Where do you find yourself across these five stages of Burnout?
1. Honeymoon Phase
In this first phase of burnout, one may begin to experience predicted stresses of a new job, or the beginnings of a business venture.
Common symptoms include:
- Commitment to the job at hand
- Compulsion to prove oneself
- Sustained energy levels & creativity
- Readily accepting responsibility
2. Onset of Stress
The second stage begins with an awareness of some days being more difficult than others. Individuals may find their optimism waning, as well as noticing common stress symptoms.
Common symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Avoidance of decision making
- General neglect of personal needs
- Fatigue
- Job dissatisfaction
- Lower productivity
3. Chronic Stress
This is a marked change in your stress levels, going from motivation, to experiencing stress on an incredibly frequent basis and have more intense symptoms than those of stage two.
Common symptoms include:
- Anger or aggressive behavior
- Chronic exhaustion
- Denial of work or home-related problems
- Feeling pressured or out of control
- Increased caffeine, alcohol, or drug consumption
- Missed work deadlines and or targets
- Social withdrawal from friends and or family
4. Burnout
Entering into the burnout stage is where symptoms become critical. Continuing as normal is often not possible and this is generally the stage where burnout is talked about more generally.
Common symptoms include:
- Behavioral changes
- Chronic headache or stomach problems
- Complete neglect of personal needs
- Desire to “drop out” of society or social isolation
- Feeling empty inside
- Obsession over problems at work or in life
- Pessimistic outlook on work and life
- Physical symptoms intensify
5. Habitual Burnout
The final stage of burnout is habitual burnout. This means that the symptoms of burnout are so embedded in your life that you are likely to experience a significant physical or emotional problem, as opposed to occasionally experiencing stress or burnout.
Common symptoms include:
- Burnout syndrome
- Chronic mental and physical fatigue
- Chronic sadness
- Depression
Sources:
Law, C. (2019). [Motion Blurred Workplace]. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://www.cms-lawnow.com/ealerts/2019/10/czech-labour-code-amendment-proposed-for-processing-biometric-data-of-employees
W. (n.d.). Stages of Burnout. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://www.winona.edu/stress/bntstages.htm