5 Signs You’re Close to Burnout

”I really need a holiday”

How many times have you heard that phrase in the run up to the Summer getaway? Holidays are a great way to relax mind and body, recharge the batteries and reboot so that you can get back to work feeling refreshed and raring to go.

But have you found recently that even your all inclusive, fly and flop holiday, to a far flung destination, isn’t enough to slow the mind and bring your stress down to a manageable level?

‘It’s a short hop from badass to burnout’

When I first read this line from Brandon Burchard’s amazing book, High Performance Habits, it really struck a chord. There is so much pressure nowadays to be killing it, smashing, it, crushing it, budding your empire, burning the house down. Being awesome is relentless.

So how do you know when it’s time to dial down or whether you should push through what feels like excuses for not trying harder? Well, apart from the obvious, like friends and family telling us we look tired, don’t seem like ourselves, or should maybe think about slowing down, our own bodies are pretty good bell weathers for our internal equilibrium.

In case you’re in a rush and don’t have time to read the full post, here are my top 5 on how the body tells us to take it down a notch.

1. Trouble sleeping
2. Teeth grinding
3. Colds & sore throats
4. Rashes & breakouts
5. Needing a holiday the minute you get back to work from holiday

For the avoidance of doubt, and in case you browse my LinkedIn profile, no I’m not medically trained, but I have experienced virtually all of the above myself and have witnessed the same issues in colleagues, friends and business contacts alike. Clearly this list isn’t exhaustive and is probably at the mild end of the spectrum, but why wait until things are really serious. These little signs are your body’s early warning system, telling you to slow it down before it starts to shut you down. If in doing, go see visit your doc.

1 Trouble Sleeping

If you’re regularly struggling to get 7-8 good hours of undisturbed sleep, there could be a problem. I know Margaret Thatcher reportedly got by on just 4 hours but I’m not sure we will ever know the real impact of that on her health or wellbeing. All the research points to us spending a third of every day sleeping, so that should be the aim. The brain goes through a massive data cleanse and archiving when we’re asleep and it’s critical for good mind and body function.

I believe the badass way of dealing with disturbed sleep is to put a notebook by the bed. Decant all the stuff whizzing around your head onto a piece of paper so that you can get some rest.

Recently I was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a particular issue I’d been wrestling with. If you can figure out what’s keeping you awake at night you’re one step closer to dealing with it and improving your chances of a good night.

Other ways to still the mind include meditation, mindfulness and yoga. I’ve recently become a huge fan of yoga nidra and you can get guided meditations online, including this one by Amy Fitta.

If your sleep routine is seriously out of whack then you might want to check out the sleep hygiene tips you can find online, including how to reset your circadian rhythm - apparently a camping trip does wonders for getting you back into a healthy sleep pattern.

2 Teeth Grinding

It was some years ago on holiday, ironically, that my daughter pointed out that one of my front teeth looked a little chipped. Fast forward to a visit to my dentist where he says, matter of factly, “Yes, you’ve been grinding your teeth in your sleep. It’s very common.”

Really?! Because up to that point I never knew people did that, and certainly didn’t know I was doing it. I thought my front teeth were just mysteriously disintegrating on me. I was still in denial up to the point I had to go back to collect my custom-made mouth guard, which I still hate wearing to this day and honestly mostly don’t - it just sits at the side of my bed in a bright pink case.

But yes, it’s a thing. And in my close circle of friends I’m not the only one that does it.

In addition to some full body relaxation you may want to try getting a relaxing facial so that you really encourage all of your facial and jaw muscles to relax.

And don’t forget your mouth guard.

3 Colds and Sore Throats

”I always get a cold the first few days of my holiday” remarked a friend nonchalantly when telling me about their amazing holiday recently.

Colds, sore throats, flu and losing the voice are all signs that your body’s immune system is flagging. What often happens is that when we are at work, particularly in the run up to a holiday, we start to run on adrenaline because we know it’s not long before we get a break. When we then go on holiday, the body exhales and the underlying weakness is exposed.

We can, of course, reduce the chances of this happening by winding down before we go on holiday rather than coming up with more items for the to-do list. Delegate, delegate, delegate in the weeks running up to your holiday, Don’t wait for the day you finish work and are setting your out of office to be dashing around, making sure you’re covered for meetings, or critical business tasks. Handover in plenty of time so that you don’t leave feeling worried that everything will fall over. The reality is it won’t.

4 Rashes & Breakouts

I was almost tempted to title this post ‘Running with Hives’.

We sometimes forget that our skin is more than just a covering for our internal organs and is in itself an organ. It’s no coincidence that when we are embarrassed our cheeks become flushed. Our skin is a major indicator of not just physical but emotional well-being. It can be anything from eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea.

My nemesis is hives, in case you hadn’t guessed. My first flare up was as a teenager. It didn’t last long and I thought noting of it. It first returned with a vengeance about 8 years ago. And no amount of doctors appointments or blood tests could get to the bottom of it, or fix it, until I spent two weeks on a beach, doing yoga. Then they disappeared completely, confirming my suspicions that it was completely stress-related.

And now they’re back, which is what prompted me to pen this post. The completion of a large property project, a stressful work challenge and a new business venture were just the combination that the hives needed to say ‘enough already’. Let’s hope two weeks on a beach doing yoga, and an easier schedule, will work it’s magic again.

I don’t know anything that calms the body like yoga, meditation or mindfulness. But for you, it may be something completely different. However, these things are not the cure, they just tackle the symptoms. Whatever it is in your universe that is causing the flare ups needs to be addressed, or it will only continue to reoccur.

5 You need a holiday the minute you get back

For the avoidance of doubt, I’m not knocking the habit of always ensuring you have a holiday booked. Taking regular breaks and prioritising your calendar so that you make time to reboot is essential.

However, if within an hour of sitting at your desk and turning off your out of office you feel your stress levels rising and the hives start creeping up your neck, you’re in trouble.

Put simply, something about your environment needs to change, and fast, or you may need to leave that situation altogether.

We are incredible machines, capable of amazing feats personally, professionally and physically. But we are also fragile creatures, fine-tuned to thrive only when everything is in balance - mind, body and spirit.

Be kind to yourself. Add that to the to-do list.

#burnout #lifehacks