Part 2: Symptoms and Levels of Burnout
- Jill Williams
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
What are the signs and symptoms of burnout?
Chronic stress has real and substantial effects on the body and brain.
Burnout signs are normally seen as falling into 1 of 3 main categories:
Although seen as a work-related problem, it can significantly affect energy and mood outside of work, including relationships, health, and sleep.
Burnout affects our body and how we think, feel and behave
In my experience of executive coaching and counselling, people greatly underestimate the potential effects of stress on the body. Let's delve a bit deeper into some of the most common problems caused.
Thinking (Cognitive) Burnout Symptoms
Doubting your skills. Worrying about whether you can cope and manage your work demands.
Dwelling on a loss of purpose or achievement.
Excessive time spent comparing your performance to that of others.
Believing things will never change; looking for escape.
Focusing on work situations where you felt unjustly treated or unrecognised, or had negative interactions.
Focusing on how exhausted and drained you are and how unrewarding work is.
Feeling (Emotional) Burnout Symptoms
Depression or low mood.
Feeling emotionally drained, numb.
Disillusionment.
Feeling trapped and hopeless.
Shame, guilt, anger or resentment.
Stress, worry and overwhelm.
Behavioural Burnout Symptoms
Severely lacking motivation.
Procrastinating or avoiding aspects of work.
Loss of pleasure in things outside of work.
Social withdrawal, in and out of work.
Becoming obsessive about work and prioritising it over own needs.
Becoming less effective or competent in work.
Taking time off work, or the opposite - finding it very hard to take time off.
Withdrawing from colleagues.
Being more dismissive, critical or negative in interactions with others.
Irritability or outbursts of anger.
Using unhelpful coping methods, e.g. alcohol, sleeping tablets.
Physical Burnout Symptoms
Feeling tired and drained most of the time.
Frequent headaches.
Change in appetite.
Muscle or joint pain.
Gastrointestinal problems.
Hypotension or cardiac symptoms.
Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses. Flare-ups of existing issues.
Sleep disorders, insomnia and chronic fatigue.
Type 2 diabetes.
You'll see from the above that burnout includes emotional symptoms, as well as cognitive changes (i.e., in our thought processes) and behavioural changes. This is why Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a key tool in helping people return to a place of resilience and calm confidence.
Levels of Burnout
It can sometimes be helpful to consider different ‘levels of burnout' that describe the gradual deterioration in how you’re feeling and performing.
Rather than strict diagnostic criteria, these are more like descriptive ways of gauging an individual's situation.
Different researchers refer to a different number of levels, but 5 levels are typical and are depicted below:
NEXT Part 3: Causes of Burnout
PREVIOUS Part 1: What is Burnout
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Some sources & resources associated with this article series:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279286/#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Cburnout%E2%80%9D%20was%20coined,ideals%20in%20%E2%80%9Chelping%E2%80%9D%20professions
Published by Dr Jill Williams, updated 21st July 2026, Rethink Therapy incl Uptrained Brain. Executive Coach - Psychologist - Counsellor.
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