Burnout is your reaction to prolonged stress that leads to mental fatigue, emotional apathy, and physical exhaustion. While most people think of burnout as a result of too much work, it can also get to us outside the office—and tends to unfold in 5 stages: Honeymoon, onset of stress, chronic stress, burnout, and habitual burnout.
the full story
If your life seems like a road trip, but the road is on fire, the car is on fire, you’re on fire, and you just keep driving, you may be burnt out.
Burnout is your reaction to prolonged stress that leads to mental fatigue, emotional apathy, and physical exhaustion. While most people think of burnout as a result of too much work, it can also get to us outside the office.
5 stages of burnout
The phenomenon often unfolds in 5 stages and can push healthcare professionals, teachers, new parents, people with chronic conditions, and anyone who bites off more than they can chew, to the brink of breakdown. It can present itself as follows.
phase 1: the honeymoon
First, the honeymoon. You feel happy, motivated, and excited about your new challenge and as a result, take on a lot of responsibilities.
phase 2: onset of stress
Then there is the onset of stress. The initial enthusiasm gets tempered by the realities of your daily routine. You first start feeling tired and then anxious about not being able to handle everything you signed up for.
Slowly signs of stress begin to surface, and you may develop a negative tunnel vision. Your limited capacity to pay attention to other things in life can lead to feelings of loneliness.
phase 3: chronic stress
Chronic stress becomes your constant companion and even tiny new tasks can set you off in a spiral of either anxiety or rage. Life may now simply feel unfair and a setback can feel like a personal attack or a deep injustice.
Eventually, you are just exhausted or develop psychosomatic symptoms, such as migraines or body aches. In your free time, you may now just want to shut down.
phase 4: burnout
When you eventually burnout, apathy can take over—in defense against chronic stress your brain just stops caring. This is why your productivity plummets and you may become negative or cynical.
Chronic headaches, insomnia, complete neglect of your own needs, or the desire to just “drop out” can become part of your daily routine.
phase 5: habitual burnout
You reach habitual burnout, when this stressful state becomes your new normal and you experience constant cognitive fatigue, physical problems, or a mood that alternates between apathy and anger.
Eventually, you may feel trapped in a vicious cycle of despair—with no way out. A diagnosis of major depression may be the first turning point towards your path to recovery.
path to recovery
To fully heal from burnout can take months or even years. This is why recognizing symptoms early on is important. Because then we can distance ourselves from the main stressor, create enough “me” time to cool down, and do whatever is necessary before it’s too late.
herbert freudenberger
The psychologist Herbert Freudenberger who coined the term, originally described the phenomenon as unfolding in 12 stages, but over time they were simplified to just five. He defined burnout as “fatigue that comes from caring too much, for too long”.
what about you?
What about you? Have you ever experienced any of the stages described in the video? If so, how did you recognize them and what did you do to overcome burnout? Please share your thoughts and strategies in the comments below.
Sources
- De Hert S. (2020). Burnout in Healthcare Workers: Prevalence, Impact and Preventative Strategies. Local and regional anesthesia, 13, 171-183.
- Edú-Valsania, S., Laguía, A., & Moriano, J. A. (2022). Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1780.
- Herbert Freudenberger – Wikipedia.org
- Occupational burnout – Wikipedia.org
Dig deeper!
- Just a boy, Freudenberger had fled Nazi Germany and arrived all by himself, and with a false passport, in New York City of 1933. Without a high school diploma, and working a manufacturing job during the day, the teenager attended night classes at Brooklyn College in psychology where he met Abraham Maslow and got inspired to dedicate his life to advancing psychology. Read about his life!
- Read about the implications of burnout in psychiatry
- Read about tips to get out of Burnout
Classroom activity
In this activity students will learn about Burnout, its stages and possible solutions.
- Ask students if they have ever felt stressed about exams.
- Then ask them what this anxiety felt like, and if it went on for a very long time.
- Ask them if eventually this anxiety became exhausting, and how that felt within their bodies.
- Show them Sprouts’ video about Burnout.
- Ask the class if they recognize themselves in some of these stages.
- If so, ask them if they can identify the moment in which they were in the Honeymoon phase.
- Ask them what steps they would take to ensure that they do not fall in the same patterns again.
Collaborators
- Script: Jonas Koblin and Ludovico Saint Amour di Chanaz, PhD
- Cartoon artist: Pascal Gaggelli
- Producer: Selina Bador
- Voice artist: Matt Abbott
- Coloring: Nalin
- Editing: Peera Lertsukittipongsa
- Sound Design: Miguel Ojeda
- Publishing: Vijyada Songrienchai
