PREVENT BURNOUT

BURNOUT

"A state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion, caused by prolonged and excessive stress" 

Burnout is a very real and very scary thing to experience. I had it myself over 7 years ago now and in the space of 6 months in the toxic work environment I was in, I completely lost my mental health to the point I had severe anxiety which lead into depression. Overcoming burnout and learning how to nurture my mental health and wellbeing was one of the main reasons I retrained as a Tapping Practitioner, Meditation Teacher and started Happy Heads.

Anytime you feel stressed or anxious your amygdala (brains fear response) has been triggered and your nervous system goes into high alert (also known as the fight and flight response). Your body fills with cortisol which is the stress hormone, adrenalin races through your body, your digestive system slows down, heart races, muscles tense and your thinking brain goes off line - your body is primed to fight what it perceives as a threat.

In short doses being triggered in this way is fine as you quickly come back into rest and relaxation but when you are being triggered constantly (which is easily done in a stressful work environment) your body is flooded with too much cortisol, which has a damaging effect on your nervous system. This creates anxiety, which can then lead into severe anxiety and that can easily lead into depression. Ultimately your nervous system becomes completely frazzled and  your brain can't function properly.

Watch the video above to see how you can use tapping to process your burnout and bring some much needed calm to your over worked nervous system. No matter where you are in your burnout journey, I promise you, the way you feel right now WILL NOT be how you feel forever.

TIPS TO PREVENT BURNOUT 

DON’T look at your phone first thing in the morning, you’ll be flooding it with information that it doesn’t need. Instead connect with your breath – your superpower!

MEDITATE every morning to set your brain up for the day. Regularly tuning in and processing your emotions ensures that things don’t become overwhelming and deep breathing engages your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and relaxation).

SET a clear working day for yourself and be really strict with it. Don't look at your emails outside of working hours!

TAKE BREAKS throughout the day to be fully present in the moment with your breath and body. This helps to reduce anxiety and strengthen your neurological pathways.

RELAX your mind before you go to bed. Don’t look at a screen at least an hour before bed and do something relaxing instead (meditating, journaling, hot bath, listen to music, calming smells…) the brain needs to unwind after a busy day.

WRITE your 'to do' list the night before and never write more than 3 things you absolutely have to get done - everything else will then be a bonus!

REDUCE your intake of the news and social media. The news is inherently negative and social media makes you compare your life to others.

TAPPING is a powerful tool for overcoming negative thoughts. Use Emotional Freedom Technique every day to make sure you are regularly reframing your negative thoughts.

AFFIRMATIONS are a great way to overcome your limiting beliefs. So if you keep thinking 'I'm not good enough' repeat 'I AM good enough' or if you keep thinking 'I'm not clever' reframe to 'I AM clever'.

Sleep is the foundation of your mental health but it's often easily disrupted when you're experiencing burnout. Listen to this meditation before you go to bed to help calm your busy mind and improve those much needed ZZZZ's.

““I contacted Kim while in chronic burnout desperate for tools to support myself mentally. From the initial chat she listened, put me at ease and reassured she could help. The programme was hugely insightful and expertly led by Kim, by the end she had delivered on all aspects from our first conversation and much more. I can not thank her enough for giving me new found confidence, resilience and excitement for what the future holds!””

— Kristina

HAPPY HEADS BURNOUT PROGRAMME

f you would like more support The Happy Heads Burnout Programme has been specifically designed to help you:

• Overcome burnout, bringing calm and peace to your frazzled mind

• Improve your mental and physical wellbeing

• Release negative energy from your nervous system thats built up in the workplace

• Rebuild your confidence and self belief

• Bring your nervous system back into balance (after being under constant stress)

• Reduce anxiety and stress held in both body and mind

• Bring you back to yourself once again!

• Improve your sleep & Focus

• Empower you will a whole toolbox of calm that you can use at home or in the workplace

I always send out some pre questions first and then from that I tailor the programme to your exact needs. 

Each private session includes breathing techniques, guided meditation, and a full round of Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping). EFT is a powerful tool at helping you release negative tension held in both your body and mind and help you overcome any anxious, negative thoughts that you might be having.

I always offer a FREE 20 minute phone consultation so please get in touch kim@happyheads.me I would love to hear from you xx

RELEASING STRESS

THE POWER OF YOUR BODY

"You need to listen to your body because your body is listening to you" 
Phil McGraw

Your body is an incredible source of wisdom and can tell you a lot but you need to listen to it. It’s often your body that will know before you do if you’re stressed and burning out. It could be an achey back, twitching eyes, bad skin, irritable gut, bloating, chest pains - these are all physical symptoms of stress.

You have a nerve called the vagus nerve that connects directly from your brain stem through your chest, down to your abdomen and carries sensory information from the internal organs back to the brain - your body and mind are completely interconnected.

Anytime you feel stressed your amygdala has been triggered and your body begins to go into the fight and flight response. In short periods this is ok but if you're constantly stressed this can cause havoc on your nervous system and body.

We often go straight to the physical problem to fix stress but it begins in the mind - calm your mind and your physical wellbeing will improve.

*if you're worried that something isn't stress related always check with your doctor.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

When you feel stressed or anxious your body is quick to respond so it’s important to know what physical sensations you experience and how stress manifests for you. When you start to listen carefully to your body you understand that it's telling you (often before you realise) that you're stressed and need slow down. Here are a few ways in which stress can physically manifest:

• Sweating - palms, face, back (any area of the body)

• Nausea - feeling sick or actually being sick

• Headaches - varying areas and pain intensity, migraines

• Breathing & Chest - breath begins to shorten, which raises your heart beat, tension or tightness in chest

• Gut - tense feeling in stomach or just above, going to the loo more or less than usual, IBS, bloating, butterflies, digestive problems

• Numbness - in areas of the body that usually have more sensation 

• Appetite - hunger or loss of appetite

• Twitchy eye - excessive blinking or sporadic twitch

• Muscle aches - achy limbs, tension in back & shoulders, tight throat

• Skin - bad skin (spots), breakout, irritation or blushing

• Monthly Cycle - for women your periods can stop

HAPPY HEADS EXERCISE

Take a minute now to tune into your body and list out what reactions you have when you feel stressed or anxious...

MEDITATION - BODY SCAN

Below a guided body scan meditation. This is a really effective way to check-in daily with how your body is feeling and process any stress that you might be experiencing. Try not to judge or change whatever comes up, simply notice with a gentle curiosity.