What is Burnout? post 1

Burnout is a telltale malady of our times. It is a state of physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion that manifests in depression-like symptoms such as lost motivation, decreased productivity, and feelings of cynicism and hopelessness. It shows up in physical symptoms of extreme stress, including digestive shut-down, exhaustion, inflammation, adrenal fatigue, and a compromised immune system. Throughout the next few blog posts, I will explain what burnout is, describe the varied reasons for burnout and illustrate the myriad symptoms. I will consider the actions to take if one gets to the point of burnout and look at strategies for its recovery and prevention. I will investigate the role Yoga can play in alleviating the symptoms and managing the recovery of burnout. I will also look at Yoga teacher burnout and how keeping healthy, well and balanced is so important in the role of a Yoga teacher. Burnout is not a new phenomenon. The term was first coined in the 1960s when Graham Greene wrote the novel ‘A burnout case’, telling the story of the famous architect suffering from the effects of overwork. A few years later, burnout was adopted as a psychological term by clinical psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. In the 1970’s Freudenberger conducted a comprehensive study and wrote about the physical signs, behaviour indicators and phases of burnout. According to Freudenberger, “‘The body breaks down under stress. If you refuse to follow the instructions from your conscious mind to retreat, backoff, and unload some of the pressure, your unconscious may, paradoxically, instruct you to get sick to survive. The body says no, but the head says go. The body refuses to continue to acquiesce the demands of the mind and, as a result, breaks down. Often an accident occurs or a set of symptoms emerges which requires rest and removal from the prolonged, imposed stress.”