I experienced my first burnout at the age of 24 – I’d quit my marketing job of 4 years, dropped out of school (I had 1 semester left), and discontinued my 4-year yoga practice. Then, I completely lost my identity, became borderline homeless (crashing couches daily), and began serving tables to make ends meet. When the body, mind and spirit undergo too much stress for a prolonged period of time, it begins to hit a wall (see quitting job, college and yoga practice) and deteriorates–and when we’re looking at burnout, we’re looking at the risk of illness, disease, and even death. Yup, death. In Japanese culture, this phenomenon is called Karoshi, which in English translates to “overwork death.” A sudden death due to constant stress at work. Below we define the experience and how to deal with burnout.
WHAT IS BURNOUT?
When we talk about a burnout, we talk about the grand scheme of things. And the grand scheme is not only emotional but also physical and mental exhaustion due to prolonged stress. A burnout means your energy level is now at a negative balance, and what comes with it are feelings of defeat, fatigue, hopelessness, lack of motivation, and depression. A burnout is also now classified as a mental illness – due to unmanaged stress. And according to the NIH, a “Burnout is a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job.” And in this article, we’ll discuss the reasons WHY people tend to burn out, what to do in order to bounce back, and how to prevent a burnout.
SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT
Okay, so HOW do you know you’re burned out? It could come in many forms, from job burnout to burnout of your personal life.The symptoms can be broken to 3 categories: physical, emotional and behavioral.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
- You have constant pain, such as headaches, backaches, etc
- You’re constantly sick
- You are fatigued yet restless
- You lack motivation
- You feel drained
EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
- You are constantly filled with self doubt and fear of failure
- You are filled with cynicism and bitterness
- You dread showing up to work
- You’re resentful, and whenever you TALK about the work that you do, it shows up in a rather negative light
BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS
- You start dropping the balls left and right
- You do not take accountability for not showing up
- Other symptoms include irritability and substance abuse
CAUSE
How did we get here? Aside from taking on MORE than you should at school, work, or with family and friends (causing guilt and FOMO); here are the 12 phases of burnout, provided by psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North.
- Excessive ambition – You’re excited and optimistic so therefore, you take on any and ALL the things!
- You push yourself harder so you do not fail YOUR personal expectation of yourself.
- You’re neglecting yourself and your personal needs because you are now drowning in work so this is ALL you have time for.
- Displacement of conflict – You’re now making mistakes you’re not owning up to, you’re worn out and tired physically.
- You change your values in order to validate the amount of time you’re putting into ONLY work, so you stop spending time with friends, you stop hitting the gym, and you only dedicate yourself to work.
- Denial and blame –You’re annoyed and bitter, and you start blaming your WORK, not the life changes you’ve made.
- Social withdrawal – When burnout is really bad, this is when one finds themselves needing a drink or a chill pill at the end of a work day, and instead of spending time with peers, they isolate themselves.
- 8-12 consist of an identity crisis, inner emptiness, and depression, which ultimately leads to physical and mental collapse.
And if you reach phases 8-12, you’re either going to keep pushing and be consumed by bitterness, or you’re going to drop it all and completely lose all hopes (pretty much what I did). When these stages are prolonged, your amygdala (the deeper most inner part of the brain, the center for your emotions; your fight or flight) grows bigger— so what does this mean? When the core neural system that processes fearful and threatening stimuli grows bigger in one’s brain, the person is then in a constant state of fear and threat—leaving one with anxiety and depression. Yikes!
BOUNCING BACK USING AIR
So how do we bounce back from a burn out? Here are 3 simple steps developed by Allan Ting, an industry-leading Corporate Wellness Advisor and a TEDx Speaker. Aside from taking a BREATH from AIR, the acronym, breaks down to:
Aspiration – Work for something that you LOVE. Check-in and find your greatest aspiration in life; if you’re a parent, your aspiration is probably your children. If you are an entrepreneur, your biggest passion is to be successful at your work. And sometimes your work is what supports your family, regardless of what it is that you do. Re-evaluate your priorities and make changes when needed.
Integration – The ideal work-life balance should be 50/50. When your work and life have competing priorities, your two lives are bound to clash. To integrate, we must be reminded to build the flexibility you find in Tree pose.
Notice how the bent and tucked leg is FLEXIBLE. Building flexibility in both work and life will help develop contingency plans in both places; talk to your boss if you have priorities at home, talk to your partner/family if you need to stay longer at work; so no one is left disappointed. The standing leg is strong and sturdy; however, the longer you stand on one leg, the more worn out it becomes, so remember to switch out to the other leg– in other words, switch from work and back to life. Have conversations with your family/boss and figure out how to make it work for both parties.
Rejuvenation– Charge your battery. Rest, first and foremost, is the number 1 key to rejuvenation. When you are well and performing, you’ll want a handful of things, but when you are sick, the only thing you’ll want in that moment is to get well and get better.
Another thing that is most important about rejuvenation is vacation. Staycation or travel, unplug completely from work, and spend a week or two recollecting the most important things in life. And dare I say, the most important things in life are NOT things – they’re your mental health, your interpersonal relationship with yourself, and last but not least, the people you love and beautiful experiences you create.
PREVENTION via Body, Mind and Spirit
So now that we’ve talked about how to bounce back, let’s talk about prevention, so you won’t see yourself burning out. Once you’ve identified the warning signs of burnout, you can practice prevention.
Take breaks: Go on a walk in the morning to start your day, after lunch and again at the end of your work day. This can help reset your brain and allow you to come back completely refreshed.
Exercise: Even if you’re not hitting a full on gym workout, take breaks/timeouts. Stretch your legs and cleanse your mind. If you have the time, take a yoga or workout break and reset your body!
Diet: There’s a difference between eating a high-sodium cup of ramen vs eating a balanced meal. Find what works for your body, what leaves you feeling hydrated and refreshed to prep you for success from a day at work, and gives you just enough energy to implement daily exercise in your lifestyle.
Meditate: 5 minutes of mindfulness and breathwork can reset your state of mind. Studies have shown that meditation brings peace to the mind, body, and spirit and strengthens the connective capsule at each chromosome, meaning that the practice can even lead to a lengthened lifespan!
Time Management: Organize your time, and have a set daily schedule. Set a specific time for your lunch/exercise breaks and stick to it. Use the Bublup calendar reminder integration to keep track of your tasks and work content. This will help keep a peace of mind so that you don’t have to keep wondering what and where the next thing is.
Organized Workspace: A clean and organized workspace will help uplift your spirit, afterall a cluttered space is a cluttered mind. To organize your life, you need an organized environment. Where there is space for energy to go, more creative juices flow. When organizing your physical workspace, consider your theme, your lighting, and the colors that will induce happiness to your soul!
And while a huge chunk of the world works in the office, the majority of us have an entire digital life at our fingertips. Bublup is a great space for all your work and your play – laptop, and mobile compatible. The folder organization system and user experience are intuitive; perfect for task management, staying organized, and social networking. You can even customize your folders with images, gifs, and color coding!
Go on vacation: If your work allows it, take at least a week off and completely UNPLUG, especially if you feel you’re already experiencing burnout. Yup, this means deleting Slack from your phone. And go out there and create new experiences with your loved ones.
Ask for help: Whether a friend, family member, colleague, team leader, or HR; when inner conflict arises, ask for support, an ear, or a second opinion. Seek out resources that will most benefit you. Depending on where you are mentally & financially, perhaps seeking therapy and or a counselor can help you move forward and have some clarity and direction.
Conclusion
So you’re probably wondering how I bounced back. Well, I realized that I was headed towards a dark path; I was constantly sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I quit my service industry job (knowing it was my main source of income). I was lucky enough to have a community. My dearest friend gave me a place to stay for a few weeks, under the condition I would work my hardest to find a way back to a career that would inspire me to live my life to the fullest. I eventually found a position as a marketing manager AND yoga teacher at a high-end fitness studio and began paving my way back to a life that was rich with creativity, positivity, play, and movement. I do still struggle with burnout here and there but NEVER to the extent that it consumes me like it did at the age of 24. When I catch myself approaching a burnout, I take time off, come back to my hobbies, and focus on the things that give me life and joy – I practice yoga (I do tree pose with both legs), and I peace TF out, to on a beach somewhere with my ride or die.
I’m approaching 30 this year, and I’m proud to look back at all the things I’ve achieved, created, and led. All the accomplishments as well as FAILURES that got me to this point. And even after all the findings in this article, the number 1 undeniable source of nurture and nature that any human needs (aside from food and water) are people and connections. Bouncing back from a burnout will help re-evaluate one’s aspirations and priorities; while integrating a work-life balance will help one find peace in both places; rest and rejuvenation remain key factors that keeps one stay afloat from another burnout–while resting could be done in solitude, rejuvenation is best with the people we love most. We live in a fast paced world where success is measured by productivity. However, it is counterproductive to overwork to the point of illness and disease. So take a fresh breath of AIR, clock out at 5, go on a walk, eat a fruit, take a nap, find a hobby, and spend time with those you love most 😉!
Bublup is the perfect organization app for fighting burnout, helping with project management, and improving your performance in your work or personal life. As a stellar note taking app as well, Bublup is one of the best productivity apps on the market. Download the free version of the app today!
