3 Sure Signs You are Heading Toward Burnout
Burnt out but not bleeding, so you’re ok?
I have news for you and you’re not going to like it!
Part of my training is to identify red flags. Usually, they are for things that need to be referred to a doctor like cancer, organ failure, heart attack risk etc. You get it: the big things that can end your life.
But I am also trained, and keenly interested, in recognising the red flags of burn out, stress, emotional dysregulation, mental health concerns and chronic illness like autoimmune disease.
Why? Because this helps me get the best possible outcomes for clients. When it comes to burn out our society encourages it, applauds and wears it like a badge of honour. It’s become my mission to identify the early warning signs to head it off at the pass and educate clients on what’s coming if they don’t stop.
These are my 3 big red flags that you are heading for burn out:
Fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix.
There’s fatigue and then there is the kind of exhaustion you wake up with that no amount of sleep seems to combat. It robs you of the everyday joy in life we should experience and leaves us looking for external stimulants and energy like coffee and carbs. If this is you, it’s a serious sign you’ve been pushing too hard for too long — and burnout is either approaching fast, or already here.
Feeling like you can’t stop.
You feel like you simply can’t stop or it won’t get done. That if just for one minute you drop a ball the whole lot will come tumbling down. This is not healthy! The world will not stop if you take a break. This constant pressure is a red flag for chronic, unrelenting stress, and it’s a straight road to burnout if something doesn’t change.
Hormonal changes (yes, this is for men too).
For women it’s really obvious. Our periods might become irregular or more painful. They get heavier or we experience more extreme emotional disturbances. Men may notice a lowered libido, fatigue and low stamina, reduced muscle mass or strength and irritability. These changes are your body’s way of saying, “I’ve been pumping out stress hormones for too long, and now I’m prioritising survival over reproduction.” Big red flag.
⚠️ Any one of those can be caused by many things but the combination is your flashing warning light that burnout is either here or coming.
What can you do about it?
The solutions aren’t flashy, but they work. Most involve diet, lifestyle, and self-care. These can take time, but they work long term to keep you resilient and happy. You are probably muttering to yourself right now ‘I know what to do, I just need to do it.’ And feeling frustrated that you can’t seem to get started. I get it!
Start with the bare-bones basics:
Prioritise sleep over work, commitments, Netflix…everything!
Get a routine happening, get to bed early and treat sleep like it’s a job! If you need tea, herbs, a homeopathic etc to help then do it! Everything looks better after a good night’s sleep. Imagine how it looks after a week or months of blissful sleep?
Stop and eat your lunch.
No more eating at your desk or on route to somewhere or while you do 15 other things. Schedule a lunch break in, sit down, chew your food and take the time to stop and eat. You can work on the rest of the meals later!
Take a break.
Start with little daily breaks of 10min and do a quick meditation (I love Smiling Minds app for this) or 10min with your shoes off, bare feet on the grass in the sun or 10min reading a book for pleasure i.e. no textbooks and no self-help books. Get brave and take a morning off or even a day. You’ll soon see the daily grind won’t notice you are gone!
If you need to change course quickly to cope with life and all it throws at you then make an appointment and we can look more deeply at digestion, bowel health, hormonal influence, and stress patterns to develop a tailored plan that includes herbal, homeopathic and nutritional support alongside dietary and lifestyle strategies that are targeted to get you real results- minus the guesswork!
You have enough on your plate without adding a DIY health degree to it!