IMPACT OF BURNOUT
Impact of burnout
We need to overcome burnout from the
So what does it actually mean to be burned out? What is the difference between being exhausted and burned out?
Burnout was first identified by Herbert Freudenberger, a psychologist working at a substance abuse clinic in 1970s in New York City. The definition he uses is: "a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward." That was the first definition out there in the world that described burnout.
Then there is a later description of Christina Maslach, an American social psychologist and professor at the University of California. She states in 1981 that burnout is different from exhaustion because with burnout there's a tendency towards exhaustion, cynicism, and a lack of effectiveness on the job, whereas someone who is exhausted will just have a hard time keeping up with the pace, but likely still feel good about what they're doing.
Nowadays the World Health Organisation describes burnout as "resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." And they describe the top symptoms of burnout like this:
> feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
> increased mental distance from one’s job or negative feelings towards one’s career
> reduced professional productivity.
Originally burnout was discovered or described in people that work in the health industry and look after or treat people. Now it has moved into all other areas of work. But if we think about it, you can get burned out in all areas of your life. It does not just have to be at work or be caused through work.
inside out
If you spend time on Google and read articles on what you should be doing when you feel that you are burned out, you will find lots of similar responses. Here is a brief list of what I call the fixes on the outside:
> Taking more breaks in your work day to destress
> Setting clear boundaries between work and your private life
> Improving your nutrion and make sure you are well hydrated
> Destressing by having a regular practice around physical activity
> Try out mindfulness practices like yoga, meditation, breathing
The thing is that all of these things are good, and they obviously help you to destress to a certain degree as long as you hold on to that practice and create a habit around it.
I have tried many of them but they never helped me to overcome my general state of being burned out. They felt more like a band aid on a wound that goes so much deeper than the little cut that you see on the surface.
Outside fixes
External Interventions can manage stress but not heal burnout once and for all
We need to overcome burnout from the inside out. We mentioned the outside fixes that just don’t work long term to leave burnout behind – once and for all. So if outside changes are not the answer, then we have to look on the inside and make changes there.
There is a quote by Roy T. Bennett: Changing your outside world cannot make you happy if you are an unhappy person.
We can apply the same logic to the state of being burned out: Changing your outside world cannot heal you from burnout if you are staying the same person on the inside. On the inside you are the person that got you to be burned out in the first place, so if you don’t change anything on the inside then you will just be working on creating the next burnout in your life.
Change from the inside
Overcoming burnout has to be an inside job for lasting impact
Learn the step by step process
Across your lifetime, how much time and money have you invested in methods, books and courses designed to help you change, improve and become a better version of yourself? But most of these did not bring you the results you wanted, whether for you personally, for your team, or our business.
And why is that? The main reason lies in a misunderstanding of achieving real sustainable change.
Change in people, teams and companies not only needs the will and readiness for transformation. It also requires that you know exactly how change works. Your willingness to change grows in proportion to your knowledge and understanding.
If you understand what real change is and what makes it possible, you are able to implement it successfully. And your brain plays a specific role in this process. This process can be learned and is therefore a controllable one that you can apply to any situation once learned. The crucial part is the knowledge of how your brain works and your ability to self-regulate your emotions and nervous system.
In the ENERGY ACADEMY, you will learn the methods for your successful change. You learn that the key to success lies in controlling your attention, your thoughts, actions and feelings into effective self-regulation.
to change
Learn more
Since doing the work and meditating daily, I have made quantum leaps of growth. The synchronicities and serendipities happening in my life are pure magic for me. And they can be for you, too!
I experienced burnout myself a few years ago and not just recovered but changed into a version of myself that will never burnout ever again. Now I want to spread the word how everyone can do it.
I help brave and driven humans to learn how to change based on the concepts of neuroscience. My vision is to help everyone who struggles with burnout or high stress levels to experience how awesome their life can be.
