Burnout series - post 5

Let us consider the varied reasons for Burnout;

• Over working

• Perfectionism

• Competition

• Over training

• Overdoing

• Exhaustion

• Sleep deprivation

• Exercise addiction

• Toxicity - eg, mould, chemical load, heavy metals and breast implant illness

Let us now look at Types of Burnout, these can include;

Work, athletic, caregiver, creative, teacher, doctor, parent, relationship to name but a few!

Short term stress at work can be beneficial because it is thought that small secretions of stress hormones can increase your memory. However, the reality for many is that working hours are increasing and stress is becoming a long-term experience leading to extreme depletion of the adrenal and autoimmune systems, eventually resulting in burnout.

Consider the sayings; “I am frazzled” “running on empty” “burning the candle at both ends” “I am just so busy” “I am wiped out”. These are culturally accepted terms, sometimes perceived as a status to be proud of.

Another example I personally encountered within my profession as a personal trainer is athletic burnout or overtraining. This can have numerous side effects such as underperformance due to fatigue or lethargy, persistent soreness or an in ability to complete routine training. There can be physiological changes in athletic burnout, for example loss of menstruation, excessive sweating, swollen lymph glands and raised resting and recovering heart rates. There can also be mood and sleep disturbances just as with other forms of burnout.

My capacity bucket theory! Imagine a bucket holding all of life's demands on you - good and bad. Each demand is a layer of liquid- kids, job, bills, yoga, cleaning, cooking, exercise, social, hobby’s, pets, charity work, school run, social media etc. If your bucket is at capacity with all life’s layers, then when you add one extra layer or increase in any of your existing layers you could potentially BURNOUT!

A quote from Alison Rose Levy “In minds crammed with thoughts, organs clogged with toxins, and bodies stiffened with neglect, there is just no space for anything else.”

Short term solutions to Burnout include consuming stimulants for example caffeine, alcohol, drugs, sugary sweets or food. However, what is the point of all this rushing around to make money, achieve something or be somebody, if we end up exhausted and/or unhappy?

Brene Brown, a best-selling author and sociologist, said something that really struck a chord with me. “I no longer wear exhaustion as a badge of honour.”

For our health, our sanity and our long term productivity, we must recognise the importance of slowing down. Author Gabrielle Bernstein, says, “Stillness is the key to my success.”

Since embarking on the journey of being a Yoga teacher, I re-established some goals. One of which is mastering the art of doing nothing. Of creating guilt free me time for reading, meditating, resting, turning off the phone and relaxing. I still haven’t quite mastered it - but as with Yoga it is all about practice!

To remain in homeostasis, our bodies, minds and spirits need time to slow down, take stock and look inwards. Burnout can be transformed into an opportunity, but to harness our full potential we need to listen, respect and trust our intuition and the wisdom of our bodies.