  The standard formulation of general relativity fails to describe some recent
interests in the universe. It impels us to go beyond the standard formulation
of gravity. The $f(Q)$ gravity theory is an interesting modified theory of
gravity, where the gravitational interaction is driven by the nonmetricity $Q$.
This study aims to examine the self-stability of the cosmological models with
the presence of bulk viscosity effect in the cosmological fluid within the
framework of $f(Q)$ gravity. We construct three bulk viscous fluid models, i.e.
(i) for the first model, we assuming the Lagrangian $f(Q)$ as linear dependence
on $Q$, (ii) for the second model the Lagrangian $f(Q)$ as a polynomial
functional form, and (iii) the Lagrangian $f(Q)$ as a logarithmic dependence on
$Q$. We discuss all the energy conditions for each model, which helps us to
test the self-consistency of our models. Finally, we present the profiles of
the equation of state parameters to test the models' present status.
