Radical Healing as a Response to Burnout
The past few years have contributed to a significant increase in burnout. Do you remember the prolonged anticipation and uncertainties of COVID-19 in early 2020? The restlessness and fatigue from the political injustices? What about the rage and grief caused by gun violence? And most recently, anger and hopelessness in response to our reproductive freedom and rights being stripped away? While these are examples of our external systems, we must not forget how our inner lives impact our mental, emotional and physical health.
If the symptoms I just described resonate with you, you're probably experiencing burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion from exposure(s) to prolonged stress. Its impact on our brains and bodies has been heavily researched. Bayes and colleagues (2021) found a direct relationship between our autonomic nervous system and distress in sympathetic nervous systems by an increase in our stress hormone, cortisol. These findings, in addition to other studies, highlight that stress impacts our bodies and health (Michel, 2016).
Our minds and bodies are designed to support our overall functioning, especially in distress. I want to honor our ability to survive through systemic issues of inequality, oppression, and injustice. Yes, we have been fighting, and we are strong. But really, we are tired, exhausted, and filled with grief. So, where do we go from here? If our minds and bodies continue to function through burnout, we attempt to normalize the constant exposure to trauma. And that is not okay! We must take steps to reclaim ourselves through self-soothing techniques.
Our bodies adapt to maladaptive behaviors through prolonged exposure to stress. We overcompensate, compartmentalize, and numb out. To dismantle the vicious cycle of burnout in our mind and body, we may need to be patient, humble, and graceful with ourselves. Coping with burnout will look different for everyone; however, there are some things that we can practice collectively.
I often integrate a cognitive approach when exploring and recognizing burnout patterns with my clients. We can assess by reflecting on these questions:
From the symptoms above, which resonates most?
What beliefs or thoughts do these symptoms bring up?
What feelings and emotions do they trigger?
Do you notice any behavioral patterns when burning out?
How are these symptoms manifesting in your body?
How long have you experienced these symptoms?
Do certain things, people, events, or situations intensify these symptoms?
With insight into our sensory experiences of burnout, we practice listening to ourselves and utilizing that information to cope with symptoms. To regulate our nervous system, it is vital that we begin with basic self-care and soothing the overstimulated systems.
Here are a few tips for self-soothing:
Affirm your emotional needs and experiences. This can sound like, "I am strong and worthy of love and respect. Overcompensating or burning out is not a reflection of my worth. I'm a human. I deserve to rest. I'm allowed to take a break and breathe".
We are constantly sucked into the virtual world of social media and news. Let's start by not checking our phones when we wake up in the morning. Instead, take a few minutes to yourself and feel the softness of your bed sheets or covers (mindfulness!).
Reconnect to yourself by taking a slow-paced walk and consider putting your phone on Do Not Disturb.
Listen to some classic jazz music. If it encourages a groove for you, get the groove on. In doing so, we also allow our bodies to loosen the tension we have built up.
Take a half or full-day off and do absolutely nothing. Focus on being. We can achieve that by spending time with ourselves, our pets, or our loved ones.
I don't necessarily recommend binging on an entire TV series, but maybe by watching a few episodes, cleaning your room, taking a long bath/shower, snoozing, and grooming yourself.
Explore your creativity and interests. More than often, when in burnout, we forget about ourselves. So, spend some time reflecting on new or old interests. How about cooking a delicious meal, calling a friend, and catching up on board games and drinks? That sounds like the opposite of burnout to me!
We often build up tension and suppress emotions while burnout continues to grow. Let yourself release your emotions through a good cry, punching a pillow, or doing 30 jumping jacks.
Mindful breathing exercises are another effective way of releasing the tension in our bodies. Sometimes guidance can be helpful, so here are free online resources on guided breathwork:
Insight Timer https://insighttimer.com
Breathwrk https://www.breathwrk.com
Headspace https://www.headspace.com
Liberate Black Meditation https://liberatemeditation.com
Smiling Mind https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app
Living in a capitalistic society, we are encouraged to work beyond our capacity. That is not okay. We must aim for radical healing through unlearning and dismantling the idea of simply tolerating living with constant burnout. We must reclaim ourselves by honoring our resilience by pacing, pausing, and breathing. We can start that by recognizing the presence of burnout and permitting ourselves, quite simply, to rest.