The Five Stages Of Burnout

Okay, okay…

I’ve been promising this for a while. So here we go!

It’s so easy to think that burnout just comes out of nowhere and BAM — you’re burnt out.
I mean, I felt this way. One day productive, healthy, and thriving… the next? I couldn’t even make sense of an email asking me if I wanted to have a meeting on Monday or Tuesday.

But it’s simply not true.

As much as we want it to be, why on earth would we continue down a path that leads to full burnout, leaving us with months — if not years — to fully recover?
Because we don’t recognise the symptoms until they’re already derailing our life. That’s why.

We’re busy people.

We have goals we want to meet, deadlines, targets, and lives to lead.
It’s easy to push everything else to the side with the idea that we’ll get back to being healthy when things calm down.

The dilemma is: life typically gets busier, not slower.

And it becomes easier and easier to ignore the subtle signs that things aren’t great.

A cold that’s lingering? No problem, it’ll go away.
Making a few more mistakes? That’s okay, I always get it sorted!
Becoming more forgetful? Well, it’s annoying but nothing I can’t fix.

But! We need to break that cycle.

So let’s break down The Five Stages of Burnout

Stage 1: Excitement

Think about this stage like when you’ve taken on a new job, a promotion, a new goal, or even when something unexpected has come out of left field that you have to deal with.

You’re motivated, you’re driven, you’re energised, you’re focused.
Nothing wrong here.

At this point, things seem great — but this is when we start to drop the good habits.

Maybe you’re sacrificing your sleep, getting up earlier or going to bed later to just finish off some extra work.

You’ve dropped the exercise because you just need to focus.

You’re too busy to cook a healthy meal.

You’re working longer hours because things need to get done.

But hey, you’re achieving your goals, you’re hitting your targets, and you’re feeling good.

Stage 2: Working Harder

At this stage, you’ve been working your butt off.
You’re physically a little tired, emotionally you’re not as excited, and mentally you’re still okay.

You’re achieving your goals, your performance is fine, and you’re getting things done.
Sounds brilliant, right? So what’s the problem?

Well, at this stage, to achieve the same goals and hit the same targets, you physically, mentally, and emotionally have to put in more effort.

In Stage 1, things felt easier, you were in a flow state.
Whereas in Stage 2, it doesn’t come as naturally anymore.

You have to push a little harder to keep up.

Stage 3: Frustration

Okay, the cracks are starting to show now.

Maybe you’ve gone from being cool as a cucumber to having a short fuse.
Maybe you’re getting snappier, and the small things that never really bothered you are now really getting under your skin.

Or…

Maybe you’ve gone from being bubbly, outgoing, and engaged to being withdrawn.

Physically, you’re tired. Not exhausted yet, but definitely tired.
Emotionally, you feel like a frayed live wire.
Mentally, you’re not all there — you’re struggling to concentrate, your performance is starting to dip, and you’re making mistakes you never used to.

This is when people around you will start to notice.
Your family and friends might see you pulling away, or your colleagues might pick up on changes in your behaviour or dips in performance.

To be honest, this is the last stage you want to hit before things really go sideways.

Stage 4: Anxiety and Illness

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I talk a lot about the profound impact that stress has on the body.

I mean, I named my business Get Your Sh*t Together — Literally and Figuratively, as a homage to my days working as a gut health specialist.

That’s when I really started to understand the damage stress can do to the body.

Stress destroys your gut health, wrecks your immunity, and triggers inflammation.

And that’s exactly what’s happening at this stage.
Now, I’m not saying every single person struggling with stress will have gut health issues, but your body will definitely start to struggle.

Whether that’s allergies, intolerances, skin issues, cold sores, or even just not being able to shake the common cold as easily as you used to.

You might also simply “just not feel great.”
Aches, pains, fatigue, you name it.
Your body is sending up flares.

And not only that, your stress levels are now reaching overwhelming levels and, more often than not, causing anxiety.

Stage 5: Apathy

Okay, this is the final stage of burnout.

You’re now completely checked out of work, social engagements… even relationships.
Apathy is a horrible symptom because you can easily lose yourself in it and not recognise the person you’ve become.

You’ve gone from driven, motivated, and energetic to barely being able to care about yourself, your work, or your relationships.

Apathy isn’t about not caring — it’s about not having the capacity to care.

Physically, you’re tapped out.
Emotionally, you’re cycling between anxiety and apathy (or numbing out).
Mentally, you’re struggling with basic instructions, your focus is non-existent, and your performance has completely nosedived.

So, what now?

If you see yourself anywhere along these five stages, please don’t wait for Stage 5 before you take action.

The truth is, burnout recovery is a hell of a lot harder than burnout prevention.

The good news?
You can start reversing the cycle at any stage.

It begins with the smallest of steps:

• Prioritising rest, even when you feel like you don’t have time.
• Bringing back your non-negotiables: movement, proper meals, connection.
• Actually acknowledging the signs instead of pushing through them.

You don’t have to “hustle harder” to get out of this.
In fact, that’s what got you here in the first place.

Remember: you didn’t land in burnout overnight, and you won’t heal overnight either, but you can heal.

And if you’re not sure where to start?
That’s exactly what I help with.

Reach out to me if you or your team needs support. OR check out 121 coaching or talks for your team. — I’m always here to help you Get Your Sh*t Together, literally and figuratively.

P.S. Which stage do you think you’re in right now? Or take the Your Burnout Score here.