Burnout, Causes & Recovery.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
It can leave you feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained, unable to engage happily in day to day life.
Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout is generally linked to work/professional issues but can also be down to being overwhelmed:
- Personally
- With study
- Dealing with relationship problems
- Caring for a chronically ill loved one
Symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Stomach or intestinal issues
- Feeling drained, lacking energy
- Having negative feelings about tasks
- Difficulty concentrating
- Disconnecting from yourself and your goals
- Frustration and irritability
Are you suffering from Burnout?
Have you been performing life (home, work, family, health etc) at the same level of effort for some time now?
No breaks have been taken, days off or time to relax?
You feel as though you have lost all motivation for life and it takes a real effort to ‘get up and go’.
Burnout can leave you feeling overwhelmed and like life is moving too quickly.
If you feel like this you are likely suffering from Burnout or are well on your way to it.
Don’t feel bad about the situation, it isn’t always avoidable and with the country in and out of lockdown for over a year now we have been out of the routine of planning time away which usually means time off, not time at home where normal life continues.
How to Recover from Burnout
Talk to someone you trust, explain how you feel. They might not be able to help practically but a problem shared is a problem halved.
Talking about how you are feeling can help you come up with a plan of action.
Look at your list of commitments. What can you cancel, reschedule or delegate.
Be kind to yourself.
You aren’t selfish or mean for enforcing your boundaries. You can read more on boundaries in my post Creating Boundaries for a Balanced Life.
You’re not a failure.
What would you say to a friend experiencing Burnout? You’d tell them to pause, take a breath, chill out for a bit.
Pushing through is going to get you nowhere, fast.
If you don’t stop and take steps to deal with the issues that are causing your burnout your body will force you to stop through illness of some kind.
Learn to take a break, whether that is a cuppa and a breather, a whole day off or maybe longer. Listen to your body, ask for help and give yourself what you need to come back stronger.
Avoiding Burnout in the future
Through my coaching I encourage Intuitive Eating. This is all about learning to listen to our body and it’s needs.
It should really be called Intuitive Living.
We need to practice:
- Self care over self comfort – Eat well, don’t drink too much alcohol, turn off the TV and read a book, move, get out in nature.
- Switch up your routine – A change is as good as a rest. This could be meeting a friend, planning a day out or an overnight stay/short vacation. Break the monotony of life and do something that brings you joy!
- Journal – Write your feelings down, it can help you gain perspective and clarity. Have an attitude of gratitude, bookend your day by writing down what you are grateful for.
Review the actions that have helped you recover.
What have you learned from your journal entries? Can changes be made to your routine to avoid future burnout? Decide what brings you joy in your life and include more of it.
Plan fun. We all need something to look forward to.
Remember, you are in charge of your life. It’s up to you to make it your best but let go of perfection.
Need some support?
If you would find it helpful to use a habit tracker to make sure you are making time for yourself you can download one <HERE>
To have a chat with me about your health and wellness goals and how I can support you with these follow this link https://calendly.com/nutritionnaturallyforever/virtual-cuppa-and-a-chat to make a convenient time to chat.
In the meantime, have a great weekend, don’t forget to take some time out to relax, plan and have fun!