Although awareness of burnout has been increasing since the term was coined in the 1970s, the last two years have made things exponentially worse. It’s a worldwide issue that can impact anyone, but it’s especially common in high-stress careers such as healthcare and education.
In a study reported by Forbes, more than half of workers surveyed reported burnout. Millennials and Gen-Z folks are the most likely to be burned out, with 59% and 58% of those generations experiencing the effects of chronic stress, respectively.
Is Burnout a Disease?
Herbert Freudenberger was the first person to use the term “burnout.” Freudenberger was a psychologist volunteering at a free clinic for drug addicts in the 1970s. He noticed that the staff at this clinic tended to exhibit the same suite of symptoms, including depression, irritability, trouble sleeping, and chronic headaches or digestive problems. He published a paper about the phenomenon in 1974, and the term quickly caught on.
Is burnout a recognized disease or condition? Well, it depends on who you ask. Or rather, WHO you ask. The World Health Organization (WHO) added “burn-out” to the International Classification of Diseases in 2019. However, it is still not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (aka the DSM-5), which is the standard for medical practitioners in the United States. You might not be able to get a diagnosis of burnout, but that doesn’t mean that chronic stress isn’t impacting your life.
Who Can Get Burned Out?
We most often talk about burnout in the workplace, but it can happen to students—even younger kids—as well as stay-at-home parents and caregivers of chronically ill loved ones.
Burnout can happen to anyone, even people who aren’t in jobs that are traditionally seen as high stress. “We’re living in an incredibly stressful time, and burnout is incredibly prevalent,” psychologist Adam Borland told the Cleveland Clinic. “I am seeing a lot of people who are very tired. Physically, emotionally tired.”
The rise in remote work has also seen an increase in burnout, and mental health professionals believe that erosion of work-life boundaries could be part of the cause. “I’m seeing people that are having a very difficult time finding the necessary boundaries in order to manage their personal life and work demands,” Dr. Borland says. “Finding that balance has proven to be extremely difficult.”
Even without obvious, immediate stressors in your life, you can still get burned out. You don’t need to prove that you’re suffering from chronic stress or “earn” the right to feel exhausted. But how do you know if you’re getting burned out?
Stages of Burnout
Researchers have found that burnout happens in stages. The earlier you recognize it, the sooner you can work to address the cause—and prevent burnout from taking a more serious toll on your life.
According to research by Winona State University, there are five distinct stages of burnout:
- Honeymoon
- Balancing Act
- Chronic Symptoms
- Crisis
- Enmeshment
The first stage of burnout doesn’t seem like a bad thing. During the honeymoon stage, we feel like we’re invincible. Whatever challenge we’re facing—whether it’s a new job, a new baby, or a new project—feels like an adventure. We’re excited and energized. People during this stage report feeling a sense of high job satisfaction.
The problem with the honeymoon stage is that you may be blinded to potential problems. To paraphrase BoJack Horseman, when you wear rose-colored glasses, red flags just look like flags. At this stage, it’s important to take a proactive approach to your well-being. Take breaks—even if you don’t think they are necessary—and set healthy boundaries.
In the next stage, the stress starts to set in. Things don’t seem quite as rosy as they did in the honeymoon stage. You may find that your sleep is suffering, or maybe you are struggling to hit deadlines. It might be harder to focus on some days, or you might start avoiding any situation where you have to make a decision—even what to have for dinner. You keep losing things or forgetting little tasks. You start complaining more often about your job, school, or family.
Physical symptoms include headaches, fatigue, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure. You may also display classic symptoms of depression, such as a loss of appetite or overeating, neglecting your personal needs, avoiding friends and family, and feeling irritable or anxious. It’s clear during this stage that something is wrong, but many people suffering burnout may look to other causes before they find the source of the stress.
The third stage of burnout can be devastating. The symptoms from the last stage intensify, and you might reach the point where you lose interest in things that previously brought you enjoyment. You may seek solace in mindless activities like TV or video games, or else you might turn to substances to get you through this rough period. Irritability boils over into anger and sleeplessness blossoms into insomnia. Absenteeism and blown deadlines are common. You may also get physically ill more often as the stress takes a toll on your body.
The biggest sign of this stage, however, is apathy. Why bother? Nothing will change. Getting out of bed feels like a herculean task, and you start dreading the next day. You feel cynical and checked out, and what’s more, you don’t care anymore.
You might think that the third stage is the worst, but we’re not done yet. Stage four of burnout sees your problems become chronic. The stress is so constant and profound that you have constant headaches, body pains, or digestive problems. Not only do you not care about your responsibilities, but you daydream about dropping everything and running away.
You spend the hours when you’re not working (or studying, or caring for someone) obsessing over the source of your stress. It’s all you can talk about, all you can think about. The only way to get it to stop is to shut down your conscious brain. It’s not uncommon for people suffering this level of burnout to come home and immediately check out, whether it’s by falling asleep early, indulging in mindless activity, or turning to substances.
In the final stage of burnout—enmeshment—you’ve lived this way for so long that you can’t remember a better time. You might not even feel “stressed” anymore because it’s become the baseline for your daily experience. Depression and anxiety are the hallmarks of this stage, along with chronic fatigue, physical pain, and memory problems.
How to Reclaim Your Life After Burnout
More than half of people currently in the workforce are experiencing some level of burnout—and that doesn’t include people who may have been too ashamed to admit their feelings or those who are in denial. You are absolutely not alone, and you shouldn’t feel embarrassed about needing help.
Burnout is a serious problem. Don’t shrug it off. Instead, take steps to reclaim your life. Start living again, not just making it through one more day.
The first step is to talk about how you feel. That might mean having a chat with a therapist or counselor, or you could talk to a loved one about how you’re feeling. If your symptoms are physical as well as mental, then loop your primary care physician into the conversation. And—although it’s going to be tough—you might need to talk to your boss or teachers about what’s going on.
If you have the option to take some time off, then do so. If that’s not a possibility, then scale back your responsibilities. Cut your to-do list in half. Rein in your perfectionist tendencies and be okay with an okay job. If things don’t need to be on your plate, then drop them or ask someone else to take over.
I know it’s not what you want to hear, but exercise, healthy food, and meditation are all going to help you feel better. Start as small as necessary, even if it’s just getting up to stretch for a few minutes or grabbing an apple instead of a candy bar. Meditation can help you feel calmer, but it can also put you in touch with your own body. Being more aware of your physical self will help you realize when something is wrong.
Try this exercise right now: relax your jaw, then allow your shoulders to sink downward. Then close your eyes and take five or six deep, slow breaths. You can do this exercise anytime you feel like you’re carrying too much tension.
I really like the Pomodoro Method for managing workflow. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task. When the timer goes off, take a five-minute break. A real break, not the kind of break where you’re kinda-sorta still working. Walk around, get a snack, and do some stretches. Repeat the process, and at the end of the fourth session, take a fifteen-minute break.
If all else fails, look for ways to radically change your situation. For students, that might mean dropping extracurriculars, changing classes, or even taking a semester off. For caregivers, it could be time to look into alternative types of care for your loved one. And in the workplace, well, you can always find a new job. But if you don’t address the toll that chronic stress has already taken on you, then you’ll find yourself back in the same place before too long.
