Burnout: Myth or frightening reality?

 

 

You’ve heard it before.

“I’m really need a vacation, I’m so burnt out”

“You better slow down or you’re going to burn yourself out”

But what is burnout? And why is it affecting more women than men?

Burnout is not just a fun, made-up term we give to label our frustration at work or our fatigue at home. It is a recognized medical diagnosis in many countries around the world. It is a rampant condition, affecting as many as 2/3 of workers with measurable physiological changes in the body. And it’s not just employees that experience burnout. While your job may be one factor that contributes to burn out, family-life, social stress, being a caregiver and many other activities can contribute.

There is no shutting it off anymore. Work-life balance isn’t as realistic when your boss can reach you by phone/email/text 24 hours a day. Even on an airplane.

And we’re constantly surrounded by screens. Social media and blue light is coming at us from every angle.

The popular workouts are high intensity and taxing on your adrenal system. CrossFit and powerlifting may be the latest workout trend, but for someone who is already experiencing burnout, it could be doing more harm than good.

Our culture promotes worked lunches and feeling guilty for saying “no”, but how can we keep up?

Research shows a correlation between that those affected by burnout and increased inflammation, increased blood sugar levels and higher daytime cortisol levels with low morning cortisol levels. That doesn’t sound made up to me.

People who experience burnout, often experience:

Stress and anxiety
Exhaustion (emotional and physical)
Sleep disturbances
Depression
Weakened immune function

Long-term, this can have serious effects on the body. Consequences of not treating burnout may be associated with diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and cardiovascular events.

And short-term, you are not performing at your best anyways. Employees suffering from burn-out are 63% more likely to take a sick day than an employee who isn’t. No one should have to feel like they can’t complete the day-to-day tasks of their job because they are burnt out with nowhere to turn for treatment.

Women are more likely than men to experience burnout. Women are working more, and continuing to take on the majority of the responsibility at home, adding more stress and making less time for themselves to do things that they enjoy. Women with a job and a family are especially prone to burnout.

And it’s time for it to stop.

Here’s a few ways to stop burnout in it’s tracks:

Turn off your phone.

Buy an alarm clock and shut your phone down, keep it in the other room and make sure it’s not the last thing you see before bed and the first thing you reach for when you wake up. Research even shows that when social media use is limited, people feel significantly better, less depressed and less lonely.

Try some different forms of exercise

Your daily high intensity work out may be negatively impacting your adrenal system. Mix in some low-intensity work outs in your routine – go for a walk, do some yoga – to reduce those cortisol levels.

Stop hiding your fatigue with another cup of coffee

It is so easy to mask your feelings of burn out by drinking an extra cup of coffee or two a day and opting for quick, convenient meals over taking the time to make rich, nutrient dense meals. But this is only contributing to your burnout. Less coffee, and better food to support your body and prevent the spikes in cortisol.

Support your recovery with supplements.

You may be fighting a losing battle against specific nutrient deficiencies that are contributing to your burnout symptoms. Book an appointment with Dr. Wiggins to have your vitamin and nutrient levels tested and start feeling better today. No more guessing game! No more being told your blood work is normal!

Let me help you heal from the stress your body has been under.

Book here. (https://healthoverall.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/1)

Dr. Jordin Wiggins