Don’t burn out, shine from within!

When you reach burnout it’s too late for quick fixes. We are faced with various stresses on a daily basis, whether it’s in the traffic, at work, demands from family members or the stress we place on ourselves to measure up to the success of others. There are telltale signs to watch out for in order to avoid getting into this state, which essentially occurs when we take on too much of anything drains of us of energy. The signs start to show up in our bodies quicker than we often take the time to recognise. Constant headaches, a fuzzy or buzzing feeling in the mind, shortness of breath, heartburn, anxiety, overreacting to small things through anger or frustration, and insomnia are the most common symptoms.

Life is about balance. We have weekends to balance out the working hours. The light of the day forces us to wake up and the darkness of night forces us to sleep. When we get cold we put something warm on to maintain a healthy body temperature and vice versa. So when it comes to protecting ourselves from stressful situations our body releases the stress hormone cortisol, which increases our heart rate, activates the reptilian fight or flight side of the brain and prepares our bodies to react defensively to life threatening situations.

Simple quick fixes:

Balance work with play

If you’ve been working overtime and on the weekends then pull back the hours. If you are your own boss be creative with your working hours. When your job requires you to work over the weekend, take two week days off. If you work for a corporate company communicate with your bosses when the workload starts to cut into your personal time for rest and well-being. Most companies pride themselves in their company culture and staff wellness programs so make sure they’re honouring the company vision and values in all areas of the business.

Balance monotony and work space restriction with movement

Schedule exercise into your day to force you to engage in an activity that you choose to do. Don’t make it a chore or it will become an added stress. Reframe exercise as moving your body and do what makes you feel good. Walking, swimming, yoga, running, hiking, soccer - do something that makes your body feel like you are caring for it. It will also help you to take deeper breaths which has a calming effect on the mind. If you have kids and don’t have anyone to take care off them whilst you get away, take them with – just a short walk whilst they ride their bikes could make a world of difference to the buzzing in your head.

Balance a wired & tired mind with sleep

Make sure you get enough sleep. If it is the only thing you do to prevent burnout let it be this. Arianna Huffington has written two books on the topic of sleep which might revolutionise your sleep patterns, find it here http://ariannahuffington.com/books/the-sleep-revolution-tr. There is no drug, vitamin or energy booster that can rival sleep. Period. The sooner we start taking sleep more seriously, the sooner the world will wake up to the benefits and true brilliance of operating as a fully functional human being rather than a disempowered human doing.