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PsychologyMeeting Life Challenges

Which of the following best describes the state Meena is in?

Meena is a nurse in a busy government hospital in Lucknow. For two years she has worked double shifts, as the ward is short of staff. Her husband works in another city, and her in-laws expect her to run the house as well. Lately she feels tired even after a full night's sleep and has little energy for anything. She snaps at her children over small things, worries all the time and says that nothing she does will ever make things better. Her doctor finds no infection or other disease to explain how she feels.

Which of the following best describes the state Meena is in?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Burnout

Option (1) Mental overload — Incorrect. Mental overload is a cognitive effect of continued stress. The person loses the ability to make sound decisions and has poor concentration. Meena's problem is tiredness, irritability and hopelessness.

Option (2) Evaluative apprehension — Incorrect. Evaluative apprehension is how examination stress has been described: worry about being judged in a test. Meena is not facing any examination.

Option (3) Eustress — Incorrect. Eustress is the level of stress that is good for you. It helps a person reach peak performance. Meena's stress is wearing her down, so it is not eustress.

Option (4) Burnout — Correct. Meena faces very high demands for a long time with little support from family. Her constant tiredness and low energy show physical exhaustion; her irritability, worry and hopelessness show mental exhaustion. This state is burnout.

NCERT (2026-27): “Stress and Health
You must have often observed that many of your friends (may be including yourself as well!) fall sick during the examination time. They suffer from stomach upsets, body aches, nausea, diarrhoea and fever etc. You must have also noticed that people who are unhappy in their personal lives fall sick more often than those who are happy and enjoy life. Chronic daily stress can divert an individual’s attention from caring for herself or himself. When stress is prolonged, it affects physical health and impairs psychological functioning. People experience exhaustion and attitudinal problems when the stress due to demands from the environment and constraints are too high and little support is available from family and friends. The physical exhaustion is seen in the signs of chronic fatigue, weakness and low energy. The mental exhaustion appears in the form of irritability, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. This state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion is known as burnout.”