Burnout is often said to come in stages. With any new job or change in role, initially there may be feelings of stress but they are around doing better and job satisfaction, this is often called the honeymoon stage. And hopefully it dissipates.

However, sometimes we struggle to cope and in the first stage, at the onset of stress, we may become irritable at times or may have a hard time focussing. We may have a few physical symptoms. There are steps we can take to mitigate this right here.

However, as we are unable to resolve these things, either internally, with self care or externally (eg. change in work environment) we can reach the chronic stress stage. At this point, our entire system may feel under pressure or threatened. This chronic stress can leave us feeling a myriad of things from chronic exhaustion to irritability. We may start to withdraw socially.

If we are unable to take steps to change things or our outlook we can then arrive at the burnout stage. This is when pessimism and self-doubt may take over. We may develop significant physical problems, like chronic aches and pains or gastrointestinal issues. This is no fun. Our systems are really trying to take care of us by getting us away from the stressor - which is not that helpful when it relates to work or roles. We need to get help. It is often not enough to quit or stop doing something, although this can be really helpful for a time.

We need to suss out what is going on or we risk chronic burnout which is often coupled with depression and chronic physical and mental fatigue. If you recognize yourself  at any of these stages it  is never too late to get help! At the chronic burnout stage you may feel little energy to get help - and this is normal - and you must. Speaking to a counsellor can help bring you back into a healthier self.

Burnout can be due to external or internal factors that we have control over, and in some cases that we do not. For those we cannot control we can still heal from experiences and make decisions that will improve our future.

Do not give up on you! I have dealt with the different stages of burnout both professionally with clients and personally. Together we can work to improve your life.