Is It Burnout or Just Stress? Key Differences and When to Seek Burnout Therapy
We all have days when work feels overwhelming, our calendars are overflowing, and we’re pulled in a million different directions. That’s stress. But sometimes, what you’re experiencing goes beyond the usual stress of everyday life. It’s heavier, longer-lasting, and leaves you feeling drained no matter how much sleep you get or how many vacations you plan. That’s burnout.
For women - especially those who are used to being the “go-to” person in their families, friendships, or workplaces - it can be difficult to tell the difference between normal stress and true burnout. You might push through, telling yourself “everyone’s busy” or “I just need to try harder,” but ignoring burnout can take a real toll on your emotional, physical, and relational health.
So, how do you know if you’re stressed or actually burned out? Let’s break it down.
Stress vs. Burnout: What’s the Difference?
Stress is your body’s natural response to pressure. You might feel tense, worried, or restless, but stress tends to come and go. For example, you might feel stressed during a big work project, but once the deadline passes, you can relax. Stress often feels like “too much”: too many tasks, too many demands, too many plates spinning at once.
Burnout, on the other hand, is what happens when stress becomes chronic and overwhelming. It’s not just about having too much to do, it’s about feeling emotionally depleted, detached, and stuck. With burnout, it often doesn’t matter if you clear your schedule, take a vacation, or get a good night’s rest. You still feel exhausted, unmotivated, and disconnected from the things you normally care about.
Think of it this way: stress is like sprinting. Burnout is what happens when you’ve been sprinting nonstop with no chance to stop, breathe, or rest.
Signs You Might Be Burned Out
While stress and burnout overlap, burnout tends to show up in deeper, more persistent ways. Here are some signs to watch out for:
Constant exhaustion: No matter how much sleep you get, you feel drained and exhausted throughout the day, even when the stressor passes.
Loss of motivation: Things that once excited you now feel like a chore.
Emotional numbness: Not only do you feel tired, you feel detached, irritable, or hopeless.
Difficulty setting boundaries: You keep saying “yes” even when you’re running on empty.
Physical symptoms: Headaches, digestive issues, or frequent colds or other illnesses that don’t seem to go away.
Questioning yourself: You wonder if you’re doing enough, good enough, or if you’ll ever “catch up.”
If this list feels familiar, you may be dealing with burnout rather than everyday stress.
Why Women Struggle More with Burnout
For many women, burnout isn’t just about the workload, it’s about expectations. You might feel like you’re supposed to succeed at work, manage relationships, show up for family, and still find time to take care of yourself. Add in the difficulty of setting boundaries (hello, “people-pleaser” mode), and burnout can sneak up on you before you even realize it.
When you’re constantly prioritizing others, it’s easy to ignore your own needs until your body and mind finally force you to slow down.
When to Seek Burnout Therapy
So, when is it time to reach out for help? Therapy can be incredibly supportive if:
You’ve tried rest or self-care but still feel emotionally and physically drained.
You find yourself snapping at loved ones or withdrawing from relationships.
You feel “stuck” in a cycle of overcommitting and under-recovering.
You want to learn how to set boundaries without guilt.
You’re ready to prioritize yourself, but you don’t know where to start.
Burnout therapy gives you a space to explore not just the symptoms of burnout, but the deeper patterns that keep you in survival mode. Together with a therapist, such as myself, you can learn how to manage your energy, reconnect with your needs, and build healthier boundaries so you’re not running on empty all the time.
Final Thoughts
Stress is a normal part of life, but burnout is not something you should push through or ignore. If you find yourself constantly drained, detached, or feeling like you’ve lost your spark, it may be time to get support. Burnout therapy can help you not just recover, but also learn how to protect your energy moving forward.
Start Working With A Burnout Therapist in New York, NY
If burnout is taking a toll on your mind and body, you don’t have to face it alone. Working with a burnout therapist in New York can help you process stress, reconnect with your values, and start feeling like yourself again. Reach out to The Lavender Therapy by following these simple steps:
Schedule a consultation today.
Learn more from my blogs here.
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Other Services I Offer Across New York
Burnout therapy is not the only form of support I offer from my New York-based practice. I provide a variety of specialized services, whether you're seeking help with infertility and pregnancy loss support, postpartum and pregnancy challenges, women’s therapy, or family planning, I’m here to offer guidance and care every step of the way.
About The Author:
Dr. Ruby Rhoden is a New York-based licensed psychologist who is dedicated to uplifting women through life changes and challenges, including reproduction and parent burnout. She understands how unhelpful behavior patterns and mental health disorders uniquely impact women and uses evidence-based techniques to usher in sustainable change and relief. Dr. Ruby is dedicated to helping women develop healthier habits and relationships with themselves and their bodies so they can connect to others and the world around them again. Dr. Ruby studied at Cornell University and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey for her Bachelor’s and Doctoral degrees, respectively. In her free time, she enjoys watching reality TV, supporting small businesses, and writing blog posts to remind all women that they are not alone.
