Burnout can be classified into three types: occupational, caregiver, and autistic. Burnout is becoming more common, affecting everyone, regardless of their occupation or background. Understanding the different types of burnout is important. It helps us recognize, manage, and prevent its harmful effects.
As we look at each category, you’ll learn about warning signs, coping strategies, and ways to prevent burnout.
Table of Contents
What Are the 3 Types of Burnout?
The 3 types of burnout are occupational burnout, caregiver burnout and autistic burnout.
Occupational burnout, commonly experienced in the workplace, is characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, and a sense of detachment.
Caregiver burnout emerges from the demands of providing continuous care, leading to exhaustion, isolation, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Autistic burnout, specific to individuals on the autism spectrum, manifests as mental fatigue, heightened sensitivity to stimuli, and challenges in navigating social expectations, often requiring extended periods of rest and self-care.
These are the main 3 types of burnout:
Occupational
Caregiver
Autistic
Occupational Burnout
Occupational burnout, which can be under-challenged burnout, neglect burnout, or overload burnout, is a widespread problem defined by chronic physical and mental weariness. Occupational burnout is caused by chronic workplace stress. This tends to affect people in a variety of professions, although some jobs are more vulnerable to burnout than others due to the nature of the work, high stress levels, or other factors.
What Are the Signs of Occupational Burnout?
Recognizing job burnout symptoms is critical for early management and reducing its impact. This is especially important in careers with the highest burnout rate. The 3 most common indicators of occupational burnout are as follows:
Physical symptoms – These symptoms may include frequent headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension, and a greater susceptibility to infections as a result of a compromised immune system.
Withdrawal from social activities – You may withdraw from social activities and hobbies that used to make you happy as burnout progresses. You may withdraw from friends and family, preferring isolation over social contact.
Escapism – When people are burned out, they might turn to things like drinking too much or using drugs to feel better. They may also start eating poorly.
To regain your health and balance work and life, it’s important to address burnout in high-stress jobs. Recovering from burnout should be a top priority, before you get to the point where you quit your job because of it.
How to Deal with Occupational Burnout?
To deal with occupational burnout you must take the following 3 steps.
Prioritize and delegate – You should examine your workload and duties carefully. Whenever possible, delegate tasks and prioritize your most important responsibilities when experiencing burnout.
Seek growth career-wise – This is critical as well. Invest in your professional development and advancement. Learning new abilities or taking on new tasks at work can give you a sense of purpose and success. This can help you avoid under-challenged burnout.
Have a support system in your work and personal life – When you are feeling helpless, talking to family, friends, and people in your sector can help. They can offer advice and share their experiences, which gives valuable insights and emotional support.
How to Avoid Occupational Burnout?
To avoid occupational burnout you can use the following 3 tactics:
Consider your career goals – I would advise that you review your long-term career goals on a regular basis and make revisions as needed. See if your work is in line with your goals and values.
Take time off – Utilize your vacation days and take time off. Vacations let you relax and recharge, so you can come back to work energized and enthusiastic.
Say no more often – When your plate is already full, politely decline further responsibilities or initiatives. Overcommitment can cause weariness and impair your capacity to execute activities efficiently.
Caregiver Burnout
Caregiver burnout occurs when someone who is caring for a loved one, such as an aged parent or a family member with a chronic illness, becomes fully exhausted and stressed. Caregiver burnout affects not only the caregiver but also the quality of care they deliver to their loved one. As a result, carers must take care of themselves as well.
What Are the Signs?
Recognizing warning signs and taking action to address them is critical for preventing caregiver burnout from worsening. These signs can be like those experienced in “mom burnout”. Mothers, in particular, experience burnout from parenting. These are the 3 most common signs:
Neglecting your health – Caregivers may neglect their own health by missing medical visits, skipping meals, or failing to take prescribed prescriptions.
Isolation – Caregivers may withdraw from social activities and isolate themselves from friends and family over time.
Feeling overloaded – Caregivers may feel perpetually overwhelmed by the sheer volume of caregiving obligations, with no relief in sight.
How to Deal with Caregiver Burnout?
To deal with caregiver burnout, take care of yourself. Seek support from support groups and medical professionals. Try to adjust your routine.
To avoid burnout, it’s important to set clear boundaries between caregiving and personal time. This helps protect your well-being.
How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout?
To prevent caregiver burnout, start by understanding the care recipient’s condition and available support. This can help to organize better and prevent overwhelm and fatigue. Use respite care on occasion to ensure you have time for self-care without neglecting the care recipient’s needs. To keep your emotions balanced while taking care of others, practice stress-reducing activities like mindfulness and meditation.
Autistic Burnout
Burnout on the autistic spectrum is similar to hitting a massive wall of fatigue and physical exhaustion. It is crucial to point out that autistic burnout does not occur in the exact same way or stem from the exact same reasons for everyone. What causes it and how it feels differ greatly from person to person.
What Are the Signs?
Autistic burnout symptoms can vary but frequently include physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. This makes daily problems more difficult to bear. Autistic burnout often causes physical symptoms like headaches or muscle tension. It can also lead to emotional meltdowns or shutdowns due to fatigue and sensory overload.
How to Deal with Autistic Burnout?
To deal with autistic burnout, you can try deep breathing or meditation for relaxation and mindfulness. Get support from an autism therapist. Slowly start doing activities and taking on responsibilities again.
How to Avoid Autistic Burnout?
To prevent autistic burnout, it’s important to take care of yourself, manage sensory triggers, and reduce stress. Having a supportive social network that respects your boundaries and needs is crucial.
What Are the 5 Stages of Burnout
The 5 stages of burnout are the honeymoon phase, onset of stress, chronic stress, burnout, and habitual burnout.
Let’s analyze them a bit:
Honeymoon Phase – This is the initial stage where everything seems fine.
Onset of Stress – Left untreated, as you continue to work hard and push your limits, you will start feeling the first signs of fatigue.
Chronic Stress – At this stage fatigue becomes a regular occurrence.
Burnout – This is the critical stage where you’re officially burnt out. You’re exhausted both physically and emotionally. Tasks that were once manageable become daunting.
Habitual Burnout – At this stage being burned out has become your new normal. You feel more irritable, tired, and stressed. At this stage burnout is strongly established in your life, and breaking the cycle may be difficult.
Burnout Masterclass
Are you suffering from any of the types of burnout described above? It’s time to break free! Sign up for our masterclass on how to beat burnout, where you’ll uncover practical strategies to identify, manage, and overcome the three types of burnout. Don’t let stress dictate your life – reclaim your energy, and productivity, and start your transformative experience by starting to recover from burnout today!
Addressing Burnout With The 6% Methodology
Beating burnout is within reach when you have the know-how and tools. The most actionable tools for beating burnout can be found in The 6% Club, a groundbreaking, easy-to-apply methodology for achieving any goal, that was developed and designed by Dr. Michelle Rozen, aka, the Change Doctor. This strategy was developed based on Dr. Rozen’s extensive research and fieldwork on making real changes that stick and transform businesses and lives. The name of this methodology is based on Dr. Rozen’s jaw-dropping research finding that only 6% of people stick to their goals and reach their goals while the remaining 94% quickly give up. This methodology breaks down what those 6% do differently that gets them to the results and fulfilled dreams that they want for themselves. You can read more about the research in the dedicated article, and you can read more about The 6% Club here.
Here’s how to use it against burnout.
Initially, pause and take time to check in with yourself. The main problem with being burned out is being so burned out that you don’t even check in with yourself and realize it. All you focus on is just getting through the day.
Then, focus on setting specific and granular goals for doing things differently in order to feel less burned out. Broad goals like “I want to feel less stressed in my life” don’t typically work. Based on Dr Rozen’s research, more specific goals, such as “I will start each morning with a relaxing 30-minute walk,” are more likely to succeed.
The 6% Methodology is versatile, not only for overcoming burnout but also for building confidence, enhancing relationships, achieving goals, and making strategic decisions that change businesses and lives.
Remember, you are on a journey to feel better, do better and live better. The more tools you have, the more successful your journey will be. You got this!
Identify The Burnout Risk Factors
If you want to prevent burnout, you first need to know what factors can cause it. Burnout can be caused by both internal and external factors. Read the article on burnout risk factors to see which are the top 10 and how you can identify them.
Stay Away From Careers with High Burnout Rate
To prevent burnout, you could also decide to switch career and go for one where this syndrome is not a problem. Right now, teachers, dentists, and lawyers are 3 of the careers with the highest burnout rate. It’s crucial to weigh the emotional and physical toll and consider careers that offer a balanced lifestyle, ensuring your well-being and job satisfaction are prioritized. Evaluate your choices and seek paths that align with your strengths, values, and well-being.
FAQ
Burnout can be divided into three main categories: occupational, caregiver, and autistic. Each type of burnout has its own unique set of symptoms and characteristics, but they all have one thing in common: prolonged stress and physical and/or mental exhaustion.
When you start to feel like you’re running on empty, this is a classic indicator of caregiver burnout. You may feel depleted and exhausted from caring for others.