Understanding the Difference: Anxiety, Stress and Burnout

Stress. Anxiety. Burnout. We often talk about them in the same breath — but what they feel like, and how they differ, isn’t always clear.

When you’re managing anxiety or depression, it can be hard to tell when symptoms are creeping back in. Maybe you’ve been feeling stretched thin. Restless but exhausted. Like your thoughts won’t quiet down, or you’re moving through your days on autopilot. It’s easy to brush that off as “just stress” — until it starts to feel like something more.

These experiences aren’t always easy to name — but when they persist, or start interfering with your daily life, they may be signs that your mental health care needs extra support.

More than 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health disorder in any given year.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024

And in 2022–2023, over 14% of Australians aged 18+ reported high or very high levels of psychological distress — a significant rise from just over 10% a decade earlier.
Source: ABS, National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2023

By understanding how anxiety, stress, and burnout overlap — and recognising when symptoms go beyond everyday stress — you can begin to explore support options

What Is Stress?

Most people experience stress — it’s a natural response to pressure, uncertainty, or demands on your time and energy. In short bursts, it can help you stay focused or get through a deadline. But when stress sticks around, it can start to take a toll — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When you’re constantly in “go” mode, your nervous system stays on high alert. You might become used to this state — running on adrenaline, staying busy, pushing through — but over time, chronic stress can wear you down.

Common signs of stress may include:

• Muscle tension, headaches, or generalised bodily discomfort
• Mood changes, such as irritability, heightened anxiety, or low mood
  Cognitive symptoms, including racing thoughts or poor concentration
• Sleep disturbances, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, or unrestful sleep
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, bloating, or altered appetite
• A persistent sense of overwhelm, perceived loss of control, or difficulty coping
• Social or behavioural withdrawal, including avoidance of usual responsibilities or reduced engagement

Stress doesn’t always stem from a single crisis. It can build slowly — through things like workload, caregiving responsibilities, financial pressure, or even the emotional labour of holding everything together. You might not realise how much it’s affecting you until you're suddenly on edge, exhausted, or both.

And while stress itself isn’t a diagnosable condition, it can contribute to — or exacerbate — mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, or sleep disorders. These conditions may be eligible for medicinal cannabis treatment if symptoms persist for more than three months and haven’t responded to first-line care.

A 2023 Gallup report revealed that Australia and New Zealand have the second-highest workplace stress levels globally, with 47% of workers reporting daily stress.
(Source: Bond University summary of Gallup Report, 2023)

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety goes beyond everyday stress. While stress usually has a clear trigger — like a deadline or conflict — anxiety can linger without an obvious cause, affecting your body and mood even in outwardly calm moments.

Anxiety can show up as persistent worry, a sense of dread, or physical symptoms that feel disproportionate to the situation. For some, anxiety is about racing thoughts or tension that won’t let up. For others, it’s avoidance, restlessness, or a vague sense that something’s always “off” — even when life looks fine on the surface.

Common symptoms of anxiety may include:

• Persistent or excessive worry that’s often difficult to control
• Muscle tension often felt in shoulders, jaw, neck, back
• Racing heart, chest tightness, or shortness of breath
• Difficulty concentrating or feeling mentally foggy
• Sleep disturbances, like trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or unrestful sleep
• Restlessness or feeling constantly on edge
• Irritability or sudden mood shifts
• Fatigue or feeling easily worn out by daily tasks
• Avoidance of situations or social withdrawal 

For some people, anxiety symptoms are easy to overlook — especially if you're used to coping with an anxiety disorder. You might  have adapted coping skills, like staying busy or taking medication, and appear outwardly capable while privately managing  a constant state of unease.

Anxiety symptoms can build over time, and because they  increase gradually, many people only notice it when something shifts externally: fewer social plans, more conflict in relationships, less interest in hobbies, and worsening sleep. These changes often surface before the emotional symptoms are fully recognised — or new treatments considered. 

One in six Australians live with an anxiety condition — making it the most common mental health diagnosis in the country.
(Source: Beyond Blue)

Anxiety and stress can look similar on the surface — but the key difference is persistence. Stress is generally situational and short-term.  While anxiety itself is long term with excessive worry, physical symptoms, and emotional tension that start to interfere with daily life over time.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is often misunderstood. It’s not just about being tired or overworked — it’s a deeper, more sustained form of physical and emotional exhaustion that can make it hard to function, connect, or feel like yourself.

While often associated with work, burnout isn’t limited to professional life. It typically develops gradually, following extended periods of pressure or emotional strain — whether from work, caregiving, study, parenting, or the mental load of simply holding everything together.

Without opportunities for proper rest and recovery, the body’s stress response remains activated — leading to mental fatigue, mood changes, and eventual burnout.

While burnout is not a medical diagnosis on its own, it can overlap or worsen  symptoms of  anxiety and depression. You might notice burnout through signs like:

• Persistent fatigue or emotional exhaustion that rest doesn’t resolve
• Feeling detached or disconnected from people, work, or things you usually care about
• A loss of motivation, creativity, or sense of meaning
• Difficulty concentrating, reduced mental clarity, or frequent “brain fog”
• Emotional numbness, flatness, or a sense of disengagement

A 2024 survey of 1,000 full-time Australian office workers found that 80% reported some level of burnout — with 57% feeling “a little” burnt out, and 17% “very burnt out.”
(Source: HRD Australia summary of Robert Half survey, 2024)

Burnout can feel disorienting — especially when the strategies that once worked no longer seem to help. But it’s not a reflection of weakness or inability. More often, it’s the result of prolonged emotional strain or unsustainable demands — and a sign that you may need more support.

Where They Overlap — and Why That Matters

If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you  know symptoms can overlap. Similarly, stress, anxiety, and burnout don’t exist in isolation —  they’re distinct experiences, they often blur together or intensify one another.

Periods of heightened stress, anxiety and burnout can worsen symptoms you might have previously managed. And sometimes, what feels like a “flare-up” might actually be a sign that you're feeling overwhelmed or depleted — and that your current care plan needs adjusting.

Here’s a simplified  way to understand how they tend to differ:

Stress

• Typically short-term or situation-specific
• Caused by external demands or acute stressors 
• Can result in feeling tense, reactive, overwhelmed 
• Usually resolves with rest or resolution 

‍

Anxiety

• Ongoing or recurring
• Caused by internal worry, perceived threat, or dysregulation 
• Can result in feeling restless, fearful, fatigued, hypervigilant 
• Disrupts daily functioning or quality of life 

‍

Burnout

• Long-term and cumulative
• Prolonged emotional , situational, or occupational strain 
• Can result in feeling drained, numb, emotionally detached 
• May feel difficult to recover from without major rest of change

Knowing the difference  isn’t just about being able to name your experience (though that’s important too)— it’s about recognising when symptoms are shifting, and whether your current treatment plan is supporting your needs.

For some people, knowing that they’re experiencing stress, anxiety, burnout — or a little of all three — may  mean reassessing their current treatments or exploring additional care options.

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

When you’ve been living with a mental health condition, reaching out for help can feel just as hard the second or third time around. It’s not always easy to admit when symptoms start creeping back in — like poor sleep, irritability, or a growing sense of disconnection from the people or things you usually care about.

Sometimes, the signs are subtle at first. You’re seeing friends less. Feeling more irritable. Struggling to find motivation for things you used to enjoy. It can be easy to minimise these shifts — to tell yourself it’s just a rough patch, or you should be coping better by now.

But noticing those changes is important. And it’s okay to want more support — especially if what’s worked before no longer feels like enough. 

At Polln, we support people with diagnosed mental health conditions — including anxiety and depression — who may need to revisit their care plan. If your current treatments haven’t been effective or have lost their impact over time, we’re here to help you explore what else might support your wellbeing. Helping people find their best mental health is our priority.

A Note from Polln

At Polln, our experienced doctors work with people living with diagnosed mental health conditions — including anxiety and depression — to help them manage the challenges that can affect their symptoms over time, like ongoing stress or burnout.

We recognise that care needs can shift, especially when the strategies that once worked start to feel less effective. Our medical team takes an evidence-informed, compassionate approach — focused on understanding your experience, reviewing your treatment history, and exploring appropriate next steps.

You don’t need a referral to get started. And whether you’re reassessing your care plan or just want to know what else is available, we’re here to support you — respectfully and without judgement.