Why Working Harder Is Backfiring in Veterinary Medicine

Recent research sheds light on stress, overcommitment, and the cycle many veterinarians struggle to define

Many veterinarians feel this but rarely discuss it. You can be working hard all day, doing everything you are supposed to do - staying late, pushing yourself to keep up. Yet, somehow, it still feels like you are behind. Not just occasionally. Consistently. And at some point, a question starts to creep in - why doesn’t working harder seem to help? To understand why, we can turn to a growing body of research. The answer is not simple, but these studies help clarify the issue.

One study looked specifically at veterinarians and found that when high effort is paired with low reward and a tendency toward overcommitment, the risk for depression, burnout, and even suicidal ideation increases (Schwerdtfeger et al., 2024). That finding alone is important, but what stands out is the role of overcommitment. Overcommitment is not just working a lot. It is the internal pressure to keep going. It is the sense that you should be able to handle it, that you should do more. For many people in this field, slowing down is not really an option. That doesn’t feel like a problem. It feels like part of who they are.

When Working Harder Becomes an Automatic Response

Building on that, another study provides insight into what happens next. When people feel that pressure building, especially when there is too much to do and not enough time, they respond in ways that make sense. They stay later. They work faster. They push through. Most people aren’t making a conscious decision to overextend themselves. They are trying to solve the problem at hand.

Researchers refer to these patterns as self-endangering work behaviors (Baethge et al., 2026). That term can sound harsh at first, but it is not meant as a judgment. It describes something very real. You are using your own time, energy, and capacity to try to keep up with demands that aren’t slowing down.

Why Extra Effort Actually Increases Stress Over Time

Here’s the part that tends to catch people off guard. That same study found that working longer and working more intensively did not reduce time pressure or unfinished tasks. It increased them over time (Baethge et al., 2026). So the very thing that feels like the solution in the moment is actually adding to the problem later. Stepping back to look at both studies together, a clearer pattern emerges. There is pressure from the workload and the job's structure. That pressure activates overcommitment. Overcommitment leads to working longer and harder. Over time, that extra effort reduces recovery, drains energy, and makes it harder to keep up. That leads to more unfinished tasks and more time pressure. And then the cycle starts again.

It is not just frustrating. It is a loop.

The research calls this a self-reinforcing cycle: effort keeps increasing, but the conditions stay the same - so it never feels like enough (Baethge et al., 2026). This recurring pattern is especially relevant in veterinary medicine. The work is not just technical. It is emotional. There is a level of responsibility that follows you out of the room and sometimes follows you home. When something feels unfinished, it is not just a task left undone. It can feel like something that matters was not fully handled. So when the pressure builds, stepping back can feel wrong. That’s why many people lean in even further.

When Effort Becomes the Only Coping Strategy

Digging deeper, the research highlights a crucial detail: it is not just the behaviors but how rigidly they are used that matters. So, the issue is not effort itself but relying on it as the only solution. Over time, that narrows how you respond to stress. It becomes automatic. And once that happens, it is easy to keep using a strategy that no longer works, simply because it is the one you know. Both studies also point to something that is easy to overlook. This is not just an individual issue. Time pressure, workload, and expectations are not background factors. They are central to what is happening.

When those do not change, effort becomes the way people try to compensate for a system that is already stretched (Baethge et al., 2026; Schwerdtfeger et al., 2024). That is a heavy load to carry on your own. This is where organizational responsibility matters. Leadership and clinic management can help by regularly reviewing how work is structured, assessing workload demands, and creating space for open dialogue about what support is needed. Recognizing that change does not rest on individuals alone makes it more possible to break the cycle.

Why Recognizing the Pattern Matters

For many veterinary professionals, effort is tied to identity. It reflects care, competence, and responsibility. So questioning whether working harder is helping can feel uncomfortable. But there is something important in naming this pattern. If you’ve ever thought, “I am doing everything I can, and it’s still not enough,” this research suggests that thought isn’t coming out of nowhere. Remember, you are not alone in feeling this way, and support is available. Reaching out to trusted peers, mentors, or mental health professionals can be an important step, whether for advice, understanding, or simply to share your experiences. It may not be about trying harder. The way work is structured may be asking for more than effort alone can fix.

That doesn’t mean you stop caring or stop trying. It means taking a closer look at how effort is being used, and whether it is actually moving things forward or just keeping the cycle going. This shift in awareness is important. The main takeaway is that continually working harder does not solve the underlying problem - instead, it can feed a harmful cycle. Recognizing this pattern is the first step to finding other, more effective ways to support both your work and well-being.

Practical Strategies to Break the Cycle

To break this cycle and protect your well-being, here are a few practical strategies you can try:

- Set boundaries around your work hours where possible, such as committing to a specific time to leave the clinic or designating certain tasks that can wait until the next day.

- Practice regular check-ins with yourself to notice when you are feeling overwhelmed or slipping into overcommitment, and give yourself permission to pause or ask for help when needed.

- Seek out support from trusted colleagues, mentors, or peer groups, whether to share experiences, problem-solve, or simply feel less alone in the challenges you face.

Small steps can make a difference, and taking action on even one of these strategies can help you reclaim some control and foster resilience as you continue your important work.

Reference List

Baethge, A., Kern, M., & Vahle-Hinz, T. (2026). Working longer and more intensively to get the work done: The unintended effect of self-endangerment on quantitative stressors. Work & Stress, 40(1), 78–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2025.2551492

Schwerdtfeger, K. A., Glaesmer, H., & Bahramsoltani, M. (2024). High overcommitment and low reward as potential predictors for increased depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk in German veterinarians. PLoS ONE, 19(9), e0310819. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310819