How Does Stress Manifest?

Going through my own journeys of burnout, I didn’t have words to describe what I was feeling when I was feeling it. It wasn’t until 2019/2020 after Dr. Bicker’s suicide that I started to read about burnout/moral injury/ and physician suicide. I was appalled. The way chronic stress/burnout could manifest….that was what I had felt.

-Irritability: I didn’t want to talk to anyone at home. When I got home from work, I didn’t even want to talk to my dogs. As silly as it sounds, I didn’t want to talk to the most nonjudgmental creatures.

-Insomnia: Though it has been an old friend throughout the years, it became worse. I couldn’t shut my mind off.

-Muscle tension: Mostly in my shoulders and neck, the muscle tension would increase by the end of the week and on call weekends, but lessen on vacation, unless I got called.

What is not mitigated emotionally, psychologically, etc. will manifest physically.

What are your symptoms? Where are you on the burnout scale?

Label it. Address it. Get help.