Why am I burning out and how can I avoid it? To answer this question ALMA Wellness reached out to our friend Penni Mannas Diefendorf, the Founder & Director of truthredux.com, an online community and repository of ideas and strategies to live life at your highest potential. In the article, Penni defines burnout, discusses adrenal fatigue, and suggests 3 ways to avoid burnout. Over to you Penni…
We are creatures of flesh, blood, bone, sinew and chemicals. Though we generally tend to forget that last, as it is not immediately noticeable. What we have previously dismissed as “burn out” from overworking, might be adrenal fatigue – a consequence of sustained levels of cortisol in the blood stream, leading to an inability to shut off stress. Much like a diabetic loses the ability to balance out their blood sugar levels. Fortunately, an increasing focus is being given to the function of the adrenal gland whose main purpose is to release hormones in response to stress.
Symptoms of Burn Out
Do these symptoms sound familiar? If so, you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue.
Feeling tired for no reason.
Having trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour
Feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
Difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
Craving salty and sweet snacks.
Feeling more awake, alert and energetic after 6pm than you do all day.
General weakness
Dizziness when you stand up
What Triggers Adrenal Fatigue?
In short, it is our current way of life. The human body was never built to be in “fight or flight” mode 24/7. So chronic stress, prolonged bouts of lack of sleep and little or no relief from life’s challenges contribute to an adrenal gland that is on full alert all the time.
Why Is It Critical to Avoid Adrenal Fatigue?
If you consider that the hormones produced by the adrenal gland are critical to all metabolic functions, you will begin to appreciate the accuracy in the prediction “stress kills”. It is a physiological surety.
And yet, we push our bodies to the limit, believing that somehow our physiology will compensate – and it does, to a remarkable degree. Until it completely breaks down, perhaps beyond the point of no return.
It is best to realise what you are doing to yourself and your life and make a few significant changes. It is also very worthwhile to take this quiz to figure out where you are on the adrenal exhaustion scale https://www.adrenalfatigue.org/take-the-adrenal-fatigue-quiz
3 Ways to Avoid Burn Out
1. Limit Your Daily To-Do List
For real! We over schedule and over task-list ourselves thinking that by doing that we would somehow add hours to the day. But our brains and bodies do not work like that. For all of the reasons above, it is best to make plans for your day, your week, your month and your life, such that the important things get taken care of in the time that you have, and the rest fits in when and if possible.
If you can limit your to-do list to three or four main objectives for each day, your life and work will progress by leaps and bounds and be contained in a reasonable manner. A system I have found uniquely helpful for this is the 60-60-30 method which you can learn about in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVj2cliMzjg
An additional bonus would be to cut out unrewarding tasks and duties altogether. Thoughts and actions that do not inspire joy are best left by the wayside, creating space for activities and pursuits that are more nourishing.
2. Balance Your Life With Fun
There is much spoken about work-life balance, but from a physical point of view, the need to shut down the adrenal gland for significant portions of time is becoming clearer as our bodies give way to more, and more deadly, diseases as the years go by – rising in tandem with the stressors we are under.
The mind and spirit need frequent and refreshing breaks, just as much as our physical body does. So rediscover the fun facet of yourself – whether it is in sports, a good book, a stroll, just because. Allow yourself time-outs in your day to enjoy what you are working so hard for. To sit in the sun, to lunch in the park. It is not so difficult to fit these into each day once you make up your mind to do so.
3. Contemplate Your Death
If it is difficult to make the first two things happen, then sit down and contemplate your own mortality. It might seem a strange suggestion for stress relief, but it the single most impactful way to put life into perspective. We all will die – no ifs, buts and shoulds.
So think about all the things that would make life delicious and enjoyable. Think about it from the perspective of never being able to do them again. Which ones inspire deep regret? Then incorporate those as regular activities.
Why wait for an unalterable circumstance to occur before you bemoan all the things you did not do when you had the health, the wherewithal and the opportunity to. Life is more fleeting than we allow ourselves to believe. Live it now!
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Guest author Penni Mannas Diefendorf is the Founder & Director of truthredux.com, an online community and repository of ideas and strategies to live life at your highest potential. She is author of the “Core of Steel” series, the first two books of which are: UNCONFORM: Only the conscious thrive and Going home: A roadmap to fulfillment and abundance by finding your truth available on amazon.com