Burnout and Stress - What Are the Differences?

Stress affects everyone, but we all express and experience it differently. Hearing how a nurse practitioner responds to the various stressors of her job reveals how stress works at a fundamental level. Workplace well-being researcher Mandy O’Neill says that we’re more likely to feel stressed when there is an imbalance between the threat we’re facing and the resources we have to prevent damage or danger. When the current threat feels greater than our available resources, we become — understandably — mentally and emotionally strained.

The two of them join Amy B to discuss the constant challenge of managing stress, as well as actions that help control tension and anxiety — or, even better, the stressors themselves.

Guests:

Sarah Rose Lamport is a nurse practitioner.

Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill is an associate professor of management in the George Mason University School of Business and a senior scientist at the university’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.

Resources:

• HBR Guide to Managing Stress at Work, by Harvard Business Review
• “To Lead Better Under Stress, Understand Your Three Selves,” by Tony Schwartz et al.
• “5 Mistakes We Make When We’re Overwhelmed,” by Alice Boyes
• “Research: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress,” by Emma Seppälä et al.
• “Managing Burnout,” by Women at Work

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