How to overcome burnout by freeing yourself from 'Wonder Woman Syndrome'

Who doesn't admire the Wonder Woman character? She has it all - power, independence, compassion, and good looks.

Being a Wonder Woman is unhealthy and unrealistic - here's why

You definitely don't want Wonder Woman Syndrome: it causes burnout. "Wonder Woman Syndrome-ridden women are juggling multiple and often conflicting roles - super mom, super wife, super daughter, super sister, super friend, super career woman, super homemaker, super colleague, super employee," describes Joanne Moss, Corporate and Personal Transformation Expert. Perfectionists and overachievers often become afflicted with this syndrome.

You get up every morning at 6 am, go jogging/exercise, and finish before 7.30 am. You prepare meals for yourself and your family; send kids to school; leave for work, spend 9 or more hours at the office. Usually, when you come back home, you help kids with their homework; cook, have dinner with family; sleep, and repeat this cycle every working day. You are a Wonder Woman, my friend. All of this was manageable, but now, you feel tired, don't enjoy your work, and would rather sleep the whole day than respond to another work mail again. You're working not because you want it but just because you are getting paid. You feel stressed out most of the time, and work overwhelms you. You have lost your creativity; balancing work and personal life has become an unwanted chore. If you're starting to feel like this, you will likely have burnout, progressing to even more severe health issues.

If you feel emotionally and physically exhausted, have started disliking your job, stopped getting satisfaction from your work, and feel less capable, you have burnout. Burnout has other symptoms like stress, sleep deprivation, headaches, digestive issues, and bellyaches. According to the American Psychological Association study, women are more likely than men to experience the physical and emotional symptoms of stress.

To prevent burnout, you need to cure the Wonder Woman syndrome. For any of us, the first step towards any improvement is self-awareness and the will to change.

• Make yourself a priority
• look after your mental and physical being
• If there are issues at the workplace, convey your suggestions and problems
• If you are overqualified for your job, leave whenever you can

And most importantly, use all your work leaves; you deserve that break. Develop healthy habits for yourself, realise your self-worth, and stop perceiving work productivity as the only symbol of a successful life. Be an ambitious woman, but take a break every now and then to recharge.

"Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world" David McCullough Jr.

It is a falsified belief universally acknowledged that most women have self-esteem issues, which start from their adolescent years. Not most 21st-century women would concur to this, as Susan Nolen-Hoeksema indites in her article 'The Truth About Women and Self-Esteem.' However, for the people who face self-esteem issues, you need to start by accepting yourself for who you are and not how your peers, family, or partner want you to be.

Sounds easy, right? It isn't, however. You will need to give yourself some time to understand your behaviour and how it is toxic.

Stop being a doormat: cut off people who don't respect you or your time. You have to be proud of yourself for even the little things you do. Did you wake up in the morning and get out of bed, although you didn't want to? Then appreciate yourself. You don't have to fit any shape, size, or form. You're a human, not an object. Don't let anyone treat you any other way. Be proudly confident; you deserve the world; don't settle for any less.

Inspired by 'End Violence against Women' campaigns

*The views and opinions expressed are those from the personal author experience for informational purposes only and should not be a substitute for medical advice