The Three Stages that Lead to Burnout

Burnout is a state of mental or physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. The key word here is stress. There are several identifiable stages of burnout. (See if you have at least two of the symptoms from any of the following lists.)

Stage one: stress arousal

• Persistent irritability

• Persistent anxiety

• Periods of high blood pressure

• Insomnia

• Forgetfulness

• Heart palpitations

• Inability to concentrate

• Frequent headaches

Stage two: energy conservation

• Lateness for work

• Procrastination

• Needed three day weekends

• Decreased sexual desire

• Persistent tiredness in the mornings

• Social withdrawing from family and friends

• Cynical attitudes

• Apathy

• Change in eating and drinking habits

Stage three: exhaustion

• Chronic sadness or depression

• Chronic stomach/bowel issues

• Chronic physical fatigue

• The desire to drop out of work and society

• The desire to move away from friends and family

• Suicidal thoughts

The answer to burnout is not simply rest. We must look more deeply at issues that are causing the stress that leads to a constant state of fatigue. Often these are embedded in our stories. We find that when we are close to burnout, a weekend away seems like more work and effort, so we’d just rather not go.

The truth is there are issues in our past—patterns, modeling and beliefs—that must be unpacked and examined to understand why we are living in such a way. Why is it so hard to simply be kind to ourselves?

It’s wise for us to examine our drive to perform as well as our need to be significant and successful. As we do we note patterns and seasons where issues tend to rise and surface and then wane. It is especially wise to track sadness and grief. Another very real component of burnout is its physical toll on our bodies. The prolonged wear and tear on our bodies must be addressed with a physician, athletic trainer, life coach or spiritual director.