Last week we talked about the importance of knowing what the stages of burnout are, so that we can take the necessary actions, either to prevent or to solve it.
Having mentioned the first 6 of the 12 stages, today we continue with the other half.
These are:
- Withdrawal: Social life begins to feel small or non-existent. Relief is sought in seclusion. At this stage there is also a tendency to escape, either through alcohol or drugs, among others.
- Unusual behavioural changes: Here you experience obvious behavioural changes that often worry friends and family.
- Depersonalisation: The point is reached where the person does not see themselves or others as valuable; this is accompanied by a lack of recognition of one's own or others' needs.
- Inner emptiness: "Inner emptiness" is a lonely and extreme sign of impending exhaustion. It is experienced as a feeling of apathy or "emptiness", which some may try to alleviate with compulsive activities.
- Depression: One of the most telling signs of someone close to burnout: the person starts to feel lost and insecure, exhausted, with a bleak worldview and no enthusiasm for the future.
Burnout syndrome: Total burnout syndrome often results in complete mental and physical collapse. At this stage, seeking medical attention is necessary for recovery.
As we see in these 12 stages, burnout is progressive, little by little. Cumulative.
This is why it is so important to recognise if we are in any of them, and to start making the conscious decision, i.e. that sometimes it will be uncomfortable or seem irrelevant to take pauses and put our wellbeing as a priority.
