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- Burnout - the self-care crisis - part 2
What is Burnout?
Nobody wakes up with a burnout. In fact, it was the best solution my body found to stopping me from digging my grave. Chronic stress can affect both our physical and psychological well-being by causing a variety of problems as mentioned in edition 004.
What are the things that we do at work or what kind of lifestyle we have that lead us to develop chronicle stress?
The World Health Organization states that burnout syndrome is a result of chronic workplace stress that is poorly managed. It arises from exhausting work, high demands, growing responsibilities, limited resources, and intense competition.
This syndrome occurs as a result of prolonged exposure and response to stressful events that you've experienced for months or even years. It's a series of overlooked symptoms resulting in chronicle stress, exhaustion, burnout and it's associated with a toxic work culture.
Consistent exposure to stress alters the chemistry of your body as a whole. It leads to an absurd change in neurotransmitters, cortisol release, changes in the vessel walls that can cause stroke, other heart diseases and contribute to development of dementia.
Burnout is an international crisis that strikes companies, organizations, and the people who work for, manage or own them. Recent burnout statistics are astonishing.
The consequences of burnout are hurting companies' bottom lines. Turnover of just one employee can cost 1.5-2 times their salary. Lost productivity to depression and anxiety disorders costs the global economy $1 trillion every year equal to the GDP of many nations.
Burnout isn't a failure of willpower. It's a breakdown of essential systems in your brain. It is crucial to address burnout as a legitimate medical concern, not a failure of character or resilience.
“Invisible pain, it's a double pain. Pain that doesn't bleed, it hurts much more.”
The Stress Paradox
There is no way to live in a world without stress. Each one of us is daily exposed to new situations. It does not matter if you're hunting, competing, driving, interviewing, going to school for the first time. Stress remains our adaptive ally. Everyone feels it in a certain way.
Could stress be good? Would it be a necessary evil? Is there a limit to the amount of stress? When does stress make us dysfunctional?
Some stress is positive. It causes our bodies to release adrenaline, which helps us to accomplish assignments and projects, and can even enhance our performance and ability to solve problems. The good stress keeps us excited, focused, and alert.
But chronic stress is debilitating and overwhelming. It alters your body's functioning (weakens immune system, causes appetite and libido to drop). It leads to increasing errors at work, physical, mental, and cognitive problems. That's the point when stress becomes troublesome.
Before, the danger was the wild animals. Today, it is rejection, inadequacy, social isolation.
We blame stress as the cause of burnout. However, the problem isn't the stress itself, it's the lack of recovery and rest.
The secret of top performers, professional athletes and Olympic medalists is recovery time. What does an athlete need to win an Olympic medal or a CEO to succeed in his/her role? Everyone trains and works hard, exhaustively. The difference between who wins and who does not lies in the emotional component and the recovery time.
Recovery time and rest are essential parts of any high-performance individual's routine. Sleep enables your body to restore and eliminate toxins. When you rest, you recover your energy, the vital force that keeps us moving.
Rest to be healthy, rest to perform, rest to live better. Make rest a habit, not an event. And avoid shopping, smoking, drinking, eating your tiredness and frustrations.
“Our problem isn't the stress itself. Our false expectations and underlying fears are the actual problems.”
My Recovery Journey
Improving lifestyle and making better behavior choices are essential steps toward increasing overall health. Acknowledging the burnout was the first step on my path to recovery.
Second, I quit my job to reduce stress and focus on my healing process. It took a lot of effort to reshape my entire approach to work and life. It's not a linear process, but I made radical changes to regain balance and perspective. Here are some tools that helped me on my recovery journey:
Journaling and writing;
Eating and sleep habits;
Workouts: HIIT exercises and cycling;
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT);
Self-knowledge;
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP);
Books on positive psychology, shadow work and inner child.
Breathwork and meditations techniques;
Podcasts on leadership, entrepreneurship, and self-development;
Be on nature - hikes, walks in parks and sunbathing.
Soon enough, my long walks and meditations became a place for reflection and alignment. Here are some takeaways from these moments:
Responsibilities increase with the career growth, but the time remains the same.
Have the discretion to say yes or no to the opportunities that appear to you. Saying yes to everything and everyone, you will distance yourself from your identity, goals, and dreams.
Don't pursue recognition from your parents at work. It's a recipe for failure. Instead, seek professional help.
Stop playing Tetris with your schedules and start including yourself on your agenda.
Don't make commitments you cannot keep. In a world filled with people pleasers, those who honor their words and do what they say standout.
“Direction is more important than speed.”
The New Age Currency
Notifications bombard us, drawing us into a world of perfect smiles, gorgeous people, and idyllic destinations. This is what we see when opening Instagram. A fabricated happiness, a distorted view of reality.
We have never seen so many cases of anxiety, depression, suicide, and burnout. People are more anxious today inside their comfortable homes with a phone in hand than in the medieval period with the Black Death decimating millions.
In the past, the lion run after us. Today, we’re chased by the lion we've created ourselves. What truly drives performance and fulfillment? For sure, it is not comparison, judgment, hate, envy and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Happiness is the new age currency, an unconventional productivity method. Well-being and joy are not just outcomes of success but are critical drivers of it. Reports and researches support the paradigm shift, demonstrating that happiness correlates with improved creativity, focus, and resilience, leading to better work quality and innovation.
Happiness fuels an upward spiral of positive emotions and energy, which enhances our ability to be productive. It suggests that the pursuit of happiness in our work is not a luxury but a powerful tool to achieve greater success and satisfaction.
I invest around a day to prepare, write, review, edit and publish each edition of this newsletter. There is no greater contentment to me than writing. I love to learn, study, transform thoughts into words and share them.
Writing is therapeutic, it's the medicine for the soul. It allows us to connect with the depths of our ourselves that we did not know exist. Therefore, each published text is like finding another piece of my puzzle. It is also about expanding the limit of my knowledge.
Yes, I find happiness being curious, being a student of life. That's my nature. I am a lifelong learner who is open to the unknown and does not want to be right about everything.
In the book Flourish, the author Martin E. P. Seligman, a pioneer in positive psychology, explains the five pillars of happiness according to the PERMA concept:
Positive Emotions (P): It's not about ignoring the negatives of life but rather about appreciating the positive aspects and experiences that life offers. Peace, gratitude, love, hope, and curiosity.
Engagement (E): being deeply involved in activities that draw upon our strengths and capture our attention (aka being in the flow).
Relationships (R): Nurturing supportive and meaningful relationships contributes to our sense of belonging and it’s vital for our well-being.
Meaning (M): having a sense of purpose and finding meaning in life beyond ourselves.
Achievement (A): to feel significant life satisfaction, we must strive to better ourselves.
Seligman's concept aligns with the ancient Yoga principles of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. The profound understanding of the five elements allows the yogi to comprehend the laws of nature to attain greater health, power, knowledge, wisdom and happiness.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Final Thoughts
It took me seven months to recover from burnout. I hope you don't have to walk the same path I did. The emotional scars left are the driving force I use to build a life with better habits, more discernment, and harmony.
However, if you're struggling with your emotions and experiencing burnout, remember to take a deep breath. Here are the pieces of advice I wish I had heard and I hope they find you at peace:
Ask for professional help: seek therapy. No financial success is worthy if it costs you a mental and emotional breakdown.
Do less, not more: Cut out everything that is not essential, whether at work or in personal life. Remember the good design principle, less is more.
Invest in your recovery with the same energy you invest in your action: The problem is not stress, it is the lack of recovery. Work smart and rest hard.
Playing strong in these moments is not greatness, it’s stupidity. If you consider having burnout, chances are you already experience some symptoms of the syndrome.
Realign your habits: build positive habits and systems which are aligned with your goals and dreams. And avoid self-sabotage.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
You may have anxiety, but that doesn't mean you are anxious. Don't confuse your status with your identity. Phases pass, you remain. Stay present, stay vigilant, my friend!
Talk to you next week.
Light and peace,
—FMV
🧠 My Mental Download:
📕 (1) What I'm reading:
-Boundaries: blueprint on discernment and how to set limits, less is more.
🎧 (2) What I'm listening to:
-Freedom: I get goosebumps listening to this song. Powerful, magnetic, the embrace of the old and the new as Budapest city.
🤓 (3) What I'm studying:
-When the Body says No: Dr. Gabor Maté provides insights on how deeply developmental experiences shape our health, behavior, attitudes, and relationships.
💡 Intellego is the process of gaining insights to better understand the world.
✍️ Letter is written by Fabíola Maia-Veres every Tuesday at 7pm.
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