Someone who is burnt out may be feeling “tired but wired”. The “stress bucket” is a metaphor to explain why rest doesn’t always cure burnout.
Stress Bucket
In most cases someone can relieve stress in various ways and restore their usual capacity for taking on work.
However the person in chronic burnout finds that their stress bucket is constantly full. No matter how much relaxation they have, the slightest stress triggers their reactions. It is as though they are constantly at the end of their busiest day.
MIND’s stress bucket (improved).
MIND’s stress bucket (improved)
New thinking is also used in the above diagram, not simply relaxation techniques.
The diagram shown adds to the standard diagram to show how new thinking, like CBT’s ABC template, can resolve issues.
This leads to a positive feedback-loop, happily stress taps are turned down slightly, or a lot. Therefore the stress bucket fills up more slowly.
Further reading
We have further information on approaches to solving burnout.
The Economist has an article on this topic (2016).
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