Simply speaking, stress refers to mental or emotional tension caused by difficult circumstances. It’s common for people to experience stress in the workplace due to everyday responsibilities, impending deadlines or interpersonal issues. In fact, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 15 per cent of Australians experienced high or very high psychological distress as of 2021.

Burnout refers to chronic stress that is not managed properly. As a result, people may feel exhausted, distanced, irritable or cynical; they sometimes also feel unable to perform their work effectively. Both stress and burnout may occur in the office, so it’s helpful to learn better coping strategies.

Possible causes for stress and burnout include:

• Tight deadlines
• Interpersonal conflict
• Heavy workload