20/10/2020
Have you reached a point of mental, emotional and/or physical burnout in your life?
I feel in myself a potential implosion on the rise and I know the best way to arm myself from the danger of something that could be very tricky to climb out of is to create awareness & knowledge.
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.
The 5 stages to burnout:
1. Honeymoon Phase - undertaking a new task & experiencing high job satisfaction, commitment, energy & creativity
2. Onset of stress - the time where you begin to notice your enthusiasm waining, common stress symptoms start to kick in
3. Chronic Stress - more clearly defined feelings of stress, anxiousness & lack of energy. You are starting to drop the ball and find it hard to keep up with the workload
4. Burnout - you're now feeling pessimistic, self doubt is imminent, you're isolating yourself as much as possible. You just want to sleep... all the time.
There are a plethora of physical symptoms at hand including pain. You are just not functioning well and you want to run away from everything.
5. Habitual burnout - the symptoms of your burnout are so embedded in your life that you are experiencing significant physical and emotional strain that just won't go away. You're at your wits end.
General symptoms of burnout include:
Lower resistance to illness
Fight or flight response within your nervous system
Pessimistic outlook on work or life
Physical, mental & emotional exhaustion
More sick days
Total demotivation
Looking for distractions
Self-medicating with any kind of unhealthy habit available to you
Depleted energy levels
Detachment
So now you have noticed this happening to you. Its time to make a plan of action.
The elimination process: what can you cull from your life that requires too much energy?
Are your friends or family also draining you? Can you set some healthy boundaries?
Ask for help. Full stop. Anything small.
Admit you are feeling overwhelmed, even if it is to a doctor. This is the first step in moving forward if you are incapable of the other options.
Forgive yourself. Don't let the narrative in your mind manifest more negativity for you. You are not your thoughts.
Vitamin D. Movement. Rest. Escape. Speak up. Nutrition. Water. Nature💚! De-ionise your body.
And lastly. Podcast. Listen to those TED talks. Let them sink in.
You will come out of this. Keep telling yourself that.
Big love ❣
