Burnout is defined by the World Health Organisation as a syndrome with 3 key symptoms – exhaustion, cynicism related to work, and reduced professional effectiveness. Personally, I think it’s more than this – it affects a person’s whole life, not just how effective they are at work.
What are the key symptoms?
Burnout sufferers experience a sense of physical and emotional exhaustion, often with aching and tired body, a feeling of negativity surrounding work and life, a feeling of loneliness as they disengage from what they love to do and other people. Emotional outbursts are common, as are feelings of resentment and over-complaining. They also lose themselves in the process.
How do I know if I am burnt out?
There is a difference to being on the path (or ladder) to burnout and actually being burned out. The process tends to go in stages, starting with excitement and adrenaline at being challenged positively, to a period of self-neglect, and cynicism surrounding life in general. The final stages equate to depression – the sufferer feels lonely and hopeless and has no zest for life.
The early stages of burnout are difficult to spot, simply because they can be very enjoyable as the individual experiences positive emotions of self-esteem (the need to be needed), and validation as they are congratulated and rewarded for working harder. It is only when they start to tire that they think they might be burning out.
What are the six stages of burnout?
There are six stages of the path to burnout as defined in The Burnout Ladder®...
Ignition – about to make a change
Acceleration – making the change and experiencing more challenge
Neglect – where the individual needs to make sacrifices to keep up the pace
Cynicism – where resentment at the domination of the job impacts life
Disengage – where the individual pulls back from the job and also socially too – they feel overwhelmed.
Embers – the dying stages of the fire, just before burnout, when the person feels lost and hopeless. This stage is often equated with depression.
Once they reach this stage on the ladder, a person can consider themselves burnt out.
What is The Burnout Ladder®?
The Burnout Ladder® is a structured framework to identify whether someone is on the way to burnout and providing practical tools to prevent it (i.e.- getting off the 'ladder').
The structure has been turned into a book by Alan Muskett entitled 'The Burnout Ladder - How to Thrive in a Chaotic Workplace', which defines how human psychology causes burnout, how workplaces can protect employees, a simple diagnostic questionnaire with a personalised report from the author, and tools and recommendations for avoiding burnout.
What are the best ways to recover from or prevent burnout?
In The Burnout Ladder® there are a number of approaches to combat burnout, addressing perfectionism and boundary setting, emotional regulation to remain calm under extreme pressure and avoid too much fight-or-flight, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tools to correct negative thinking and pessimism, tips on how to maximise connections and networks for support, and reminders of how to nourish the soul and avoid depletion of energy.
How will Burnout Coaching help me?
While reading up on the topic will provide education and practical tips, the best results come from a structured coaching programme.
My “The Burnout Ladder” support programme consists of four steps:
Session 1 – Getting off the ladder – the immediate priority is to address current symptoms of burnout and implementing measures to correct.
Session 2 – How did you get here? – getting under the surface of the causes of burnout – too perfectionist? A people pleaser? Anxiety? Lack of self-confidence?
Session 3 - How to stay off the ladder – putting good habits into place keeping you healthy.