Burnout is not the same as stress
Burnout is defined as a reaction to prolonged or chronic stress that shows up in three main ways: exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of reduced ability.
The term was first coined in 1974 by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in his book Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. He used it to describe the emotional depletion and lack of motivation he observed in overworked healthcare professionals and volunteers.
Today, burnout is widely recognised as a serious workplace phenomenon, but it's often misunderstood.
Burnout vs. Stress: What's the Difference?
Burnout isn't just another word for stress. While the two are connected, burnout is the result of chronic and unmanageable stress.
Stress can be temporary. You might feel overwhelmed with urgency and pressure, but still believe that if you push through or get things under control, you’ll feel better.
With burnout, that belief disappears. It brings:
Mental fatigue
Emotional numbness
Loss of motivation
A creeping sense of hopelessness
Burnout feels like there's no way out, and no change in sight. Here's a breakdown of how stress and burnout compare by Dr Daksha Hirani, co-host of our Narcissism at Work podcast (see slide 4):
Burnout Is a Workplace Issue
According to the World Health Organisation, burnout refers to the workplace and shouldn't be applied to stress in other areas of life. It is defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
Although it's not classified as a medical condition, recognition of its emotional, physical, and psychological toll is very real.
In other words, burnout isn't just about being tired or busy. It's a sustained breakdown in your ability to function at work, and it's often a sign that something in the system around you needs to change.
Burnout Isn't Just About Overworking
While heavy workloads can contribute, burnout is just as often about:
Emotional exhaustion
Powerlessness
Feeling unsupported
Toxic team dynamics
Toxic colleagues, microaggressions, and especially narcissistic behaviour in the workplace can fast-track you to burnout. Being in constant fight-or-flight mode, where you are emotionally on edge, hypervigilant, or walking on eggshells, takes a serious toll on your mental and physical health.
This type of burnout doesn't just require rest, it needs boundaries, recovery, and systemic change.
Burnout, Boundaries + Self-Preservation
Self-care is often promoted as the solution for burnout, but it can also be a powerful form of prevention.
As writer and activist Audre Lorde said:
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
Self-care goes beyond bubble baths. It means protecting your energy, recognising red flags, and refusing to normalise dysfunction.
We Explore Burnout in Our New Podcast
We explore burnout in depth in our new podcast series: Narcissism At Work.
From chronic stress to emotional exhaustion, we unpack how burnout shows up in toxic work environments, especially where narcissistic behaviours go unchecked with clinical psychologist Dr Daksha Hirani.
At Other Box, our mission is to: Make Space For Difference. That includes unpacking the language we use at work, and how it impacts our health and sense of self. Want to dive deeper? Explore our Diversity Dictionary™ course at otherbox.co/education.
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Narcissism At Work drops on June 24, 2025, with a preview available on June 1 to mark World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day and is accessible wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Produced by Other Box Studios in collaboration with Breaking Atoms, with production by Chris Mitchell and support from Roxi Jahanshahi.
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