Woman & Home Feel Good You – September 2019

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ARE YOU

SUFFERING?

You may be heading for burnout if

you experience any of these signs

and symptoms...

 You wake up every day with

a feeling of dread about work

 You feel tired and drained most

of the time

 You feel helpless and trapped

 You procrastinate and take

longer to get things done

 You’re eating and/or drinking

more to make yourself feel better

 You feel mentally exhausted

 You feel burdened by too many

responsibilities and a lack of support

 You do enough to get by but

haven’t the energy to care anymore

 You’re taking more days off

 You feel increasingly negative,

cynical and resentful about work

 You feel unappreciated

 You feel you just can’t cope

 You feel like a failure

 You’ve lost all your motivation

 You feel anxious, worried or

depressed

 You have become more

withdrawn

 You feel more irritable

 You’re not getting enough sleep

 You’re working so hard it’s

affecting your home and social life

 Your friends and family are

concerned that they never see you

 You’ve got no time for personal

relationships

 You’re always working in the

evenings and over the weekend

 You feel physically rundown

 You’ve developed

physical symptoms for

no obvious medical

reason, which could

include back pain,

headaches, skin

rashes, general

aches and pains,

IBS-type symptoms

and insomnia

RECOGNISE THAT YOU

MAY HAVE A PROBLEM

‘Burnout isn’t the same as too much

stress,’ explains Keenan. ‘You can be

under a lot of pressure yet feel in control.

Instead, burnout is a reaction to ongoing

stress: you can’t seem to bounce back

after a break or a good night’s sleep.

Everything feels like an effort,

all the time.’ If you feel

like this, it’s time to

take action.

MAKE

EXERCISE

A PRIORITY

‘Regular exercise of at

least 30 to 60 minutes

a day helps your body

to discharge excess stress

chemicals,’ says Kate. ‘You’ll

also produce more endorphins to make

you feel better.’ Try walking, cycling,

yoga, swimming or even dancing.

SET BOUNDARIES

Don’t overextend yourself. ‘You’re more

likely to suffer from burnout if you find

it hard to be assertive and say no,’

says Dr Drayton. ‘You may benefit from

taking an assertiveness training course.’

STOP BEING A HUMAN

GIVER

‘Human giver syndrome is the contagious

false belief that life only has meaning if

you’re always accommodating, generous,

supportive and attentive to the needs

of others,’ says Emily, co-author of

Burnout: The Secret to Solving the

Stress Cycle (£16.99, Vermilion). ‘Women

are the most susceptible to be like this.

So, if you’re always there for everyone

else to the detriment of your own

needs, you need to step back.’

TAKE 42 % REST

‘On average you need to spend 42%

of your time on rest. That’s around 10

hours a day, but it doesn’t have to be

every day. You can average it out over

AVOIDING BURNOUT

Nip it in the bud and get back to feeling yourself, pronto.

a week, or month or more.

Here’s what 42% might look like:

 Around eight hours sleep.  20-30

minutes of stress-reducing conversation

with a partner, or trusted loved one.

 30 minutes exercise.  30 minutes

paying attention to food such as planning

meals, shopping, cooking, eating.

 30 minutes doing what you

enjoy such as reading,

extra physical activity,

talking to a friend etc.

STOP

TRYING TO

BE PERFECT

Emily explains,

‘Believing that

everything has to be

perfect – at home, the way

you look, at work – is associated

with a greater risk of anxiety, depression,

disordered eating, negative relationships

and helplessness. The antidote to

perfectionism is to try and practice self-

compassion, gratitude and acceptance.’

EAT WELL

‘This can have a huge impact on your

mood and energy levels,’ says nutritionist

Rick Hay. ‘The right food helps your body

cope better when you’re under pressure.’

Rick recommends:

 Avoiding processed foods, white

carbs and caffeine

 Adding protein to every meal to

keep blood sugar levels stable. Try

chicken, turkey, fish, chickpeas,

lentils, eggs, nuts, seeds

 Eat healthy fats.

Try avocado, nuts,

oily fish

 Leafy green

vegetables

 Foods high

in vitamin C

 Low GI

(glycaemic

index) foods: eg,

wholegrains, rye

bread, brown rice

TA K E

REGULAR

BREAKS

‘No matter how busy you are,

make sure you take regular

breaks whether that be for

lunch, to make a cup of tea, or

just get up from your desk

and stretch your legs,’

says Dr Drayton.

TA K E A

HERBAL

SUPPLEMENT

Rick says certain herbs help to

calm the body, improve mood and

boost cognitive function. ‘These

include panax and ashwagandha.’

Try: Wholistic Ashwagandha,

£16.95, 30 capsules,

pukkaherbs.com

HITTING THE WALL SELF