![\"Stress](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5010134_2_articleinline_01KKY12E3Z23SZBAVPDW19DQV3_281_29.jpg\" "\\"Stress")
Stress can manifest itself in many ways, here are what the experts have to say.<\/p>\nMost of us live busy lives, juggling the demands of work and home. Stress is part of the deal \u2014 it can even help us to push through a particularly tough day. But what happens when it builds to the point of exhaustion? We spoke to experts to better understand what burnout really means and the five key ways it can affect the brain.<\/p>\n
They also shared some useful tips for breaking free from what can often feel like an inescapable cycle of burnout.<\/p>\n
Stress can manifest itself in many ways, here are what the experts have to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cBurnout is a syndrome, so is a collection of symptoms, and the WHO (World Health Organization) defines it as an occupational phenomenon,\u201d says psychiatrist Dr Elisabetta Burchi. \u201cIf you think about burnout in the workplace, you think about somebody who feels emotionally drained, detached from their own duties, and a perception of reduced efficacy in the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
She explains that, in terms of symptomatology, it resembles what is described as a \u2018chronic stress condition\u2019.<\/p>\n
Neuropsychiatrist Dr Matt Rowett says: \u201cChronically high levels of cortisol can weaken the immune system and make people become more prone to infections, flu, and colds. In the worst-case scenario, chronic stress can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Five key ways burnout can affect the brain:\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we are overwhelmed with stress, our thoughts might appear slowed and we might previously have been able to juggle a few things, but now we can\u2019t. For example, deadlines and the quality of the work might start to slide,\u201d says Rowett.<\/p>\n
Burchi agrees and adds: \u201cBurnout can impact our cognitive function by making us less capable of focusing or decision making. The concept of \u2018brain fog\u2019 can summarise broadly what you can expect. In addition, there is also a detachment aspect, where you feel less present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChronic stress can affect our autobiographical episodic memory, which is the ability to remember events from our own life,\u201d says Rowett. \u201cFor example, you might still be able to remember facts and figures but can\u2019t remember what you did for your birthday last year because burnout affects the medial hippocampus, which plays an important role in our memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChronic stress and elevated cortisol affect our frontal lobes, which are partly responsible for our emotional regulation, drive, and motivation,\u201d explains Rowett.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, someone who was previously very level-headed might become uncharacteristically irritable, more emotional, and they might snap at their colleague or partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBurnout can have catastrophic consequences for your mental health because if it\u2019s unrecognised by the individual and by the people around them, they can get into this vicious cycle of perceiving that they are failing at the things that are important to them and might start to become depressed,\u201d says Rowett.<\/p>\n
He highlights how a lot of the symptoms of depression overlap with burnout. \u201cYou lose enjoyment, are not able to sleep as well, lose your appetite, become more irritable and that can have a negative impact on your relationships.<\/p>\n
The brain requires restorative sleep to recover from emotional and cognitive exhaustion, but burnout creates a negative cycle where exhaustion disrupts sleep, which in turn deepens the burnout.<\/p>\n
\u201cSleep is essential for processing our memories and our experiences, it\u2019s when our body repairs itself, but stress can affect people\u2019s ability to get to sleep,\u201d says Rowett.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t rest and get that sleep, then we\u2019re very poorly prepared to deal with the stressors we\u2019re facing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Expert strategies for overcoming burnout and ending a vicious cycle:\n <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing aware of burnout is a good first step because often people have all these symptoms but don\u2019t recognise that they have this syndrome and need help,\u201d says Burchi. \u201cThe sooner you are proactive and act, the better your recovery will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSelf-care isn\u2019t a luxury, it\u2019s a necessity,\u201d says Rowett. \u201cYou have to fight for it because your employers want you there to do a job, so they won\u2019t necessarily think about your welfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelf-care can just be little everyday things that are built into your routine, such as reading a book or going for a run.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of that self-care should also be to make sure that you\u2019ve got a good sleep routine,\u201d recommends Rowett. \u201cDo something relaxing, like running a bath, so your body is prepared for sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing a mindful activity which consumes your thinking and helps you escape reality for a bit can be helpful,\u201d says Rowett. \u201cThis could be meditation, yoga, watching a film, listening to music or engaging in crafts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCounselling provides a space to reflect on things with a safe person,\u201d says Rowett. \u201cIf you are experiencing really negative, distorted thoughts, rather than keeping them in your head, you could open up to a counsellor who can reflect a more accurate view back to you, or present theories to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of us live busy lives, juggling the demands of work and home. Stress is part of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[14613,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-355551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-fitness-exercise-work-life-balance-healthy-eating","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}