Burnout’s a B***H: What’s the solution?!
Do you feel constantly bombarded all day?
Emails, texts, phone notifications, 24/7 headlines, social media, work demands, family demands, the list goes on. These are all micro-stressors, triggering our fight or flight stress response.
All this has an impact on our mind & body. ESPECIALLY if we’re not putting things in place that make our body feel safe – making sure we are completing the stress cycle and letting our body recover from the constant exposure to stressors.
What would you think is the leading reason for sick days in the UK?
A recent UK government agency study estimated that 54% of sick days were due to stress, depression or anxiety. Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now included burnout in its international classification of diseases. That’s significant stuff!
Burnout is defined as:
‘A state of extreme emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. It is characterised by a decrease in motivation and performance’
Unsupported burnout can lead to the development of chronic illnesses such as auto-immunity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and poor gut function.
Chronic stress has a SIGNIFICANT impact on our health and we need to start thinking of it in the same way we think of cigarettes, fast food, or heavy alcohol consumption. Ok, maybe we can’t eliminate it, but we can certainly set our bodies and minds up to be much more RESILIENT to the impacts of stress.
We can do this by working across 3 areas – nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset.
Nutrition
Our cells and mitochondria are the powerhouses in our body – they generate energy for us but can easily be damaged. Energy production demands a whole heap of nutrients that many of us don’t get enough of in a typical Western diet. There are three steps we can take here.
First things first
Fill in the nutritional gaps for improved energy production
Second, we need to
Balance blood sugar to maintain sustainable energy levels
Third, it’s essential to
Remove foods that sap you of energy
As each person is unique, there may be additional steps for supporting gut health, detoxification, or other body systems that have been impacted by chronic stress in your body.
Additionally, you may benefit from some functional testing such as thyroid testing, heavy metal testing, or hormone testing, to ensure we’re addressing any other root causes.
Lifestyle
Sleep and movement are medicine for the body. Prioritising sleep is prioritising healing and repair. Sleeping between the hours of 10pm and midnight are the most restorative, so try to implement some good sleep hygiene for an earlier bedtime – turning off screens by 9pm, making your room cool, perhaps doing some relaxing meditation.
The amount and type of movement you’re able to do will be different depending on how advanced your burnout is. As a rule, we shouldn’t feel utterly depleted after exercise. This means that, whilst it can be a great solution for stress-busting, high intensity exercise generally isn’t recommended for those suffering from burnout. Instead, gentle walks, yoga, or pilates are great alternatives. It’s all about balancing energy in the bank.
Mindset
To prevent recurrent burnout, we need to equip ourselves with ways to complete the stress cycles in our bodies so that they feel safe. However, many of us feel guilty about putting ourselves first – we’re often at the bottom of our to-do lists..
If you’ve heard of neural reprogramming - that’s exactly what I’m talking about here. It’s a powerful way to defeat burnout and there are various practices that can help you do this.
So, how do you know if you’re suffering from burnout?
There are different stages of burnout, which is why personalised support is SO important. Each person will have different needs and require a different intensity of support.
Here is a burnout symptom checklist:
Are you extremely exhausted all of the time?
Do you still feel tired after a good night's sleep?
Have you lost your drive and motivation, or suffer from a general feeling of apathy?
Is it challenging to complete even the smallest tasks?
Do you experience brain fog or struggle to remember things?
Are you experiencing severe energy slumps and crashes daily?
Does exercise completely exhaust you?
Do you experience frequent dizzy spells?
Severe burnout can look and feel a lot like chronic fatigue; whereas the symptoms of early stage burnout can often be missed or pushed aside, telling ourselves it’s in our head. Or, our doctor may tell us all the tests are normal, but we certainly don’t feel normal! I’m telling you, as is the WHO, that it’s a VERY REAL experience. And you CAN get help and you CAN feel better.
I suffered advanced burnout and chronic fatigue in 2017 and had to take almost a year off work. I developed an auto-immune disease and so much about my health felt out of control. However, after a loooong time researching, and a lot of trial and error, I addressed the 3 categories above in my life – nutrition, lifestyle, mindset. I can happily say that I’m now in remission from my autoimmune disease and I’m the healthiest I’ve EVER felt.
That is why I studied to become a Nutritional Therapist – I want to provide people with the help that I didn’t have access to. You don’t need to live like this, and you absolutely can feel better.
If you would like to learn about how I might be able to help you, book in a (free) quick chat now, or take a look at my services.
