5 ways to avoid burnout

How are you feeling?

Not actually, how are you?

Burn out can creep up on you easily if you are not careful.

Burn out is defined as an excess of stress in a professional setting which hasn’t been managed well and usually happens through our job, studying or even home life.

We can start to feel an immense amount of fatigue and lack of motivation for our jobs. 

This then causes us to become distant from our jobs and not feeling that light and energy we once did. 

Burnout encompasses three major factors of life that are not being fulfilled at the same time. 

These are: expectations of self, expectations and response of others and self care. 

If we are only managing to hold on to one or two of these factors, we are in the “coping” stage. 

This is where we need to notice and take action before “coping” becomes burn out which is when all of these areas are in deficit. 

You can become sick, fatigued, depressed or even have a heightened state of anxiety. 

What can you do to prevent this from happening?

1 - Take a break 

It may be easier said than done, but it is important to make time for yourself. This could be on the weekends and devoting a couple of hours to yourself. Or booking in a well deserved holiday. Whatever it may be, taking breaks is important as it lets your mental and physical body decompress.  

2 - Get a good nights sleep 

Get a good sleep. This is because when we sleep well we are in the parasympathetic state allowing our body to rest and digest. If you have a lot of thoughts in your mind before going to bed, try adding in some sleep tea to help with a modulation of sleep.

3 - Eat low inflammatory foods 

Eating low inflammatory foods such as fish, nuts, seeds will help in supporting the stress response. Using the parameters of the Mediterranean type diet and eating a wide variety of foods will help the digestive ecosystem which will inturn supporting your immune and nervous system function preventing you from becoming unwell. 

4 - Practice yoga and meditation 

Incorporating mindfulness practices whether that is yoga or meditation are a great way to reconnect with your body, breath and the present moment. Try out free yoga flows and meditations available on our YouTube channel.

5 - Speak to someone 

Talk to someone about what is going on. Whether that is a friend, partner or a professional like a counsellor or psychologist. Especially if they are professional, they will be able to support you by giving you tools and skills in order to help you and find balance in your life. 

If you would like extra support, online (Australia wide) and in person consultations are available. Book in a consultation.