5 Actions Feeding Your Burnout

77% of people in a Deloitte study said they have been burnt out at one time in their career. Burnout is not new and research has been around over 50 years. This chronic stress condition is not new because of COVID; just more obvious because of increases in confirmed cases. 

During my severe burnout recovery with physical collapse I found this research to be true but also that we have more in control than one would think. There are certain external variables that contribute to burnout but more internal ones that we don't like to admit. 

There are five common actions that I've observed through burnout prevention training and workshops in all different generations:

1. POOR MORNING ROUTINES

The most frequent action today that we do when first waking up is checking our phone. Ironically this is destructive for the next 24-hours. We get our first hit of dopamine (reward hormone) from our smartphone in which our brain will now crave similar chemical reaction to that action all day long. It also puts us in response mode to what we see and read in emails, news or social media. You day is already set before it begins. 

The first two hours of our day can setup a nice 24-hour rhythm to support healthy chemical patterns. Most of us do not make time for movement, stretching, water or mental space that supports this. We wake up, check our phone, shower, chug caffeine and rush out the door. No wonder we have a crash in the afternoons as cortisol chemical energy was stolen from the rhythm in the first 15-minutes of our day!

2. COPING WITH STRESS HABITS

91% of US workers cannot copy with stress in a healthy manner. They stick to avoidance, denial or displacement. I was no different so don't take offense if you're feeling that information! We go to food, alcohol, sit and watch Netflix for hours all to numb out the stressful event that just happened. This obviously does not help the body and mind to release the stress cycle and amplifies the strain on organs. Repeated often and you have full-on organ or mental collapse. The body can only live in survivorship mode for so long before it starts to break down. 

Utilize healthier coping actions such as exercise, meditation, positive thinking, third-party therapy and outdoor time. 

3. BODY FUEL FIRE

This one is obvious but I've put it in here as a reminder on the damage we do to our bodies which in turn makes us more sickly and stressed out. Processed foods, fast food, sugary desserts is putting your organs on overdrive when already in a strained state. Over-caffeination and lack of water is like a metaphorical punch to the face of your organs when it's already down on the ground screaming for help. 

We already know this but it's not that easy to change old habits. That is why I educate on how to implement and sustain new habits in the Burnout Compass Program. Grab your compass here: Recovery Plan

4. BALANCE - LACK THERE OF

Adding responsibilities more and more through chapters of our life and giving up nothing. Large changes happening around us and not slowing down to give yourself space in this new world. Eventually the teeter-totter will be unbalanced and the other side will crash to the ground overloaded. You may even have so much loss of control that you become over-controlling in areas no needed. Doing everything for everyone. Helping out other work departments where your efforts are not even needed. 

The key to this one is not only identity search for whom you truly are when stripped away from profession and parenting but giving space. Space for your mind to turn off and body to sit with no screens, projects. Allowing a reset in order to be your best self the next day. Not waiting for that annual vacation and hustling the rest of the year wishing you were on that vacation. 

5. NEGATIVE NARRATIVE

How are you filling in the holes to what you are observing? The brain can only input so much in any given second and as a result has to fill in the rest of the information. This is the story on top of the reality and facts of what is happening around us. That story is usually bias toward our beliefs, values and ego. 

A great quote I heard at a past training that helps me step back and check in is, "Your perception of me is a reflection of you." Turn that around on yourself. How am I perceiving people that is the story I'm telling myself versus the actual facts of who they are or what they are doing. Apply this technique to the difficult people you may have in your life and you'll be amazed at how much peace it can bring back to your day!

Find more great burnout tools and training at: www.kbtrainingconnections.com