From Burnout to Blowout: How Mental Strain Morphs into Physical Pain

We often think of burnout as being mentally tired, unmotivated, lagging, not wanting to be around people, and maybe needing an extra cup of coffee or two to keep going. Burnout is common and seems like one of LinkedIn's most talked about things lately. Let’s face it, we all get it. But what happens when the mental side effects turn physical?

Back in May, I started having severe migraines, head pressure, dizziness, inability to focus, and short-term memory loss. For those who deal with migraines constantly I commend you. Before May I had never had one. I spent the following 6 weeks in constant agony. I tried everything. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Excedrin, and even prescribed migraine medication. Nothing worked.

Leading up to June 14th when I was rushed to the Emergency Room due to severe migraines, head pressure, and confusion. I didn’t know what day it was or really where I was. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days undergoing as many tests as they could give me. Blood tests, MRIs, CTs, Spinal tap, 3 different specialists. Everything said the same thing. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me and I was sent home with the same symptoms still prominent.

As a last-ditch effort, I let my mother talk me into seeing a naturopathic doctor. To say I was skeptical is an understatement. And let’s just say my wallet was not happy with me for it either. Whatever test this doctor ran, I wouldn’t even be able to spell let alone pronounce the name of it. But the conclusion….. It all came down to 6 words. Your body is majorly stressed out.

Long story short, she gave me natural supplements and exercises to reduce stress and IT WORKED! No more migraines or head pressure. No more inability to focus or dizziness and my memory started getting better.

Talking with the naturopath doctor at the follow-up utterly baffled that I was better, she opened my eyes to the full aspects of burnout. Too often we receive mental warnings and keep pushing through not thinking anything of it. But what happens when we push through the mental too much without ever letting ourselves rest? Well, the answer I learned the hard way is your body will force you to rest.

Too many articles I see are around “How to Avoid Burnout”. Truthfully, avoiding it is a pipedream. We all get it. It’s inevitable. I believe the question should be how do you manage burnout before it gets to a detrimental point?

1)???Prioritize Rest and Selfcare: We can’t always control our hours or our workload but there are things we can do to control our stress levels.

a.??3–5-minute mediation: I downloaded the Insight Timer on my phone. It is a free app with guided and unguided timed meditations. At times I feel stress levels rising too high, I pull the app out and take the couple of minutes for myself in the car, workspace, etc.

b.?Exercise: This one is not as easy. Due to a hectic schedule which I am sure everyone else has as well, I complete my workout at 5 am every morning. Let’s face it, if I leave it for the afternoon, it won’t get done. This can be as simple as a few minutes’ walk. Just move your body for a couple of minutes and increase your heart rate.

2)??Foster Social Interaction: Having someone to share your experiences with, bounce ideas off, or even to just laugh with does more healing than one realizes. It is shown not only to minimize stress but improve employee culture as well.

3)?Develop a Hobby: This one I truthfully struggled with the most. Whether you read a chapter of a book, join a club, play some pickleball (mine is golf as my joints can’t keep up with this new age craze), or even try a new restaurant for food and drinks each week. It can be anything you want. As small or large as you want.? Something to put your mind on besides work.

4) Take Breaks Throughout Your Workday: Give yourself 10-minute breaks every 2 hours to clear your mind, scroll through social media, actually breathe, and slow your heart rate down. Something to give your mind a rest from solving the world’s problems. Let’s face it. We can’t always control the hours we work or our workload. But what we can control is taking a minute or two every so often to rest.

5) Change of Workspace: In this new age day of technology most of us are tied to our laptops, phones, tablets, and watches (not everyone, but a good majority). We can’t control the number of notifications and work coming in throughout the day. But we can change the scenery. Rather than just working from your typical desk, try changing it up. Work a couple of hours from your laptop at a coffee shop, check out a co-working space, work from a bench in the park, etc. I think you’d be surprised how much changing up your work location can ease your mind and eliminate some stress.

?Let’s face it. Burnout is inevitable. We all get it whether we want to admit it or not. But it doesn’t have to be detrimental. The key is recognizing it and implementing steps to decrease it rather than ignoring it. Know your body and it’s tells. Take the small steps at the beginning so you aren’t forced to take the larger steps like I did. Taking a few minutes out of your day is much easier and cheaper than a hospital stay and various doctor visits.