The 5 stages of burnout
In today’s fast-paced world, burnout is no longer confined to high-pressure professions - it’s becoming a common experience for anyone juggling work, family, and personal commitments. Chronic stress can quietly build over time, eventually overwhelming your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.
According to Mental Health UK’s Annual Burnout Report, burnout remains a widespread concern. In a survey of over 4,000 UK adults, 34% reported experiencing high or extreme stress ‘always’ or ‘often’, while 91% had felt significant pressure at some point in the past year.
Understanding burnout is the first step toward healing and prevention. Let’s explore what it is, how to recognise it, the five stages it typically follows, and natural ways to recover and protect yourself.
What is burnout (1)?
Burnout is a deep state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged, unmanaged stress. It goes beyond everyday tiredness, affecting motivation, mood, and even your body’s ability to function optimally. Ongoing burnout can seriously affect your quality of life and has been linked to sleep problems and a higher risk of health issues like memory impairment, depression, diabetes, and heart disease.
Burnout is recognised by the World Health Organisation as an occupational phenomenon, as opposed to a medical condition. They state that “burnout is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It is characterised by three dimensions: exhaustion or a lack of energy, increased distance from or negativity towards work, and behaviour that's less professional.
When many of us think of the term “burnout” we envisage working long hours in high-pressure jobs, however increasing evidence points to the fact that burnout can affect anyone - not just those in the workplace. In a recent cross-sectional study(2), less than 30% of the people surveyed stated their job as the primary reason they felt burnt out, suggesting a broader range of factors in everyday life.
What are the causes of burnout?
Just like our physical energy, we all have a limited supply of mental energy. Mental energy is what helps us manage our emotions, stay focused, make decisions, and control our behaviour. It plays a key role in motivation, self-control, judgment, and even physical stamina. Using this energy, especially for things like resisting distractions or making tough choices can be draining.
Your mental energy levels can fluctuate and are influenced by several factors. These include individual differences such as your genetics, personality, general health, sleep quality, and emotional wellbeing. They’re also shaped by outside influences like your relationships, exposure to environmental stressors and lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. Burnout occurs when mental energy levels are depleted as the body and mind react to chronic, unresolved stress.
There is not one single cause of burnout, and it is often triggered by a combination of different factors. People will also react differently to different stressors, but common causes of burnout can include:
Ongoing workplace stress, which may be caused by:
- Excessive workload or unrealistic expectations
- Lack of control over tasks or decisions
- Insufficient recognition or reward
- Poor workplace relationships or lack of support
- Unfair treatment or value misalignment with the organisation
Personal and relationship stresses such as:
- Parental or caring responsibilities
- Lack of social support and feelings of isolation
- Relationship issues and breakdown
- Perfectionism and putting unnecessary strain on yourself
Lifestyle and environmental factors such as:
- Worries about finances
- Lack of sleep and stress can create a vicious cycle
- Lack of time for socialising or engaging in activities, poor work-life balance
- Major life transitions such as divorce or moving house
How to recognise burnout
Burnout often develops gradually, and its symptoms can vary from person to person, but some of the common signs and symptoms can include:
- Constant fatigue, even after rest - feeling overwhelmed psychologically can manifest in physical exhaustion and fatigue
- Feeling emotionally drained or detached
- Reduced performance or motivation - procrastination can also be common
- Irritability or mood swings - mood can be one of the first things to plummet in the early stages of burnout. You can also lose your feelings of self-confidence and have a cynical outlook on life
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Sleep disturbances - you can experience issues with falling asleep and/or staying asleep. This, in turn can create a vicious cycle, exacerbating the other symptoms of burnout
- Changes to appetite – this might be either losing your appetite or binging on snacks and comfort foods. You may also be reliant on alcohol to cope
- Physical symptoms – these can include headaches, digestive issues, lowered immunity, raised blood pressure and muscular aches and pains
The 5 stages of burnout
Burnout typically progresses through five stages. Recognising where you are in this cycle can help guide your recovery:
1. The Honeymoon Phase
You’re enthusiastic, driven, and possibly overcommitted. Stress may be present, but it’s masked by excitement and productivity. Warning signs of this phase may include overworking, not taking sufficient breaks, perfectionism and neglecting boundaries.
2. Onset of stress
The initial excitement begins to wane, and you start to notice physical or emotional symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety and irritability. You may start to experience trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, reduced productivity, and neglect of self-care routines.
3. Chronic stress
Stress becomes persistent and you may feel overwhelmed and struggle to keep up with daily tasks. Your normal coping mechanisms may not be sufficient, and you may experience increased procrastination, social withdrawal, or increased reliance on stimulants (caffeine, sugar or others) to get through the day.
4. Burnout
You feel emotionally drained, detached from daily life, and unable to cope. Your motivation plummets, and physical symptoms such as headaches or digestive symptoms often intensify. You may feel hopeless or trapped – like you’re just going through the motions.
5. Habitual burnout
Burnout becomes part of your daily life, and recovery feels distant or impossible. Symptoms may resemble clinical conditions such as depression or chronic fatigue syndrome and you may experience emotional numbness or sense of disconnection from purpose or joy.
Can you prevent burnout?
Mental resilience is your ability to stay strong and bounce back from the emotional, mental, or physical challenges that come your way. It’s powered by personal qualities like patience, self-awareness, confidence, and problem-solving skills. Unlike physical energy, these mental strengths aren’t fixed, they can grow stronger with practice or become depleted if neglected.
Prevention is always better than cure. Here’s how you can stay resilient and help to prevent burnout:
Set healthy boundaries around work and personal time. Protect your mental energy by defining clear start and end times for your workday and avoid checking emails or messages outside of those hours. Learn that it’s OK to say “no” and communicate your boundaries to others.
Schedule regular breaks and downtime. Continuous work without rest can deplete your mental and physical energy, so plan in, and stick to regular breaks throughout the day. If you start to experience signs of burnout, plan regular days off and longer holidays to fully disconnect and recharge.
Practice self-compassion. Perfectionism and self-criticism are major contributors to burnout. Be kind to yourself and celebrate the small wins and progress, realise that mistakes are essential for growth and speak kindly to yourself, like you would to others.
Build a support network of friends, mentors, or seek a therapist. Isolation and loneliness can compound stress, while meaningful relationships foster resilience. Keep in touch with friends and family, and at work, seek out colleagues who understand your professional challenges. If you think you might be experiencing burnout, consider working with a therapist to help build coping strategies.
Monitor your stress levels and adjust before they escalate. While stress doesn’t always equate to burnout, it can often be one of the main drivers, so if you can recognise and address it early, you can help to prevent escalation. Take time to notice patterns in your emotions, as well as energy levels and sleep and adjust your routines or expectations before symptoms intensify.
How to recover from burnout?
Burnout is not a permanent state - it’s a signal that one or more areas of your life need attention and adjustment. Recovery is possible, and it begins with acknowledging what you're experiencing and taking steps to support your wellbeing.
Lifestyle & mindset
Rest and sleep
Prioritize deep, restorative sleep. Taking a rest is not laziness, it is essential to recovery. Be it reading a book, listening to music or taking a hot bath, any activities that help to restore your mental energy. Being in nature is particularly supportive for activating the parasympathetic nervous system and calming the mind.
Mindfulness and meditation
Practices like breathwork, mindful walking, and guided meditation help calm the mind and reduce stress. Even short sessions (5 minutes daily) can be transformative. Apps such as Calm and Headspace offer tools to help manage stress levels.
Journalling
Journalling offers a safe, private space to declutter your thoughts, explore your feelings and recognise thought patterns. Gratitude journaling can be particularly therapeutic to burnout recovery and supports the process by refocusing on positive experiences, boosting emotional resilience, calming the nervous system, and fostering a sense of appreciation that helps counteract stress.
Nutrition
Fuelling your body and brain with the right nutrition can be pivotal in returning to health after burnout.
The Mediterranean Diet
Typically rich in olive oil, nuts, legumes, fruit and vegetables, and fish, with low intake of sugary and processed foods, has demonstrated a supportive role in mental health and mood (5)
Protein
Ensuring an adequate intake of protein, found in foods like meat, poultry, eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, tempeh, and nuts will ensure sufficient dietary amino acids. Two amino acids implicated in brain and mental health include tryptophan, an important precursor to metabolites related to sleep and sleeping patterns and ornithine, which modulates stress through direct action on the central nervous system (6).
Balance blood sugar
Diets high in sugary foods and beverages have demonstrated an adverse effect on long-term psychological health, and researchers have suggested that lower intake of sugar may be associated with better psychological health (7). At the same time, stress has been shown to have negative effects on blood glucose balance. A diet focused on proteins, healthy fats, and fibre, with reduced levels of refined carbohydrates can help to maintain balanced blood sugar levels, which, in turn, can support a balanced mood.
Hydration
Even mild dehydration can contribute to fatigue and mood imbalances, so keep a bottle of water with you and sip throughout the day.
Key nutrients to support burnout recovery
B vitamins: Essential for energy production, nervous system function and stress resilience.
Vitamin C: Studies demonstrate that vitamin C can help reduce stress levels by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, lowering cortisol production, and supporting neurotransmitter balance,leading to improved mood (4).
Magnesium: Magnesium is essential to overall health, participating in more than 300 biochemical functions in the body, including supporting energy metabolism and helping to alleviate tiredness and fatigue.
Vitamin D: Low levels are associated with mood imbalances (3), and deficiency is common in the UK, particularly over Autumn/Winter, when supplementation is advised.
Omega 3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA, found in oily fish and algae-based supplements have been well-studied on their role in supporting healthy mood balance.
Probiotics: Can help to support the microbiome, fostering healthy gut-brain communication and mood balance. You can read more in Can you eat your way to mental clarity? Foods & nutrients that fuel the gut-brain axis.
L-Theanine: This amino acid, found in green tea leaves, is associated with several health benefits, including improvements in mood, cognition and a reduction of stress and anxiety-like symptoms (8).
Ayurvedic herbs: Ashwagandha has been used for centuries to calm the nervous system. More recent studies have demonstrated a supportive role of ashwagandha in stress management(9).
How long does it take to recover from burnout?
Recovery time varies depending on the severity and duration of burnout. Mild burnout may resolve in weeks, while deeper stages may take months. The key is consistent self-care, support, and patience.
Burnout is not a personal failure; it’s a signal that something needs to change. By understanding its signs and stages and supporting your body and mind naturally, you can recover and return to optimal health and wellness.
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