Burnout

What is it?

Burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that can occur when someone experiences chronic stress at work on in other areas of life. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises it as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ and defines it as ‘a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’.

Some signs of burnout include:

Feeling tired or drained most of the time
Feeling helpless, trapped, or defeated
Having a cynical or negative outlook
Procrastinating
Feeling overwhelmed
Having difficulty concentrating
Having a depressed mood

It is a condition that can lead to many negative effects such as:

Reduced productivity
Insomnia
Depression
High blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, poor immune function
Social isolation
Negative outlook such as cynicism, hopelessness and resentment
Loss of interest

It is important to get formally diagnosed so you should contact your GP.

Recognising Burnout

According to Mental Health UK, ‘public awareness and understanding around burnout is strong. When asked to identify the symptoms of burnout, 93% of UK adults correctly identified some symptoms of burnout, while 63% mistakenly identified at least one symptom of anxiety instead.’ Indeed, stress and anxiety are common place but long exposure to stress can lead to burnout. According to the same survey, ‘9 in 10 adults in the UK (91%) told they experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year.’

Before, During and After

Very often, individuals will not recognise they are ‘on their way to burnout’. Others around them may notice signs of change, especially the physical and mental tiredness but the individual usually thinks that this is ‘normal stress’ or just a temporary situation that will quickly resolve. It is essential to recognise signs and symptoms if only for the reason to avoid getting into a full burnout situation. Typically, individuals struggle to setup boundaries, don’t know to say no and are people pleasers. Ideally, you want to recognise these traits and the situation you are in before it’s too late. This is the time to learn to say stop.

Once you ‘hit burnout’, you’ve already exhausted all your resources and you reach the point where you can barely function. Extremely tired, you can’t sleep but also can’t get out of bed. You can’t concentrate or focus. You see things with a negative outlook. You feel overwhelmed by almost anything. This takes a negative spiral with self-doubt and feeling detached and alone. And this can last and lead to a negative spiral.

There is an after burnout. Your key to recovery is to accept this is what is happening, There is nothing to be ashamed of and it happens to many of us; indeed almost one in four adults in the UK feel unable to manage stress and pressure levels in their lives. This is the time to ask for help and this is the time where others will come forward to support you. It’s also important to note the need to recover slowly without any pressure to ‘achieve’ recovery. This is now time to start building resilience.

What can you do to alleviate the symptoms?

Recognize your triggers at work and talk about mental health. Do raise your concerns whether your manager, your HR department or a trusted colleague.
Lighten your Schedule. You can’t be everything and everywhere for everyone, so put yourself first and prioritise. Set boundaries, especially between work and home; the end of the work day is the end of the work day.
(re-)prioritise your social life. Make sure you see your friends and family and take time for yourself. A 30 minutes walk in good company goes a long way. A Sunday morning bike ride with your mates will make a huge difference. This is the one change that you should consider prioritising.
Prioritise your sleep. We will never say it enough. Review your routine and make this is a must. Schedule rest during the day and allow yourself to stop. Take that yoga class you’ve wanted to or go boxing – this is rest from work and home stresses.
Consider what you eat, and drink. This can really impact how you feel and there are now numerous studies proving this. A recent survey from Mental Health UK showed that for 56% of the respondents, exercising regularly helped alleviate stress.
Do something you love – every day. It can be reading one page of a book, listening to music, getting your paintbrushes out or dig that train set out of the attic.
Learn to say no and review what you want your life to look like. Now is the time to reconsider what you are doing and what you want to do in the future. But mainly, who you want to be.
Focus on what you can change and learn how to deal with stress in the moment.

Why us?

With previous careers in various industries, we know how corporate and life stressors can take their toll and how difficult it is to recognise burnout symptoms. We also recognise that each patient is unique and thus deserves a unique treatment. We have worked with people who have seriously struggled and we are committed to helping others get past this challenging moment.

Our hypnotherapy treatment plan will focus on your history, a detailed analysis of your triggers and a specifically designed burnout program. You will be provided with recordings specifically designed to calm your brain.

You will be offered Sophrology treatment so you can be given tools to control your symptoms. We hold certificates specifically related to stress management and burnout.

In case of crisis, we offer emergency Reiki treatment to help you cope with acute situations.

Contact us for a free consultation today

Call us on 077 59 44 53 60

What solutions do we offer?

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy can help you combat burnout by learning to deal with both work and life stresses:

Reduce stress – this is one of the most common use of Hypnotherapy which promotes relaxation and change the perception of stressors. Combined with the therapist experience, the treatment proves effective to bring overall well-being.
Build emotional resilience – individuals can learn to recognise situations and their triggers and change their response to stressors. Sometimes, you cannot change the job or the person but you can change how you feel and deal with it. Furthermore, with emotional Freedom Technique, you can learn to let go and deal with difficult emotions.
Improve lifestyle – Hypnotherapy supports an increased level of relaxation, improves sleep as well as eating habits.
Change thought patterns – using various techniques, our therapist will help you make a more profound change on how you deal with stressful situations. This includes the ability to let go, say no, set boundaries, and challenge negative thinking. Our experience shows that exploring your inner self is a powerful experience.
Build self-esteem and self-worth – often individuals who are burnout, see thei self worth dangerously impacted, leading to symptoms of depression. We are here to support you to rebuild confidence and make profound changes in the way you see and accept yourself.
Work through past and current stressors – for example, the worry about professional image and impostor syndrome may stop you from showing emotions and you may think of this as a weakness. You may also feel a pressure to set a specific time for going back to work which can impact your ability to heal.

Sophrology

Sophrology is relaxation method that combines physical and mental exercises. It brings you to a relaxed state where you can focus on your breath and positive memories.

It is most effective in the treatment of burnout by bringing immediate relief as well as long lasting changes. We work on your physical symptoms as well as your mental and emotional well-being. Sophrology can help you develop a positive attitude towards life.

Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese healing method where the practitioner hovers their hands over your body. We re-establish energy flows and release blockages. You may have sensations or nothing at all. Some of our clients report a warm or tingling feeling in their gut. As a result, you feel pain relief.

After the first Reiki session, you will likely feel strangely calm and your whole body will be very relaxed. After a few days, your general tonus and energy levels pick up if for any reason you were in need with this boost. In addition, our therapist is specifically trained in helping with your emotional stress.

You can choose to come and see us when the crisis hits, otherwise anytime you want to rebalance your energy flows. This is particularly effective in combination with hypnotherapy.

Data and statistics

Most intervention programs for preventing burnout aim to empower individuals and reduce their experience of stressors. Interventions can be categorised as person-directed (individual/groups), organization-directed or a combination of both (Noémi Balázs & Anna Leszovszki, 2020)
Person-directed intervention programs are usually cognitive behavioural measures aimed at enhancing job competence and personal coping skills, containing social support elements or different kinds of relaxation exercises. Organization directed interventions on the other hand are usually changes in work procedures, containing task restructuring, work evaluation and supervision aimed at decreasing job demand, increasing job control or the level of participation in decision making (Awa et al., 2010).
Scores of burnout and anxiety decrease after light-trance hypnosis. Guided imagery, releasing negative feelings and memories, taking a subject into a deeper level of trance after relaxation, lays the groundwork for powerful change. Deep trance significantly reduces negative emotional affect and improves immunocompetence. (Norman R. Barling and Susan J. Raine, 2005).
Burnout patients and Type A personalities are both extremely high achievers. These patients were often high achievers, impatient, workaholics and tense. They showed symptomatic attitudes and a behaviour which demand a high neurological sympathetic activity. These patients are not typically impatient or irritated, but they become eventually irritated as a result of stress and overload (Friedman and Rosen). According to Rosmond and Björn torp, the Burnout patients have a worn out HPA axis, so that the production of cortisol is not as flexible as it normally would be. The HPA axis becomes literally burned out, the cortisol is low all day and the psychological correlate to that, is a state of helplessness. Before a condition of Burnout Syndrome is a fact, there is probably a state of prolonged stress with concurrent release of stress hormones. Such prolonged stress has been examined in studies on depression and PTSD, where a hypercortisolism has been found.