Vitals & Voices

You’re Not Alone: Navigating Workplace Stress and Burnout

• Lexington Regional Health Center • Season 2 • Episode 19

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In this episode of Vitals & Voices, we sit down with Ann Young, Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Lexington Regional Health Center, to take on a challenge many of us face every day—workplace stress. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Ann helps unpack when “being busy” crosses the line into burnout and how stress can quietly affect not just your job, but your sleep, health, relationships, and overall well‑being.
This conversation offers practical, realistic tools for managing stress in real life—from setting boundaries and taking meaningful breaks to recognizing early warning signs your body and mind are sending. Ann also shares guidance on when it may be time to seek professional support and what that first step can look like.
Whether you love your job but feel overwhelmed, struggle to shut your brain off after work, or feel guilty taking time for yourself, this episode provides clarity, validation, and small steps that can make work stress feel more manageable.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • The difference between everyday stress and burnout
  • Common physical and emotional signs of workplace stress
  • Why stress is so widespread—and how it spills into life outside of work
  • Practical self‑care strategies that actually work in busy schedules
  • How to set boundaries without guilt
  • Tips for communicating workload concerns with supervisors
  • When to stop “pushing through” and seek professional support
  • What to expect from a first mental health visit


Why This Episode Matters:
Workplace stress doesn’t just stay at work—it follows us home and can quietly impact our mental and physical health over time. The good news? Stress is manageable, burnout is preventable, and support is available. With the right tools and conversations, it’s possible to protect your well‑being without sacrificing your job or sense of purpose.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or stuck in survival mode, this episode is a reminder that your health matters—and you’re not alone.

Vitals & Voices is a podcast powered by Lexington Regional Health Center, offering meaningful health conversations that matter to you. Each episode features authentic stories and expert insights from the people behind the care — including healthcare professionals, wellness advocates, community leaders, and patients — all aimed at helping you live your healthiest, most informed life.

Subscribe & Stay Connected:
Follow Vitals & Voices for more health insights and practical tips to help you live well and stay connected. 

SPEAKER_01

Welcome to Vitals and Voices, brought to you by Lexington Regional Health Center. Your community, your health, your care. This is your trusted source for health-related content that matters to you. Each episode, we will bring you real conversations with the voices behind the care, from medical experts and wellness champions to community leaders and patients, sharing insights, stories, and tips to help you live your healthiest life. Whether you're tuning in from Lexington or beyond, we're here to inform, inspire, and connect. Because at LRHC, your health is our priority and your voice matters. Hello, everyone, and welcome to this episode of Vitals and Voices. Well, it is Meg and it is Mental Health Awareness Month. And today we're talking about something that all of us have probably felt at some point workplace stress. But when does busy cross into burnout and what are the signs that your body might be waving a red flag? And what can you do today to make stress more manageable? I am joined by Ann Young. She has been on our podcast before. She is one of our mental health nurse practitioners and also does family nurse practitioner as well. And she is here to share some practical coping tools that she uses with patients every day. So Anne, thanks for being here. Good morning. Thank you. So with Mental Health Awareness Month, we are taking this month on our podcast just to dive in with all of our mental health team to talk about topics. And so Anne's today is workplace stress. So, Anne, what do you want people to know right away about this topic?

SPEAKER_00

First and foremost, it's self-care. If any place you work, there's going to be stress and performance and uh all the things that build up and then avoid taking it back home so that way you don't take good care of yourself. Because when we don't take care of ourself, we're not worth uh, we don't help anybody else out as much.

SPEAKER_01

And with that, Ian, why do you think stress is just so common or something that I'm assuming you see in your practice every single day?

SPEAKER_00

You know, every environment's different, but how we perceive stress is also different for every human being, uh, from our different age ranges, you know, our older generations to our younger, and how we were, how we handle stress and how we were raised to handle stress is different.

SPEAKER_01

And would you say workplace stress is one of the biggest things you see in people's lives of who you're talking to?

SPEAKER_00

You know, I I was astonished at how high the statistics are, but it's 65 to 80% is workout burnout stress from the work site.

SPEAKER_01

And I mean, kind of like we were talking about right before this, people, I mean, you're at work sometimes more than you're at home. And if that's, I mean, a big stressor in your life or a big part of your life, no wonder it's so high.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. And how do you function then when you get home and take care of yourself is kind of what it wrap wraps around. And it just keeps going and going until either A, we leave our work or B, we get fired from our job, or C, we uh we just it affects our personal life as well. And the difference between everyday stress and burnout. Hmm. You know, for some people it's the same thing. Um, but for burnout with work, it's if work is too much or too many expectations that you put on yourself or others put on you, or poor communication through our through the leadership that is provided to them, or um making a career change, you know, at a different time or adding more responsibility on, we it could be viewed all differently. Um, you know, the most common around here that we've heard about and talked about often is the not so much the burnout from work, but the loss of work. So with Tyson closing, that's been a huge that can also go into this category. Others are when we can't hire as many people. And so you have to take on more work. And we've seen that also because look at how much our um money, how much um people are having to pay in small businesses, they can't afford to hire more people. And so then that leaves more work to be done.

SPEAKER_01

So and what are some of the warning signs that maybe people are like, you know, I'm I'm frustrated or I'm what are some of those things that maybe it is workplace stress or burnout?

SPEAKER_00

Lots of times we don't even realize it until we have some physical complaints. You know, maybe we see some of the providers will see people coming in that they feel like, gosh, they have a lot of stomach issues or more headaches, maybe some vision changes or not sleeping as well. So they're they have a lot of fatigue, weight gain, all of those. Others are just that they just feel drained, they're down, they don't go, they're not social anymore, they don't interact with the people they used to be. And so that's important to recognize. Um, what and hopefully as a human being, we can recognize that. But hopefully a friend or a colleague would be able to support them and say, Hey, are you doing okay? You know, how can we help you or just talk through it?

SPEAKER_01

And with that, Ann, are there different like top workplace stressors? I mean, is it always your workload? Like, do I just have too much on my plate? Or is, I mean, just a variety of things?

SPEAKER_00

No, I think it can also be the monotony of the work, you know. Some people we sometimes we just get burned out of doing the same thing all day long. And and it's not challenging for us. That can be the other view of it. Um, or people don't respect you for what you do, and that can become a workplace stress also.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like I've heard too, I love my job, but it's just, I mean, so stressful. How for people who love their job, how does that happen, or how do you walk them through that?

SPEAKER_00

Just the other day, I would I the same day I talked to a couple different people, and more so in the nursing capacity, and I said, you have to remember why you went into the profession you went into. Is it for all the drama and all the thing, things going on around you, or was it to care for that patient or to do the what you went into? And I said, you have to remember that because you have to put that at the forefront. When you forget why you're there, then we lose more hope. And so then we just start to not appreciate what we're doing. And I have to remember that on a daily basis sometimes because it's so easy to get wrapped up in what's going on around us, but stay focused on what we're there for.

SPEAKER_01

So if somebody feels maxed out right now, what are the come on the some of the first steps that you'll give them to walk through this?

SPEAKER_00

So it doesn't always mean you have to sign up to do more. So first make sure you can say no to the things that are that you that are just extra work that aren't important right now. They might be important to somebody that, but they're not important to you for your well-being. And the other thing is, is, you know, do that self-care, do your exercise, eat healthy, do some breathing techniques when you're feeling overwhelmed. Um, whether you take a trip or you don't, or you just you get away for the day, make sure you're taking that time for you as well and step away.

SPEAKER_01

I know employers and whatever the the legal jargon is it for for people, but we get, you know, the 15-minute break however often. And I can't say myself I've taken too many of those, but maybe, I mean, the importance of just stepping away even for a little bit.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. I I enjoy when I'm by a window where I can see out over the lunchtime, the staff that are at LRHC that when it's nice enough, they go out and take a walk around the block. That is self-care, and that's great. And I think that sometimes we feel so tired that we just we go to our car and we fall asleep. If that's what self-care is for a little bit, it's okay. But I encourage it's more of a negative coping skill. So I encourage you to get out and do what other staff that we see are doing to help themselves.

SPEAKER_01

It is just wild how exercise just kind of, I mean, wires your brain a little bit different, those positive endorphins to kind of get going for the rest of your day. Absolutely. I love it. So a lot of people cope by just pushing through. What are some of those healthy art alternatives when you can feel like my stress is through the roof?

SPEAKER_00

You know, you have to recognize it. And that's that's hard for some people because they feel like then they're less of. But it's okay to just say, today is just not a good day. And and perhaps you do need a mental health day once in a blue moon, you know, because you're so overwhelmed. And that's important. And that just means, okay, take time for you, whether it's half a day or a whole day, but appreciate your body and and do well by you. And nobody else is gonna do it for you. Only you can take care of you.

SPEAKER_01

So and a lot of people maybe have that eight to five, but at five, five oh five, it's hard to take to take your mind off of work. What do you do?

SPEAKER_00

You know, that's a great question speaking to me because my I seem to find uh my brain doing the same all the time. But I also um I have found the shutoff valve and you have to find it. You can't take it home and then ruminate it on, ruminate on everything you did or didn't do that day because it'll just eat you up and it'll make you dread going to work the next day. So whether it is that you have a checklist at the end of the day and you prioritize, okay, tomorrow morning I got to get this done and it's my time. I'm just gonna check that off the list. But don't make the list so long that you never get through it.

SPEAKER_01

I think that's good. And if it's, you know, if somebody texts me at 5:30, is it something I need to text back today? Or, you know, can it wait till tomorrow? Because I agree, you need that shut off because at some point work needs to end and you have a yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's a 24-hour rule try in in many rule, in many ways. We use that 24-hour jargon for a lot of things, but you know, people have to appreciate your time too.

SPEAKER_01

So I completely agree. Well, we talked about this a little bit, Ann, but any other tips on just some of those boundaries? What are some ways to set those and just not feel guilty about it?

SPEAKER_00

You know, um, when you get emails, respond and say, I, you know, don't make it so that you you jump right to it unless it's um unless you prioritize that it is that important. But otherwise I'd say, you know, okay, I have this time and this time available and offer those times and keep those times open, but don't make it so that that's all you're thinking about that you've got to have done. Hopefully meetings are scheduled out far enough and you have time to prepare all those little things, you know. And then when you leave work, um, I have people that have piles and piles on their desk. And it's like, how do you know which pile is the everybody knows their pile, right? But you have to know your space. You need to value your space. And when people are taking advantage of it, you need to be like, okay, today is just not a good day. I um today I need to figure this out. So can we worry about it and be able to open up about it instead of internalizing it kindly in the appropriate manner, express that this is where I'm at today. And so give me a little grace.

SPEAKER_01

I think, I think we can all use grace. We never know what somebody's going through where what's happened at work, what's happening outside of work. And along those lines, too, any tips to, you know, maybe how does someone talk with a supervisor about this or how do they set realistic expectations?

SPEAKER_00

From the employee to the employer, you know, instead of just bashing behind the scenes and being unhappy with it, it is important to set up a meeting just to let it understand because maybe they have no idea. Maybe that person, um, just like you we just said, Grace, you know, we all are going through our own challenges, whether we try to leave our personal life at home, but sometimes it over, it overextends. And same with work into our personal life. We need to find that communication skill. And and over the email is probably not the best way to do it. We need to be able to directly have a conversation and express each other's feelings. And then I think we'd be a lot more successful. And I think that's where we go wrong a lot. I agree.

SPEAKER_01

I think sometimes email can be misconstrued in various ways that an in-person conversation is always best. Yes. So, Ian, how can coworkers support each other without being each other's therapist? Or, or when's the point that it's like, hey, I do need to go talk with a professional about something like this?

SPEAKER_00

I think that's another key component because it becomes drama if you don't, if you go about it the wrong way, because then it feeds off one another, and then more people get involved. And then we're back to did you even talk to the person at hand who who you're concerned in the situation about? And I'm sure I'm guilty too because we get so wrapped up in what's going on and you're like, oh gosh. And so then it ends up causing more harm than good, and then more waste of your time. Your time is valuable. My time is valuable. Let's just make sure we we clear the air and fix whatever we need to fix and move on so that way we're not dwelling on it so much. Could because physically it affects our medical health, right? It re leads to higher stress, which leads to maybe more risk for depends on your health, heart disease, high blood pressure, migraines, you know, GI issues, all of those things that if we could have just not made it so difficult.

SPEAKER_01

So if somebody thinks, you know, I have a lot of stress, I don't know how to deal with it, but I feel like I'm overacting, I should be able to handle this. What are some, I mean, notes you have for them of it's okay to seek professional help?

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. You know, when it's affecting every part of your life, hopefully a loved one can tell you something's not okay. And so from there, you know, it's just a matter of, okay, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna start with my primary care provider just to see what they can offer. Or I know a good counselor in the area. And I think that's where I need to start. Even an online counselor, if you don't feel comfortable going in in person, or if your workplace offers, you know, the mental health services where you can have mental health counseling for so many sessions as part of your workplace environment, do it. That's what they have it for. Colleges have it, schools have it, workplaces have it, utilize it. That's why they put that in place. So from there, it is um, and then if the provider, if they don't feel comfortable with their primary care provider or counselor, you know, that's a specialist with the mental health services, that's what we're here for too. And we don't want to wait too long because this is an acute situation and it could become chronic if you don't know how to handle it. But usually it's um it's a situational part. And so it might not mean that we have to have much for medication, it's more how to use these coping skills. And it's not, I mean, it's not to say it's forever.

SPEAKER_01

It's I mean, and I think too talking with a professional and just getting outside of maybe your friends or your family of maybe they're tired of hearing about it too. And they'll you can meet with someone who can have some good strategies to set you up for success. Absolutely, which is awesome. Um, and for those who might want to take one of those first steps, what what would they expect from from a first visit with with you or or another counselor?

SPEAKER_00

A lot of questions, really to get to know the person. If somebody, I always say, if you're not asking, I tell these to all my my students that come with me and staff is that if you're not asking enough questions, then shame on you because you might be missing out on something very important. So really getting to know the patient or the person that's sitting in front of you and how best that why they're there, how you can help, and then to learn more about them to help meet their needs. And you know, it sometimes is great at the first visit and you have a great bond, and sometimes it takes one or two visits to get going. But it's it's finding that um that comfort because people when they go in, if they're not comfortable opening up, they don't have that feeling, it's gonna be very hard and it's they're not gonna get as far as they want. So you have to provide that for them. And that's why I that's what I believe in anyway, and I find that it to be very rewarding.

SPEAKER_01

I love that. Well, and to kind of wrap us up here, here are a few myth busters. And if you want to say true or not true, provide any context, we'll throw them at you. If I'm stressed, it means I'm weak. False. Burnout is just being tired. False. Rest has to be earned.

SPEAKER_00

False. We all we might question that one, but no, false. We do have to rest our body to be healed. If I take time off, everything's gonna fall apart. False. It might be better. It might be better. And don't go looking at those emails when you're off. I mean, I just with another person the other day. It's like, I tried going on vacation because I come back to so many emails and so much more work. Like, take it slow. They you have an email responding. I might I'm on vacation. It may take me a week or two after to get back to you. If this is an emergency, call 911 or whatever it may be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Call somebody else. Yep. Um talking about your mental health at work hurts your career. False. I think it's important. And like we talked about, be open with your supervisor, be open with your coworkers because they they might be stressed about it too. Absolutely. And was there anything we didn't hit on or anything else you want to provide our community?

SPEAKER_00

I just think it's important to recognize that one, we're not alone. Two, um don't uh you don't have to take on everybody else's problems to fix their problems. You're there, you can be there as a listener and give them guidance. But the more that somebody who's already a little bit bogged down, helping another person bog down, it will actually be a domino effect. So be mindful.

SPEAKER_01

Are you excited about this nicer weather we're having too?

SPEAKER_00

Do you find that helps? It does. It helps greatly. The vitamin D getting through with the time change and the nice weather we've been having. I know it's helped me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Completely agree. Um, Anne, well, thank you so much for sharing this important and relatable conversation for any of our listeners. Workplace stress affects so many of us. And I hope today's discussion can give you guys some practical tools that you can start using right away. But if stress or burnout is starting to feel overwhelming, our mental health team here at LRHC is absolutely amazing. And you can call 308 324 8308 to schedule an appointment or just if you have any questions. Thank you so much for listening. If you would please like, share, and subscribe to our podcast. And until next time, stay well.