Could you be suffering from Burnout?
Burnout is a word used to describe a severe stress condition that leads to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
Could you just be stressed though?
Stress v’s Burnout
Simply put Stress is about ‘too much’. Too much demand put on you physically and mentally and too much pressure although you still have hope that if you can get on top of everything you will feel better!
Burnout leaves you beyond caring. You feel empty, nothing left to give with no motivation left.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed, completely exhausted, emotionally drained and disillusioned? We all have days when we feel overloaded and unappreciated but if this is most of the time you may be suffering from Burnout.
Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy. It makes you vulnerable to illnesses such as colds and flu.
Whichever area of life has left you feeling this way, chances are it has spilled over into others.
Being in this state doesn’t happen overnight. It can sneak up on you. It is important to notice the early signs to prevent a complete breakdown:
Suffering from Burnout – Physical Signs
- Feeling tired and drained most of the time
- Frequent headaches or muscle pain
- Low immunity – frequently ill
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Appetite changes
Emotional Signs
- Sense of failure
- Loss of motivation
- Negative and helpless feelings
- Feeling alone
Behavioural Signs
- Procrastination
- Taking frustration out on others
- Isolating yourself
- Using food, alcohol or drugs to cope
Suffering From Burnout – Causes
Not dealing with stress effectively leads to burnout. Not taking proper care of yourself along with:
- Feeling like you have little or no control
- Lack of recognition for what you are doing
- Over-demanding expectations of you
- Working too much
- Lack of close supportive relationships
- Too many responsibilities
- Not enough sleep
- Perfectionism
- A pessimistic outlook
I had a mild burnout experience last week.
A combination of trying to work from home while schools out (even lockdown school is better than the holidays for organising the children’s time!), family celebrations along with a big birthday for my husband and due to COVID there were lots of smaller celebrations rather than one big event, launching my new Meal Planning Program, preparing my home for visitors, along with all the every day responsibilities we have AND not taking care of myself properly!! All this left me feeling wiped out and guilty that I had things ‘to do’ but no motivation to do them.
So I gave myself permission to slow down, say no to what I could, do what I had to do and let myself off the rest. I made sure I ate whole nutritious food, got back into a regular bed time and did some gentle exercise, walking in nature is one of the best ways to recharge your soul.
Prevent Burnout with Balance
I was reading an interesting article by an occupational therapist, she wrote The World Federation of Occupational Therapy defines occupation as
“the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life.”
Bringing meaning and purpose to life is what sums up BALANCE for me.
She suggests that in order to reduce stress and therefore burnout is to write your To-Do list (please don’t groan, I love a list haha) in 3 main categories, self-care, productivity and leisure.
Self-care, as well as the usual thoughts of face masks and pampering, includes grocery shopping and meal planning, cleaning, bathing and more.
Productivity is your work and running your home.
Leisure is exercising, hobbies such as reading and gardening or a good Netflix session.
To create Occupational Balance we need to create a balance between these activities. Occupational Imbalance for instance would be working an 80 hour week OR not working at all (think lockdown) both can have a negative effect on our health and wellbeing and lead to stress-related disorders.
In order to take care of ourselves effectively so we can take care of others and lead a meaningful and purposeful life we need to create BALANCE in all areas of our life.
ACTION
If you are struggling with stress and overwhelm, especially trying to get back into a new routine try using a Brain Dump technique and getting everything you have to do on paper.
Once you have completed this list try using the categories above (or make your own if they serve you better) to balance out what you have to do, make sure you are including a bit of everything on each list to ensure you are balancing your life.
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If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.