The Real Cause of Women's Stress & Burnout (The Fish in the Sea)
Dr Anne Whitehouse FRSA
The Patriarchy Detox Expert?? Author, Scientist & Alchemist ??Sacred Feminine Power Initiator??Guiding mission-led women to overcome visibility fears, heal their witch-wound & lead in a post-patriarchal world
A Life Without Constant Stress? IMPOSSIBLE!
For many high-achieving, mission-driven women, exhaustion can become so normal that we forget what energy feels like.?
How much money have you spent on trying to find that elusive relaxation?? Massages, Reiki, Reflexology, spa days? ? All very nice and nurturing, and I expect you feel better afterwards, but then you go straight back into the old slog, and the stress returns and the exhaustion with it.
While this may seem normal, if you keep doing this for years, it inevitably takes its toll, and if you aren’t careful, burnout beckons.
Indeed, this was precisely how I used to be.? I started off so motivated and passionate about my scientific career, and proving myself in the world of men.? But in six short years, I found myself a burnt-out invalid with chronic fatigue syndrome, and no career at all!
Here’s the thing.? This endless cycle of stress needs to be stopped, pure and simple, if we are to have the fulfilment, wellbeing, joy and indeed the life we desire.? This means getting to the root of WHY we end up stressed and exhausted.
Perhaps you’ve been told the solution lies in ‘learn to love yourself’? or ‘change your mindset.’? But even these important things don’t solve the problem.
What's it really like for women in our world?
Let’s think about it like this...
Imagine that the world beyond the domestic realm is the sea, and men are the salt-water fish.? This environment is perfect for them.? They thrive there.
Women on the other hand are the freshwater fish, and for centuries they were confined to the rivers of the home.
Then in the 20th century, things change, and the freshwater fish are finally allowed out into the sea.? So off we go, determined to take their well-deserved place in that ‘promised land’.
But there’s one big problem.
We didn’t evolve for saltwater!
As soon as they arrive, they start to choke.??
We are left with one choice.? Either die, or change who we are to survive.
So we shut down parts of themselves that don’t fit in.? We start emulating the saltwater fish, and try to change our nature.??
We have no choice if we want to stay there.
And of course, all this while doing everything that the saltwater fish are doing!
The saltwater fish should have said, ‘Now that our freshwater cousins are here, we need to adjust the salt content to make it more compatible for them.”
Did they do this???
Heck no!
Instead, the saltwater fish look at the freshwater fish struggling to breathe, and think “She looks like a fish.? I’m a fish, and I’m fine.? So she should be fine too.? What’s the problem?”
This is the root of what drags women down into exhaustion, burnout, and stress.?
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The Male Way Is The Only Way
The world we have inherited is based on male power as default, male benchmarks and a Yang way of doing things. Female power was suppressed, and every subtle message, every conditioning we have received from childhood has taught us this fact.
Out of alignment with our truest source of power, how can we thrive?? Forbidden from expressing ALL of ourselves, how can we relax and shine?
Here is the root of women’s burnout, chronic stress, anxiety and much much more.??
We have been forced to squeeze ourselves into a world that was not made for us.
But now we have a fantastic opportunity - to create a way of being - by actually creating a new power foundation.??
Not based on ‘one size fits all’ which assumes that women having equality means we should be the same as men!??
But one in which our unique, exquisite female power is finally allowed to reawaken and blossom - and partner with true enlightened masculine power.
And not just in the all-female entrepreneur communities, not just in the female-dominated healer space, but also out in the bastions of the old world and conventional careers.? Let’s face it, that is where female power is needed most to create the balance that's been so sadly lacking!
Now the key to creating this new world isn’t to force the external to change.? Indeed, if this were the case, we’d have 50% women in the halls of power by now, and we clearly do not!
Women Need A Power Foundation
The place to establish this new power foundation is within ourselves.?
This is much more than a mindset shift.?Coaching won't achieve this. This is a deep re-powering, which takes us down into our core programming, our heritage and our own past. A process that stops the power drains and makes it safe to activate your divine feminine power.
And when you take this leap, everything changes.? The deep inner conflict releases, and you find yourself more wholly supported and resourced than you’ve ever experienced before.?
People often tell me they simply can’t believe I’m the same woman as the one who pushed herself into spectacular burnout, couldn’t speak up when it mattered, and had a whole year when she was too weak even to stand up.??
I don’t even want to imagine the amount of money I spent (and effectively wasted) on trying to de-stress and get my well-being back!? Even after I’d spent years on my mindset, my healing and my limiting beliefs, it still only helped to a certain extent.??
What shifted everything for me, and many of my clients since, is the restoration of our suppressed power - something women have been needing for centuries.?
What’s even better, when you are finally supported by your FULL female power, your self-assuredness, self-esteem and safety to be yourself all fall into place! That's when stress subsides, and becomes true fulfilment and joy.
So, let me ask you this question.? If the burden of squeezing yourself into a mould that doesn’t fit were lifted, and ALL of your power were free to be expressed… who would you be then?? What could you achieve??
How much more wonderful would life be?
Here's how I can help you:
1) Get started with my free guide?"5 Easy Steps to More Confidence"
2) Re-power your life with?1-2-1 Power Alchemy.
3) Enquire about a?talk or workshop for your organisation.
Writer Runs Writing Retreats Ambassador @ Zero Suicide Alliance | NLP Practitioner
1 年Thank you for continuing to shine a light Dr Anne Whitehouse FRSA on how women face so much of an uphill/upstream task in trying to fit into workplaces made for men. Time to reclaim our power. ??
?? Workplace emotional culture specialist improving employee engagement, team & stakeholder connection & impact I Former British Army Officer (Psychological Operations) - so sense of humour guaranteed I Speaker I Ironman
1 年Swimming upstream or downstream? Learning to swim is difficult enough but against the flow is even harder!
EVP/Co-Founder at Right Advisory LLC | Partner/Co-Founder at L3 Fusion LLC | Author, Transformation Leader and Speaker - Helping Individuals & Organizations Move to a Healthier Way of Living, Leading & Learning
1 年Love this! So many women suffer from stress and burnout and can benefit from your tools and workshops.
Author, Speaker, Book Mentor & Publisher. Founder Book Magic AI, Rethink Press & Business Book Awards. Host of ABOO - A Book of One's Own. I write and inspire others to write books.
1 年This is a perfect analogy - for women swimming into what has been a male-created world. And your Power Alchemy is an extraordinary method to change this.