A state of physical, mental and emotional breakdown that leaves a person
unable to cope in most areas of his or her life.
You could be at risk of burnout if you have been telling yourself for several months that you can no longer cope, if your friends think that you live at an insane pace, and if you feel that your life is nothing but a long series of tasks with no time for laughter. We can survive for quite a while in the fast lane but when our systems start to go off track, the descent into the abyss of burnout is dramatic.
External causes of burnout
Burnout is caused by an overload of stress over a long period of time. Stress may come from a variety of sources, and you may hear of professional, parental, student or caregiver burnout. Our over-full lives put us all at risk of burnout. Though in the beginning the challenges of the situation stimulate us to look for and create solutions, after a while these challenges become a burden too heavy to bear. We feel torn apart by the challenges. We no longer have the time to recharge our batteries but we continue to give our energy to the situation because we feel responsible for finding a solution. Essentially, burnout is typical of those who want to do good and to help.
A major energy imbalance
This stress overload means that the body’s energy and that of several of its systems become overloaded and blocked. What follows is a major imbalance in the body’s energy system. The energy loses its ability to move naturally and stops nourishing us effectively both at the physical and mental levels. A great feeling of fatigue sets in. Because the person is focused on finding solutions to his or her challenges, s/he does not notice this fatigue until s/he is totally exhausted. This invasion of fatigue leaves the person vulnerable to illness and leads to their feeling distressed, even depressed.
A new consciousness of our needs
In the heat of the action, we lose sight of the natural signs that indicate to us our state of exhaustion and our natural needs for replenishment and pleasure. Like sleep and food, pleasure is essential to life, for it regenerates energy. It is important to stop the spiral into physical and mental breakdown as soon as one feels at risk of burnout. The more a person burns his or her energy reserves, the more difficult it is to recover. This is the moment when s/he must learn to revive his or her energy before offering it to others.
Overcoming burnout
Though your life may be focused on the needs of others, you must learn to take care of yourself as you have taken care of others, without feeling guilty. And what ifyour new quest were to become your health, joy, and a balanced life? Otherwise, stress will end up destroying you. When there is a lot of pressure on you, it doesn’t take much to push you into breakdown. It’s essential to learn how to release yourself from the pressure.
Your condition will improve when you decide to :
• distance yourself from sources of stress,
• rest,
• release accumulated tensions, and
• make room for pleasureful and rejuvenating activities.
In spite of these new strategies, you will still feel a certain fragility, that your ability to bounce back is not what it was. Indeed, your energy system is handicapped by a blockage in some of its circuits. You will be unable to recover completely until you revitalize your energy system.
Energy rebalancing will allow you to:
• free your energy ciruits of blockages,
• revive your energy,
• see your life more clearly,
• better identify your action priorities for balancing your life, and
• supply you with energy to help you sustain your actions.
Energy rebalancing will allow you to get rid of your energy handicap. It produces a clearer view of the situation. It gives you the strength to face the situation and to make good choices. Though previously these choices seemed to be so painful that you dared not even think about them, you will now make a more balanced assessment and you will feel more solid in the decisions you make. You will have the energy to sustain you in the actions related to your new choices.
Energy rebalancing greatly speeds up the process of return to overall balance. When linked to ways of raising your awareness of your vital needs, it will help you walk the path back to health much more easily and rapidly.
Don’t let yourself slide into burnout. Those who have experienced it always say that it is extremely painful. If you are on a downward slope, act quickly. A revitalization of your energy system could make the difference and spare you this distressing experience. You will no longer be helpful to others if you burn out your motor by letting it run on empty.
Recovering balance in one’s life is essential but not always simple. Do not try to do it by the simple force of your will. Let the energy work for you. Restore your energy vitality to put joy back into your life.
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