Here are the 12 Stages of Burnout
- The Compulsion to Prove Oneself; demonstrating worth obsessively; tends to hit the best employees, those with enthusiasm who accept responsibility readily.
- Working Harder; an inability to switch off.
- Neglecting Their Needs; erratic sleeping, eating disrupted, lack of social interaction.
- Displacement of Conflicts; problems are dismissed, we may feel threatened, panicky and jittery.
- Revision of Values; values are skewed, friends and family dismissed, hobbies seen as irrelevant, work is only focus.
- Denial of Emerging Problems; intolerance, perceiving collaborators as stupid, lazy, demanding, or undisciplined, social contacts harder; cynicism, aggression; problems are viewed as caused by time pressure and work, not because of life changes.
- Withdrawal; social life small or non-existent, need to feel relief from stress, alcohol/drugs.
- Odd Behavioral changes; changes in behavior obvious, friends and family concerned.
- Depersonalized; seeing neither self nor others as valuable, and no longer perceive own needs.
- Inner Emptiness; feeling empty inside and to overcome this, look for activity such as overeating, sex, alcohol, or drugs; activities are often exaggerated.
- Depression; feeling lost and unsure, exhausted, future feels bleak and dark.
- Burnout Syndrome; can include total mental and physical collapse; time for full medical attention.
If you do suspect you are, don’t wait, get help now. The world we live in just seems to demand more and more of us, and wants us to go faster and faster all the time. One way to avoid burnout is to set healthy boundaries in our lives by putting limitations on the hours we will work each day, telling others when our workload is too much, and asking for help with managing the load. If you want to learn some of these new skills see my professional website at www.lifecoachpaula.com.
Cheers to your health,
Paula
