Everyone knows these days where we just had enough. We feel overworked, exhausted and helpless where we are. Having a bad day is completely normal, sometimes life can feel overwhelming with its many challenges and we feel as if everything is too much. Sometimes we just feel as if the whole weight of the world is resting on our shoulders.
In the last years however, the term “burnout” has become increasingly popular. A burnout results from long-term chronic stress which leads to complete physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. In our fast-paced society, burnout is becoming more and more common. We put too many things on our plate and often we are juggling career, relationships and family all at the same time. Paradoxically, our value seems to be measured by how busy we are and not on our happiness in life. Luckily, there is a cure to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of burnout and its accessible for everyone: yoga!
What is burnout?
The term burnout has no singular and fixed definition, but is rather used to describe a physical, mental and emotional state of a person that feels ‘burned out‘, meaning that is on the edge of complete exhaustion. In our day and age, that is no individual case. Burnout is often described as the “occupational hazard of the twenty-first century“. In our digital age and overstimulated world, we get influences, pressure and comparison from everywhere. The result is that we never feel we are doing enough. We can feel an immense pressure (no matter if from the outside or self-imposed) in our jobs, family situation and personal lives. We are constantly pushing ourselves to the edge and above, when all we have to do is slow down. But this can become increasingly hard in a demanding society.
When the stress continues for longer periods of time, it can lead to a burnout. We begin to lose interest and motivation in the things we are doing. Moreover, burnout actually makes us less productive and sucks our energy. Patients often feel helpless, resentful and as if they have nothing more to give. Most of the time, burnout starts in one area of live, but can easily spill over into other areas as well.
Burnout also leaves its effects on our bodies. With a burnout, you’re more likely to catch a cold or flu, feel tired and drained all the time, are more prone to catch headaches and migraines and experience changed sleep habits or insomnia.
It seems as if the treatment of burnout seems to be to slow down and regain that joy and enthusiasm for life again. To take a step back from whatever caused the burnout and reevaluate where we have gone. And this is exactly where yoga comes in. A mindful yoga and meditation practice can have many benefits and positive effects and can help you to heal from a burnout and restore body, mind and spirit to its optimal health.
The art of slowing down
Burnout cannot be seen as the same as chronic stress. However, in both burnout and chronic stress, our bodies are in a constant ‘fight-flight‘ state. When we are stressed, our autonomous nervous system shifts from its restful state (parasympathetic) into an active state (sympathetic). In this state a cocktail of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are emitted, boosting our energy in the short-term. However, in the long term, these stress hormones are not very beneficial for our bodies. Chronic stress and burnout puts us under constant tension, makes it difficult to think clearly and solve problems. This is because our bodies are always operating out of ‘fight-flight’ mode, ensuring our short-term survival. But because we are not able to get out of our stress state and back into the parasympathetic nervous system, we can never fully relax.
Yin yoga can be an extremely beneficial tool here, as it has the ability to shift us back into our parasympathetic nervous system. Belly breathing and getting deep into the connective tissue enables the shift back to our relaxed and restful state. It is here where our body can start healing, slow down and process all that is happening in our lives.
Mindful stress-management
Yoga cannot only help us to experience less chronic stress by balancing our hormones and bringing us back into our restful state, it can also be beneficial in coping with stress and changing our perspectives around stress.
For most of us, it will be very hard, if not impossible, to quit our jobs and run away from our responsibilities. And we don’t have to. A regular yoga and mindfulness practice helps to actively tackle stress triggers and manage to get an overview of our workload so we don’t feel overwhelmed and can work more productively. Yoga and mindfulness meditation exercises help us to anchor into the present moment and realize that this is all there is. It helps to put the focus away from everything we have to accomplish in the future and shows us that here, now, right in this moment everything is fine. Together with breathing exercises focused on clarity yoga helps us to get back into our power where we take responsibility for our lives.
Stress in itself is not the problem, it’s how we perceive stress. A study found out that it is actually not the chemical processes of stress that are bad for our health but how we react to stress. Therefore, if it would be possible to change our mindset around stress by viewing it as something positive in your life, you could shift its negative effects as well. Instead of stressing out about how stressed you are, try to feel grateful that you have a job, a family and a social life that keeps you busy. Mindfulness meditation can be an essential tool to become aware of our thoughts around stress and can help to actively change them.
You are enough
Most of all, yoga gives us a sense of wholeness and a feeling of being enough, just as we are. A lot from our daily stress these days comes from the comparison of a digital age. Via social media, we are constantly exposed to people who are more successful, healthier, happier and financially wealthier than us. In turn, we strive to become always a more productive, more successful version of ourselves. At the same time, we forget that we are already enough and that we are all different (and that social media never depicts the whole truth anyways).
It’s time to listen more to our inner voice again and develop our intuition to prevent us from overworking and burnout. Everyone also has a different stress resistance. What might be normal for one person can feel extremely pressuring to another one. Therefore: leave the comparison at the front door and acknowledge yourself exactly as you are. Your yoga practice can show you that you already have everything you need within you and do not have to seek external validation.
Our health is our most precious asset we are gifted with in this life. Don’t “burnout” on the expense of your mental, physical and emotional health. If you feel imbalanced or overwhelmed, roll out your mat, if only for ten minutes. Sit down, breathe and come back to yourself. Of course, having a bad day and feeling stressed does not mean you are on the road to burnout. But be mindful and gentle with yourself and give your body what it needs to recover. Yoga, as a holistic approach to healing can help restore our health and bring balance back into our daily routine.
Do you feel like you want to connect to your inner zen again? If you are often overwhelmed and stressed at work or in your personal life and it is hard for you to step away from your daily problems, come and join us in one of our specialized yoga for burnout classes at The Conscious Club. Here we assist and support you so you com back into your most happy and fulfilled self. Classes take place once a month on a Sunday.
Get your ticket here: https://theconsciousclub.com/book-now
Written by Clara Malzer