Burnout is damage from prolonged stress. Stress happens when an organism faces demands beyond its sustainable capabilities to meet. All stress implies a recover

Burnout is damage from prolonged stress. Stress happens when an organism faces demands beyond its sustainable capabilities to meet. All stress implies a recovery period, because the stress involves digging into reserves. I don't think the exact varieties of stress really matter all that much. It's all just a matter of too much stress over time. I think stress levels can be measured pretty well via biomarkers. Waking body temperature tracks cortisol and adrenalin (higher is better). Resting heart rate (higher is better) and heart rate variability are useful to track. I find when my waking temperature is below 97F it is clearly warning that I am burning out. If possible I might spend a day or two without leaving the couch or thinking about anything. Athletes track this stuff and back off training accordingly to manage stress. I don't think work/career stress is essentially different from athletic training. It's just that so much white collar work stress is psychological and not obviously quantifiable.