Suffering From Burn-Out?

With burn-out prevalent today, most people suffer from unmanaged stress.

Statistics reveal that between 75 and 90% of illnesses – resulting in people being away from work sick - can be attributed to stress; this is something that needs to be managed. Absenteeism due to ill health averages between seven to fifteen days per annum. This translates into a substantial amount of money, lost hours, lack of productivity and suffering. Not only is this not good for the individual it is not good for the work place either.

To be able to live successfully, free from stress-related illnesses, one has to acquire and apply the skills to manage and channel stress. Stress management is essential. When you can manage your stress you will be more healthy and productive. Your outlook on life may improve dramatically.

What is stress? It is a built in mechanism to warn us of danger – better known as “fight or flight”. If we do not re-act appropriately, although our body has prepared us by pumping the necessary adrenalin into our system, this unused hormone gets stored and is not utilised. It is said that people that re-act badly to a situation, scream and shout are better off than those that try to stay calm, as the first lot of people use up the adrenalin that has been prepared for the particular situation that the body deems as dangerous. We need to find an outlet for this unexpressed “stress”, to prevent a build up, and causing us to explode at the smallest little thing.

We need to learn how to get balance between our work-life, private-life and social-life; As well as to learn how to recognise the “stressors” and how to manage them; through prioritization and planning as well as learning relaxation techniques. In other words, we need to develop new habits and coping mechanisms.

There are two phases that precede the actual burnout phase, and recognizing them early enough, can prevent you from actually experiencing the devastating effects of BURNOUT.

First there is the in-balance between effort and performance; i.e. you are working harder, but achieving less than you previously did. Soon enough you find yourself in the exhaustion phase, and then eventually in the burn-out phase, where you are totally dysfunctional.

By the time you get to this phase, it is a serious matter, and you probably need medication and need to seek medical advice. Your eating habits have changed and are very bad. You eat junk food, chocolates, or whatever you can find that is not too much effort to prepare, and probably eat it in excess. Some people start drinking excessively and others abuse drugs. You are most likely taking sleeping pills to sleep, and then using “uppers” to help you stay awake during the day.

If you can recognise the signs in the first phase, when you are not achieving as much as you normally achieve, you can prevent the other two phases, by making lifestyle changes. Eating properly, relaxing and taking time out for exercise and fresh air and then learning to manage stress effectively.

Beverley-Anne Bear