Cool the burnout
Burnout has become somewhat of a buzzword over the past few years, but its weight is real. WebMD defines burnout as “a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It's a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. Burnout happens when you're overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life's incessant demands.” Many associate burnout with jobs, especially more recently with the pandemic burning out front line and healthcare workers, plus professionals in tech and agency work over the last year with the economic challenges. Ultimately, I think it’s an unbalance either in work or life that can create a spiral from stress.
In the professional workshops I facilitate, I talk about how there isn’t really a separation of professional and personal. It tends to all bleed together. When one is going really well, the other benefits from the lightness and energy. Similarly, when one is going poorly, the other feels heavy and hard. So while we can most definitely feel burnout in our jobs, we also need to consider what’s going on outside of our jobs. Likely there’s stress there, too, as a result.
I’ve experienced burnout throughout my career. Sometimes I was able to rally back, others times I wasn’t, and needed to move on. A key indicator is how much the toxicity oozes into my personal life. I also, as a mom of two little kids, spend a lot of time teetering on the edge of burnout. Where life is moving so fast it’s hard to take a breath – always something else to do. One of my self development and care practices involves being more in tune with myself and what’s going on in my body to recognize burnout sooner than when I’m flying off the cliff. It also involves being more intentional about my self care and needs in order to remain full enough to give to others (like my two little kids and their ever changing needs).
I used to pride myself in being so busy and accomplishing so much, like my worth depended on my output. My default mode is this, exactly. Do some, and then, do some more. This is a recipe for burnout! When I’m living my last hours on this earth I want to remember the connections, relationships and love I had in my life. Not how well I cleaned up after the kids or how many scratch-made meals I made for our family. Through that lens it seems simple, but I realize we all need to run households. So what’s the balance? That, my friends, is the million dollar question AND the most unique question of all. There is no correct answer AND it changes day to day. This is why it’s so important to be in tune with yourself, listen to your body – the alarms and subtle signs – and respond in a loving way toward yourself.
Stress from burnout, wherever it’s coming from, takes a toll on the body physically. Headaches, stomach and digestion issues, sleep issues, poor eating habits. The body is trying to keep up with the stress and as a result, our hormones, cortisol and adrenaline get completely out of whack. No, I am not a doctor. Hence the lack of medical terminology! I do know how constant stress and burnout has impacted my body. I’ve suffered from panic attacks, migraines, stiff neck, grinding my teeth, muscles constantly tense and always on high alert (flight or fight mode). When we’re in this cycle it becomes really hard to recover when we do go over the edge.
No one can do this for you, unfortunately. Each of us deserves the right to determine what we need to do for ourselves and create the space for self care practices. Start by removing the “Shoulds”, they only create expectations outlined by some other person or belief. Start by getting still and listening to your body. It’s communicating with you in every moment. What does it need?
Interested in evolving? I can help! Book a free call today and see what coaching can do for you.