly seem less motivated and proactive. Ask about how you can support them.
Be wary if you struggle to consistently bounce back from stress. Healthy stress comes and goes; burnout lingers.
How to Spot Stress vs. Burnout in Yourself and Others
The key to workplace stress management isn’t eliminating stress — it’s learning to manage it effectively. Here’s how:
1. Reframe Your Mindset About Stress
Your perception of stress determines how it affects you.
People who view stress as harmful actually experience more negative effects. On the other hand, those who see stress as a challenge tend to be less anxious and healthier overall.
Instead of thinking “stress is something I should avoid”, try:
- “This upcoming stretch may feel difficult, but I’m excited for the opportunity to grow.”
- “I’m struggling now, but this will help me better navigate challenges in the future.”
- “I feel a bit stressed, and that’s okay. This pressure means I’m stretching my capabilities.”
At the same time, don’t try to trick yourself into not being overwhelmed or burnt out.
Life inevitably throws overwhelming stressors at you. People pass away, crises happen, people lose jobs. But if you build healthy resilience practices, you can absolutely get through the overwhelm and make it out stronger.
Listen to your body, and be truthful about what you need.
2. Plan Strategic Recovery in Your Routine
To prevent burnout, you need to build intentional recovery into your schedule.
- Take strategic breaks. Step away from work, even for 5-10 minutes, to unplug and reset.
- Prioritize sleep. – Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to help the brain recover.
- Move throughout the day. Walk, stretch, do a quick yoga flow. Daily movement helps regulate stress.
- Practice deep breathing. Simple techniques like Box Breathing or 4/7/8 Breathing lower stress in minutes.
Think of stress and recovery like physical training — push hard, then recover.
3. Build Up Your Resilience
Resilience is the ability to handle stress and bounce back quickly. And with any skill, resilience takes practice.
Try exposing yourself to small, intentional stressors to build your capacity to handle stress. This could be:
- Taking cold showers (to practice discomfort)
- Having challenging conversations (to build emotional resilience)
- Trying something uncomfortable every day (to boost confidence in handling pressure)
By regularly getting out of your comfort zone, you train your brain and body to handle bigger challenges more effectively — a process called hormesis.
4. Recognize and Prevent Burnout in Your Team
If you’re a leader, preventing employee burnout should be a priority.
- Watch for employee burnout signs. See if your team members become more disengaged, drained, or error-prone — then have an open dialogue with them.
- Encourage open conversations. Make it safe for employees to discuss stress and burnout. Let them know you’re on their side, and willing to support them through it.
- Promote strategic recovery. Support flexible schedules, breaks, and time off.
- Model healthy stress management. As a leader, you’ll have to practice what you preach. Model how an effective leader handles stress, rather than weighing down your team members with your own stress.
Remember: Stress Is a Tool, Not a Threat
At Exos, we believe that stress isn’t something to avoid — it’s something to harness.
With the right approach, stress can be a powerful force for performance, growth, and success.
If you’re ready to help your team prevent burnout and perform at their top potential, talk to us about Exos’ Human Performance Coaching.
