Managing the health effects of stress and burnout

By Tamalyn Markwell, Counsellor and Art Therapist

Studies show that people are suffering burnout more than ever. Bridging the gap between what is possible and what is expected is leaving so many us with the shattering effects of long-term stress.

In 1975 Herbert Freudenberger coined the term ‘burnout’ to define three main components of this state of being;

• Emotional exhaustion – a sense of hopelessness that comes from giving care or caring for a long period of time.
• Depersonalisation – feeling numb or removed from caring and empathy.
• Decreased sense of accomplishment – feeling a sense of failure and that nothing you do will make a difference.

Historically, burnout was understood to be something that was synonymous with certain careers, however, recent studies have found that many cases of burnout have been caused from the daily stress of people’s personal lives, including an extremely high prevalence of parental burnout.

Burnout is the accumulative effect of prolonged periods of stress. Burnout effects every critical function of our bodies, including our brain function, immune function, cardiovascular health, musculature, gut health, liver, kidneys and so on.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of messages out there that make us feel like we are failing at wellbeing too. If you don’t feel 100% that’s okay, and if you have been through hell and back and now you need some help that’s okay too. Your body is doing what it’s supposed to do, be patient with you.

Striving for perfection is dangerous, however, perfection is the goal for many of us in our society, including girls as young as 3 suffering from body image issues.

Be compassionate with yourself

Studies show that self-compassion is a way we can defend ourselves against burnout, depression, anxiety and illness. People who are self-compassionate are their own best friend, they are rarely lonely, have resilience, experience less emotional distress and less physical illness. We are going against a lifetime of habit to become self-compassionate.

Self-compassion is the concept of treating yourself the way you would treat someone you love or care about. Would you bully someone you care about who was heartbroken? Would you sneer at someone you love who was sad or sick or tired? Self-compassion is being an inner ally to yourself, instead of an inner enemy, a friend instead of an antagonist.

Help your body out of stress

Your body needs help when you are experiencing stress and burnout, specifically your nervous system needs help coming back to homeostasis, your body’s understanding of safety. When your nervous system comes back into parasympathetic alignment your brain releases feel-good chemicals, your gut starts digesting, your muscles relax and you are able to rest and to sleep.

Bioelectric Meridian Therapy is recommended for anybody experiencing the mental, emotional and physiological effects of stress and burnout.

Authors Emily and Amelia Nagoski wrote a helpful self-help guide to understanding burnout based on eye-opening science and research, in Burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle, available on Amazon.

This groundbreaking book explains why women experience burnout differently than men. They provide a simple, science-based plan to help women minimise stress, manage emotions, and live a more joyful life.

For more information on how Bioelectric Meridian Therapy or Art Therapy can help you manage stress and burnout, contact counsellor and art therapist Tamalyn Markwell or find a BMT practitioner in your area.