5 Stages of Burn Out and 5 keys to prevent it.

I'm a 3X burnout survivor. Actually, truth be told I'm a survivor of burn out more than 3 times, it's just that it put me in hospital 3 times, and the rest of the time in between hospital visits I lived in a state that fluctuated anywhere between chronic stress and severe burnout.

I share my experiences of burnout not for sympathy or attention, but to draw attention to the damage that un-managed, prolonged stress can do to the human body. No one wakes up one day and suddenly finds themselves burnt out. Burnout has a steady and predictable pathway, and a lot of warning signs come before the point in time comes where the body and mind finally say "Enough. No More."

There are 5 stages of burnout and each has some distinct hallmarks. And the good news is that you can prevent burn out without having to quit your job.

Stage 1- The Honeymoon Phase - is often experienced in the initial stages of a new job or a new project. Some stresses are experienced however these are considered to be expected and often attributed to learning new skills, new ways of working and new workplace dynamics. In the Honeymoon Phase you have good coping skills to manage stresses and the view is that any stresses are short term only.

Stage 2 - The Onset of Stress - occurs after a period of sustained pressure which may be caused by a variety of sources - high work demands, long hours, organisational changes, inadequate skills, support or training to achieve required outcomes, stressful or traumatic experiences or prolonged exposure (particularly in healthcare environments), toxic workplace culture, poor relationships at work and more. The first signs of stress become apparent as it becomes obvious the honeymoon is over and this might be the norm. Anxiety, fatigue and mental distraction appear affecting you emotionally and physically.

Stage 3 - Chronic Stress - Stress levels are higher again and occur more frequently - now the norm not the exception. Fatigue is deeper resulting in poor decision making, irritability, low mood and the start of social withdrawal. Physical symptoms may increase and include digestive issues (heart burn, diarrhoea), headaches, muscle tension, heart palpitations/racing, raised blood pressure. Mental health issues present consistently with anxiety setting in and even the onset of depressive symptoms. It's time for a rest and reset.

Stage 4 - Burn Out - All the symptoms of Stage 3 Chronic Stress but consistent and amplified. Physical symptoms may start to warrant medical attention and/or intervention and new and severe emotional and psychological factors become apparent including feelings of isolation, paranoia, persistent anxious thoughts and over-thinking. social withdrawal and depressive thoughts. It's now at a critical stage to stop, rest and reset.

Stage 5 - Habitual Burnout - This is reached after you have been living at Stage 4 for a continued and extended period of time, to the extent that this becomes your life. Health conditions have now become entrenched and chronic. Depression and anxiety may be at moderate to severe. Digestive issues are debilitating, hair may be falling out and heart conditions such as high blood pressure are likely to be reaching dangerous levels. This is a health emergency and urgent and immediate action and intervention is required.

My story of Burnout (the abridged version)

In May 2021 I attended the Emergency Department of the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne with severe chest pain. Well cared for with immediate concern of a cardiac episode, the doctors were relieved to tell me that, although my blood pressure was at a life threatening high of 210 over 140, I wasn't having a heart attack. It was an anxiety attack, treated with a prescription for some Valium and told to manage my stress because the next attack might not be a false alarm.

It all sounded very familiar, this was my 3rd such trip to the ED in 5 years, and my own GP had been telling me this for almost 9 months as I visited her frequently and underwent all manner of blood tests, scans, ultrasounds and invasive procedures to be told that my chronic diarrhoea, month long periods, hair loss, muscle pain, headaches and high blood pressure were being caused by stress.

My psychologist had been telling me this too as he treated me for the depression and anxiety that had become my constant companion.

Welcome to Stage 5 Habitual Burnout.

How I recovered from this position to not only now be physically and mentally well and dedicating my life to helping others to avoid the debilitating and life threatening quicksand of burnout is for another article. The good news is that a) you can recover and b) more importantly there are things you can do to prevent yourself from ever reaching that stage in the first place.

5 Keys to Preventing Burnout

1. Identify the sources of your stress. Consider factors such as:

• Is your workload demand too high?
• Is your work environment unstable or toxic?
• Do you have flexibility to enable to life/work balance you want to meet your family needs?
• What is happening in your personal life that is contributing?

2 - What can you change?

What changes can you make based on what you identified at Step 1?

• Delegate more tasks at work? Put a pause on taking on new projects until existing workload is manageable again?
• Talk to your manager about more support or flexible work arrangement?
• Have a conversation with HR/People & Culture about any workplace concerns you have and seek support internally
• Is it a healthy work environment or a toxic culture? Maybe you need to consider changing jobs altogether?
• Consider seeking counselling or support outside of work, consult your GP

3 - Micro mindfulness to calm your nervous system

Learn micro mindfulness practices that you can do every day in the workplace, as well as before and after the working day. Understand how simple practices such as breathing and meditation can have a powerful effect on your heart rate, nervous system and brain.

• Simple breathing techniques in 30-60 seconds that you can do across the course of the day when you are feeling overwhelmed. Before, during and after meetings or calls
• Combine these with things you do throughout the day for "habit stacking" - Refilling your water bottle - breathe for 30 seconds. Using the restroom facilities - breathe for 60 seconds.
• Taking 15 minutes to meditate in the middle of a work day might not be possible (and it takes practice to get there), instead learn simple and effective mini mindfulness techniques that you can do in only a few minutes.

4 - Check in on your Mindset

Often when we start to become stressed, our own thoughts can exacerbate an already stressful situation. Your Inner Critic may get even louder and coupled with a dose of Imposter Syndrome what you are saying to yourself can be highly detrimental.

• How are you talking to yourself, especially when things aren't going your way?
• Do you "catastrophise" and go into negative thought spirals? Tell yourself that nothing good ever happens for you? That you're no good or useless at things and that no one would want to listen to you?
• Do you talk yourself out of trying new things or speaking up for fear of failure or looking stupid?
• What subconscious beliefs do you have that are showing up in your life in unhelpful ways? Uncover what your deep beliefs are around work, success, money, love and life and you'll start to understand how any self-limiting and self-sabotaging behaviours are contributing to already stressful situations.
• Learn Mindset Flips to reframe your unhelpful thoughts into empowering ones instead. For example, instead of saying "I am such a failure and everyone will think I am useless" try saying "That wasn't quite the outcome I was hoping for, but I've learnt from that and can try again."

5 - The pain of Perfection

People with perfectionist tendencies are more likely to experience stress, anxiety and burnout, as they strive to achieve the unachievable. Trying to be the perfect employee, parent, partner/spouse, friend - perfect at everything all of the thing.

• What are you seeking or believing you will receive by being perfect? What are you worried will or won't happen if you aren't perfect? Do you hold yourself to a higher standard than you do anyone else?
• Seeking approval and acceptance from parents can show up as seeking this also from authority figures in the workplace too. Is your female boss who's opinion of you matters so much a stand in for your mothers approval that you feel you have never received?
• Do you think that unless you do everything perfectly that you aren't loveable? That if you are less than perfect that you will be seen as weak or not well regarded?
• That who you are isn't OK so you create a different version of yourself that others will accept?

Learning to accept, approve of and love yourself exactly as you are is the key to overcoming perfectionism. This was one of the core reasons behind my burnout, why I pushed myself to constantly strive to be the most successful, most valuable, most impactful person at work, as well as the perfect mother, perfect partner, perfect everything - the woman who had it all. Inner Child work and similar therapies can be profoundly life changing in over coming perfectionism.

What if you are already Burnt Out?

Firstly, if you are already burnt out or well down that pathway, let me give you the biggest virtual hug. I'm sorry that you find yourself in this situation and feeling the way that you do. I know all too well that it can be a scary and lonely place, and the fact that you are reading this article is a great step. There is no one size fits all approach to recovering from burnout, but here is what I do know and recommend to anyone suffering:

1. Connect with your GP or medical practitioner. Get tests done, understand what is physiologically happening to your body right now as a result of the chronic and embedded stress. Blood pressure is just one part of it. Address any physical areas of concern.
2. Step back from work for a while if possible. Even if you can only take a break for 1-2 weeks do it. Sleep, rest, nourish your body and be still. Your body needs you to stop or it will do it for you, and it might not be pretty. I took 6 weeks off work and it saved my life.
3. https://www.infinitemindlifecoaching.com.au/Consider engaging a mental health professional to suit your needs. This may be a psychologist or counsellor, or a coach who specialises in burnout and stress management. (Yes, the author is now a coach for exactly that)
4. When you are feeling less overwhelmed, you might like to seek some assistance on how you can live the life you want to AND be well. How can you continue on in the successful career you have built/are building and not find yourself stressed and burnt out again? A strategic life coach with a focus on wellbeing at work is well placed to assist.

About Margaret

Margaret is a 3 times survivor of burn out and a recovering perfectionist. Quitting the corporate world, she dedicated herself to the prevention of chronic stress and burnout in the workplace, and supporting those who are experiencing their own burn out journey.

She is an accredited Strategic Life Coaching Practitioner, Law of Attraction Practitioner, Life Transformation Practitioner and Happiness Coach, based in Melbourne Australia.

Margaret is the Founder and CEO of?Infinite Mind Life Coaching?providing Workplace Wellbeing programs focussed on mindset and mindfulness, as well as burnout and stress management coaching. Margaret combines a 30+ year career in high performance, management and leadership roles with practical and easy to apply methods along with her own personal story of life changing transformation.

Margaret is also the Founder and CEO of?Queen of my Own Universe, supporting and empowering women to uncover and step into their full potential.

Margaret's story about how she quit as a Senior Vice President of a global software business to live her life helping others to live their best life was recently featured in an article in the?Australian Financial Review.

To learn more get in contact with Margaret on 0405 755 526.

www.infinitemindlifecoaching.com.au

www.queenofmyownuniverse.com