How to Overcome Burnout

Burnout sneaks up on you and slowly begins to sap your motivation, excitement, and the ability to do your best at what you do. At first, you may fight the burnout sensations and try to ignite your passions again only to find yourself finally giving up and giving in.

Understanding the Causes of Burnout
The psychological reaction to chronic stress is burnout. Burnout is usually found as a response to exhaustion, having a cynical attitude or having negative thoughts about you. Burnout begins when one or more of these six stresses invade your life.

1. Control - The feeling of a lack of control in your life and in your job.

2. Demands - Not having the resources in your life to deal with imposing demands.

3. Support - Not having the backing and trust of those people who could help you.

4. Rewards - Still searching for the return on the effort that you put forth.

5. Ethics - Either your job, your relationships or your family conflict with your values.

6. Fairness - Your life seems unjust and biased against you.

How Burnout Can Get Out of Control
When burnout gets out of control, you will begin to have many feelings such as frustration, anger, exhaustion cynicism, isolation, helplessness, inadequacy, and hopelessness. A deeper feeling of burnout can lead one to clinical depression, substance abuse, losing your job, and marital problems. The added stress of burnout can affect your physical health as well. Burnout can cause raised blood pressure that could put you at risk of heart disease and diabetes. The stress could lower your immune system making you more susceptible to other diseases.

How to Get Control of Burnout
Like many conditions, the first step to beating burnout is admitting you have a problem. Your life is unbalanced and needs stabilization to regain its balance. Get regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and a health diet. Find a social group that will support you, take up a hobby, and remember to have fun. Find ways to feed your soul and get back that enthusiasm that is key to beating burnout. Practice forgiving, trusting and being grateful for the life you have.

Stopping the Burnout Cycle with Supplements
The stress of burnout causes the body to produce an overabundance of hormones such as the adrenaline produced by the adrenal glands. This constant flooding of hormones will take a toll on the body and the burnout cycle will continue. Adaptogens can be found in some herbs that provide for the help to combat stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. You will find these adatogens in herbs such as rhodiola, schisandra, and ashwagandha.

The antioxidant vitamins of A, C, and E along with selenium and zinc are often drained from the body when it is stressed. Consider a multivitamin and mineral supplement to restore these back to your system.