The 5 Stages of Burnout [How To Recognize Them]

We made a book! The Unschoolers Educational  Dictionary. It covers everything we know about learning, unveils the unintended  consequences of compulsory education, and includes a complete guide to  the alternative school movement.

Secure your copy today! Just follow  the link in the description below. 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. 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. First, the honeymoon. You feel happy, motivated, and excited about your new challenge and as  a result, take on a lot of responsibilities.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

We relentlessly researched education for the  past decade, read plenty of peer-reviewed papers, visited all sorts of schools, created hundreds  of videos on the topic, and even set up our very own kindergarten for project-based  learning. And now, we also made a book! The Unschoolers Educational Dictionary  covers everything we know about learning, unveils the unintended consequences of  compulsory education, and includes a complete guide to the alternative  school movement.

Order your copy now. Just visit your favorite book shop or  check the links in the description below. If you found this helpful,  check out our other videos, join us on youtube or on patreon.

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