Originally published November 3, 2024
Stress isn't something you should have to endure.
But rather, it's information your body and mind give you about what is out of alignment or needs to shift in your life.
Yet when we live in a world that glorifies hustle and expects constant productivity, listening to that information feels taboo and a bit rebellious.
And maybe that's exactly what we need more of right now - a little rebellion against the status quo.
To work with our bodies and support our needs instead of against it...
Stress Signals, Not Sirens
One of the first things I learned as I dug into my burnout symptoms was the difference between stress and burnout.
I think with the prevalence of both in our current work culture, they can easily be thought of as interchangeable but they are truly different.
Think of stress as having too many browser tabs open - it's slowing things down, but you're still functioning. Burnout is like when your computer freezes because you've had those 147 tabs open for three weeks (or three months) straight and refuse to restart. (Yes, I'm calling out everyone who feels personally attacked by this tab analogy because I am you and you are me 😅)
Stress looks like over-engagement, over-reactive, urgency and hyperactivity, loss of energy, and can lead to anxiety.
Burnout in comparison looks like disengagement, blunted emotions, hopelessness and helplessness, loss in movtivation and ideals, detachment, and can lead to depression.
Knowing this and that I'm personally prone to chronic burnout, burnout prevention has to be baked into everything I do.
I wish it was as simple as a single set of changes that do that but it's a lot of building new skills continually over time—like resilience.
It takes patience.
Mistakes are made.
It doesn't always feel good in the moment.
But it's always worth it.
Research confirms what many of us feel intuitively - stress and burnout operate differently in our bodies and minds.
A 2019 study of over 800 emotional labor workers [1] found that unchecked stress directly contributes to burnout, but here's the key insight:
It's not the stress itself that leads to burnout, it's how we manage (or don't manage) our recovery.
The catch 22 here is that we often don't have any control over our external stressors.
I mean, that's half of what makes it stressful...
***raises hand slowly*** 🫠
While we can't control external stressors (especially during high-stress times), we can build our resilience - aka our ability to bounce back.
Think of it like training a muscle; the stronger it gets, the better we manage the stress.
Let's take a look at what research shows as the top 4 strategies that actually works and then we'll dig into how you can align your productivity type with the best stress response strategy:
1. Energy Management
You can't manage what you don't measure. Energy management is the first thing we focus on when I work with 1:1 clients by spending the first month tracking while we work on diving deep into habits, routines, patterns, and goals. Tracking helps you see your needs and patterns objectively and then use that information to make a plan to best support yourself.
2. Boundary Setting
Realizing boundaries were energy protection not limitations, that they fostered better, healthier connection with others was life-changing. Once I started identifying and keeping boundaries with myself, my burnout recovery skyrocketed. Whether it's access to news, social media scrolling, conversations with family members, or routine self-care practices, setting boundaries that help you protect your peace without completely disconnecting you is important during high-stress periods.
3. Recovery Rituals
I know that everyone says "take regular breaks" but that can sometimes feel unsafe for our bodies or unrealistic. Simply touching grass isn't helpful if we aren't working to activate our parasympathetic nervous system and complete those stress cycles in the body. When it comes to breaks, consistency, and recovery, I always think of the quote by actor, Andre De Shields, "Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be." Just as your computer needs regular restarts to maintain long-term performance, your brain and body need consistent recovery windows. Major breaks like vacations are great and definitely part of an overall strategy, but small daily resets are vital to help prevent that dreaded system freeze.
4. Communication
Of all the things I learned in recovering from burnout, how to ask for help and then allowing others to show up for me was (and sometimes still is) the hardest. When someone asks 'how can I support you?' it can feel overwhelming - especially in the thick of stress and your brain doesn't know where to begin. As someone who often freezes at this well-meaning question, I've learned to keep a mental list of simple, specific requests that actually help:
- Ask them to be an accountability buddy for regular breaks
- Have them check in via text at set times (without requiring a response)
- Let them know you may need a listening ear this week
Support can often be as simple as asking someone to remind you to drink water or to help protect your calendar by being understanding when you decline non-essential commitments.
These are strategies that work universally, how you implement them most effectively depends on your unique needs and approach. This is where understanding your productivity archetype becomes crucial.
⚠️ If you haven't taken the quiz to find your productivity archetype yet, take a few minutes to pause and do that here before reading on! It's not required, you can always select the one that feels most like you to see some personalized examples 🫶
Let's take a look at each of the productivity archetypes and the most impactful strategies personalized for each type:
