Based on my personal experience and helping others with burnout, I’ve learned that the key to burnout recovery lies in recognizing when you are experiencing stress and then being able to get yourself out of the Sympathetic flight or fight state, and activate your Parasympathetic Nervous System, often called the rest, digest and detox state. It’s not as simple as it sounds. Recognising when you’re stressed and how to manage it is a valuable skill-set.
This article will help you identify signs of stress, recognize habits that cause stress, and offer access to my Burnout Recovery Program, “3 Weeks to Beat Burnout.”
Recognising When You Are Experiencing Stress
Recognising when you are experiencing stress will mean you have to become more aware of what’s happening in your body. One of the key techniques I teach in my program is to regularly perform a body scan every couple of hours.
Signs You May Be experiencing Stress and Be In The Sympathetic State Are;
- you’re rushing
- you’re worrying or overthinking things
- you’re not present and thinking all the time
- you’re pushing yourself without a break
- your heart rate and breathing have increased
- your blood pressure is up
- you feel anxious, shaky, moody, and or light headed
- you’re experiencing brain fog
- you’re hungry or thirsty
- you’re hot or cold
- your environment is too messy/noisy
- you feel out of control
- you’re feeling tired and lethargic
- you’re having trouble thinking about things logically
- you’re making silly decisions
- you’re dropping things or running into things
- you’re just not present with the moment
- you’re not sleeping well
- you’re rushing while eating
- your self-talk is not supportive
- you’re being tough on yourself
You will need to become a stress detective and look for any of the above signs every day. When you recognize stress, take a moment to remind yourself that it can activate your body’s stress response, leading to hormone release like cortisol, which can affect your health negatively, including weakening your immune system, causing weight gain, and leaving you feeling anxious, exhausted, and mentally foggy.
There is no instant remedy for overcoming burnout. However, if you have the goal of spending more time in the Parasympathetic state, that will really help you. In order to remain in the Parasympathetic state, it is important to develop a comprehensive set of healthy habits.
One of the most important skills is learning to be present, where your mind is free of past worries and future concerns. Being present is a gift you give to yourself and the world, as you will experience more peace and be much more likely to be in the Parasympathetic state.
When you are present or mindful, you are not thinking about this or that. You have a profound connection to the present moment, accepting it without judgment. Living in your head for a future moment is madness and activates your stress response, taking you into the Sympathetic state, where stress hormones wreak havoc on your health.
Getting Your Mindset Right
Your mindset is equally important as improving your nutrition and sleep habits. Why? Improving your sleep and diet won’t matter if you’re always stressed, over-committed, working excessively, and rushing through life. The tendency to rush, people-please, and over-work may be attributed to a range of factors, but at its core, it may relate to your subconscious beliefs that have impacted on your level of self-love and self-worth. When you don’t value yourself, you may make decisions that harm your health and well-being. Unfortunately, a significant number of individuals experiencing Burnout are often women, whom I refer to as “super-women” because of their hard work, competence, and dedication to their families and communities.
In his research, Dr. Bruce Lipton observed that when muscle testing is utilized to examine subconscious programming, most people’s subconscious minds refuse to accept the statement “I love myself.” Often, this one strategy can improve your burnout symptoms.
The key to cultivating the right mindset is to decrease or eliminate behaviors that activate your stress response and hinder your ability to enter a Parasympathetic state, which are;
- over-committing
- being a perfectionist
- over-working
- over-exercising
- not spending time with friends and family
- rushing all the time
- placing too much pressure on yourself to perform
- not placing enough importance on connection with people
- worrying all the time
- being self-sacrificing and not honouring your own needs
- eating the wrong foods (high in sugar and refined carbohydrates at the wrong times)
- not getting sufficient sleep or rest
- not having sufficient boundaries and trying to do it all
Merely writing or committing to stopping the above behaviors won’t be enough to stop or decrease them, as you’ve been doing these things a long time. These behaviors are likely ingrained habits, requiring serious reprogramming.
A 3 Week Plan To Reduce Burnout Symptoms
Look at the outline for my program, “3 Weeks To Beat Burnout”, which is below.
To learn the steps for forming these habits, read my book or join my coaching program, “3 Weeks To Beat Burnout.” The links to buy for each are below.
- Read book – From Broken To Beautiful, my signature book
- Enroll in Coaching Program: Enroll in my 3 Week Coaching Program here
Week 1 Habits
- to be in bed by 10 pm and sleep soundly for 7 to 8 hours
- to eat foods that balance your blood sugar, are anti-inflammatory and nutrient dense
- to eat every 3 hours during the day (Low Glycemic Index, Gluten-free, Nutrient Dense)
- to check in with yourself every hour
- to ensure you stay hydrated throughout the day
- to have at least one rest during the day
- to prioritise resetting your stress response
- to stay present, so you are not caught up in your head worrying
- to ensure you’re not rushing or doing just in times
- to realize when you are being a perfectionist and change that behavior
Week 2 Habits
- to realize when you are over-working and change that behavior
- to incorporate some gentle exercise into your day
- to create a toolkit of activities that bring you joy and ensure you do one every day
- to spend some quality time with friends and family
- to minimize your exposure to all chemicals, toxins in your food, the environment, water, and air, as they place a stress on your body and increase inflammation
Week 3 Habits
- to incorporate gratitude into your daily routine
- to corporate gently exercise into your daily routine
- to set some healthy boundaries
- to be more authentic
- to practise meditation
Here’s the latest review for my signature book From Broken To Beautiful (How to recover from burnout).
This book provides an incredibly informative and comprehensive guide to recovering from burnout, adrenal fatigue or other fatigue related conditions such as ME/CFS. I recovered from CFS a few years ago, and the book made me feel understood and validated. Many of the experiences described by the author resonated deeply with me. It not only reaffirmed the methods and strategies I’ve been using but also introduced me to fresh ideas.
I particularly valued learning more about the mechanics of stress and cortisol and how to get out of a chronic stress cycle, and how to heal spirit, soul, and body. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone dealing with burnout or supporting a loved one through it. MK