Experts say there are five main stages of burnout.
Understanding each phase’s symptoms and progression is key to recovering from burnout.
Your Low-Stress Guide to Leveling-Up Your Bedtime Routine
Are You Burnt Out or Depressed?
This is why burnout often happens slowly and insidiously.
(More on those in a second.)
What are the five stages of burnout?
a burnout coach, author, and speaker
This is the stage where all the feel-good neurotransmitters are flowing, Watson explains.
Creativity and strategic thinking will be at an all-time high.
The feeling of I have to do this versus I get to do this kicks in, Watson explains.
While stress can still motivate you, reality sets in.
Perhaps you dont meet your own expectations or the expectations of others, or there have been some disappointments.
Burnout itself occurs on a spectrum, Watson says.
At its worst, individuals lose hope that their situation will ever improve.
Stage 5: Habitual burnout
Habitual burnout is the last of the stages of burnout.
What does real burnout feel like?
a burnout coach, author, and speaker
Burnout is different for everyone, Kay says, but its more than just feeling tired.
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion resulting from excessive and prolonged stress.
Burnout is influenced by our unique fears, motivations, energy sensitivities, and cultural nuances, Kay says.
What triggers burnout for one person might fuel growth in another.
Physical signs can range from insomnia and gastrointestinal issues to frequent bouts of the common cold.
What is the difference between stress and burnout?
Despite some shared traits, stress and burnout are two different states.
Burnout, on the other hand, is a byproduct of prolonged and repeated stress.
Stress is actually a helpful tool if we dont ignore it, Kay says.
you might manage stress.
When youre in burnout you need a complete overhaul of how youre living your life, she says.
What happens if burnout goes untreated?
How long does it take to reset from burnout?
Just like burnout looks different for everyone, so does recovery, Kay says.
Context really matters in the length of recovery, Kay says.
How do you fix burnout?
The single best way to start addressing burnout is by prioritizing self care.
True self care is authentic and sustainable.
It is empathic discernment in how you are investing your time, energy, and emotions.
But Watson recommends first taking an emotional approach to look at whats on your personal and professional plate.
Try this: Create two to-do lists for your life.
One is a list of activities that are high output, low emotional reward.
The second list is low output, high emotional reward.
Is there an opportunity to delegate the low emotional reward tasks?
(In fact, theres even atype of burnout7characterized by feelingunder-challengedby your work.)
Everyone can get burnt out, but I do believe perfectionists and high-achievers are at a bigger risk.
Self-compassion and giving yourself grace is not something we were taught growing up in hustle culture.
Internal perfectionism induces much more stress.
Sometimes, the pressure is coming more from ourselves than others.
Early intervention is a preventative treatment.
After that, once someone exhibits physical symptoms it is definitely time to reach out.
Our brain and soul whisper to us when something isnt right, but our bodies scream.
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