The Twelve Stages of Burnout

Are you one of the 79% of U.K. workers experiencing burnout?

You might be thinking “Abigail haven’t we discussed workplace burnout in a previous post?”. If you are, you are completely right, and if you haven’t already take a look at the Time to manage burnout post for more information on workplace burnout! Unfortunately, experiencing workplace burnout has been a serious problem for a lot of people for a long time now and continues to adversely impact people's lives😥.

👉More than three-quarters of people employed in the U.K. reported having experienced burnout, and just over a third of these (35%) reported their experience of workplace burnout to be at high or extreme levels ❌(Ceridan 2022). Here at Happio, we want to reduce the likelihood of you experiencing burnout and be here to support you if you are experiencing it 🤗

✍️ What are the most significant catalysts resulting in burnout? If you know what the most likely causes of workplace burnout are, you can try and adjust your lifestyle and habits to help you from developing the syndrome. The aforementioned research reported people most commonly identified the following causes for their experience of burnout: 🔷 Increased workload (49%) 🔷 Mental health challenges (34%) 🔷 Pressure to meet deadlines (32%) (Ceridan 2022).

👉 Tips to help you with the significant catalysts resulting in burnout ✅ If you feel like you are struggling with an increased workload then it might be helpful for you to check the detailed responsibilities of your role and identify if there are things you are doing at work which isn’t part of your designated role's responsibilities. ✅ If you are experiencing mental health challenges, then seeking help to manage and improve these will not only benefit you on the whole but can also help to reduce your likelihood of developing workplace burnout. If you feel like you could be experiencing anxiety or stress, here at Happio we do offer a therapy group to help you with this called Stress and Anxiety. We are also launching a therapy group to help people who have experienced trauma in the near future. For the females out there who are struggling with the demands of everyday life, it might be useful to check out the Life coaching therapy group Happio offers. ✅ If you feel like you are struggling with the pressure to meet your deadlines it may be worth sitting down and making a plan of how best to organise your time spent at work or having a chat with your supervisor.

✍️ Why is it important that you know the stages of burnout? If you are familiar with the stages of burnout, then you will be able to: ✅ Identify any habits you have at present that you may need to adjust to minimise your risk of developing burnout. ✅ Recognise the stages of burnout so if you ever do/are experiencing it, you can seek help as soon as possible. ✅ Be able to recognise the signs your family members or friends may be experiencing workplace burnout so you can advise them on appropriate support.

✍️ What are the stages of burnout? There are 12 different signs of workplace burnout (Freudenberger 1974) let’s take a look at what these are and how they can manifest...

👉 1. The compulsion to prove – This is where you feel compelled to prove yourself and your worth. This could cause you to have a lot of difficulty with setting healthy boundaries for yourself, such as knowing when to say no! 👉 2. Working Harder – You might find it increasingly difficult to stop working and switch off. This can look like you working more hours than required for your position or, working in your own time such as replying to emails before you go to bed or during the weekend. 👉 3. Neglect of own needs – This is where you find yourself neglecting your own needs because you are busy putting all of your efforts into your work and satisfying your compulsion to prove yourself. This includes behaviours like having a disrupted sleeping or eating pattern, neglecting your relationships, spending less time exercising, and a reduction in pursuing your interests and hobbies outside of work. 👉 4. Displacement of conflicts – This is when you start exhibiting avoidance behaviours. This can look like, you avoiding your concerns and problems. You might feel panicked and threatened also. 👉 5. Revision of values – This is when you change your values to accommodate everything you are doing at work. Your previous values such as family time or keeping fit get placed on the back burner as your only/primary focus is your work goals.
👉 6. Denial of emerging problems – In this stage any problems you experience, you attribute to work and time pressure with no consideration of other factors. You may also perceive the people you work with to not be as good as you, stupid, lacking discipline, and demanding. 👉 7. Withdrawal – This is when your life outside of work feels non-existent, you no longer feel like you have a social life at all. Often relief for this is sought through the use of alcohol and drugs as you feel these offer you some form of escapism. 👉 8. Behavioural Changes – Other people are now able to recognise changes in your behaviour such as being more cynical and irritable. 👉 9. Depersonalisation – In this stage, you no longer see yourself or others as valuable people as a consequence you are not able to identify you have your own needs and so do other people 👉 10. Emptiness – This is when you just feel empty or numb inside. To try and make yourself feel something, you might engage in maladaptive behaviours such as overeating, hypersexuality, and alcohol or drug use. 👉 11. Depression – You exhibit clear symptoms of depression such as feeling the future is bleak, feeling confused and lost, exhausted, and have no enthusiasm. 👉 12. Workplace Burnout Syndrome – This is when you experience total mental and physical collapse.

If you would like to learn how to reduce the likelihood of developing workplace burnout, or you are experiencing workplace burnout and would like some support then please take a look at the 👉 Manage Burnout therapy group 👈 starting soon!

🤗 Remember, you are not alone. Happio is here to help you on your journey! 🤗