People who are confronted with burnout often only realize too late what is going on. While there are usually enough early signs, which are then apparently ignored.

The 12 stages of burnout

1. An almost obsessive need to prove yourselfThe best employees are happy for this: enthusiastic people who like to take on responsibility.
2. Working harder and harder: no longer being able to turn the button off.
3. Neglecting yourself: irregular sleeping, poor eating and paying too little attention to your social environment.
4. Avoiding conflicts: problems are ignored and you feel threatened, panicked and rushed.
5. A re-evaluation of values: you change your priorities, friends and family fade into the background, hobbies are no longer important, you focus only on work.
6. Denial of problems. You will begin to see all kinds of problems as the result of your work rather than other things in your life.
7. Withdrawal symptoms: you have (almost) no social life anymore, you feel the need to get rid of your stress and you probably turn to alcohol and/or drugs to do so.
8. Stranger changes in behavior: your changed behavior is starting to become apparent to the outside world; friends and family are becoming concerned.
9. Depersonalization: you no longer see yourself or others as valuable, and you no longer have any idea of your own needs.
10. Inner emptiness: you feel empty inside. To combat this, you seek distractions such as food, sex, alcohol or drugs. You probably overdo it quite a bit too.
11. Depression: you feel lost and insecure, exhausted, the future looks dark.
12. Burn-out: you completely collapse, physically and/or mentally. It is now time for full medical attention.

This is of course all described rather briefly, but will be recognizable enough if you are on your way to a burn-out. So if you recognize a bit too much of the above points, then consider what you can change to prevent yourself from reaching the twelfth phase.

source: intermediary

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