Recovering From (Almost) Burn Out
I am so tired.
I know you know the kind of tired I’m talking about. Bone-deep, restless, irritable-over-nothing tired.
These last couple months have been huge for me: moving house (twice!), setting up the new business space, and finishing off a post grad degree. Because I’ve been working and studying seven days a week during the crunch time, I didn’t do a big Christmas this year, with no presents or usual rituals - and it certainly didn’t help that the Christmas tree was accidentally thrown out in the move! This has not been a season full of sparkle, connection, or rest for me, rather a long season of lot of hard work. So, now that everything is finished and the new year is suddenly here, I am able to connect fully back in with my body and feel how I am feeling because I’m not just in go mode.
Luckily for me, I have dealt with myself in this space quite a number of times before, and now I know the signs I need to watch for in my body, and exactly how to recover from this feeling of almost burn out.
For me, I’m looking for signs of being irritable, having less patience, feeling physically tired, and my muscles aching. It’s harder to concentrate, and I crave foods that are really high in short chain sugars to give my body an instant energy hit; for me, that’s chips, chocolate, crackers and dip, and high-carb take away food.
If I know that this period is a finite time and there will be an ending, I will sometimes give my body what it craves, within reason. If this was a long-term lifestyle choice that was causing my body to react like this, then that would call for a different approach. If that was the case, I would need a complete life audit and adjusting some of the big factors, like work or family supports, so that it would be sustainable long-term. However, when it’s something short-term - like moving house - I offer up compassion and permission in those moments! Now that this time has passed, however, it is time to recover from the stress of being in that sympathetic nervous system, adrenaline-filled space. My body needs lots of nourishment, rest and signals of safety.
Nourishment
We have millions of neurons in our gut that communicate with our brain, which means that it’s really important to look after our gut health when we want to feel mentally well. After a period of eating food that’s high in sugars, I try to take extra care of my gut health and give it a reset, because I know this will help me feel less foggy and less irritable. I do this by stocking up on broth and soups, eating lots of homemade salads, roasts and grilled veggies, and clearing anything that is highly processed or high in sugar out of my diet. I also add in fermented foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut, my favourite probiotic dips, as well as other supporting foods like turmeric, and my SuperFeast Ashwagandha and Jing adrenal tonic (all of the wonderful Woven community can receive a 10% discount on your SuperFeast herbs by clicking here and entering the code WOVENVIP).
Rest and Signals of Safety
I look for opportunities where I can reschedule, delegate or let go of things that are nonessential. This can feel really hard when you’ve been used to taking on everything, being in control and getting a lot done, but it’s really important to give your body that rest. When we rest, we do far more than just recover from feeling tired. Cellular repair takes place and we are also able to send our body consistent signals that there’s safety around us, which helps us know that we are allowed to move into a space of long-term recovery. The amygdala is the part of the brain that is primed to scan our surroundings for danger. It has been found that people with certain mental health conditions are more likely to have a large amygdala. This is due to the way the body has prioritised this part of their brain over time, constantly scanning for threats (real or perceived) in their environment to react to. This constant scanning activated other stress responses in the body, and inhibits other important internal processes, like deep rest and social connection. To move out of this threat response pattern, you need to know what makes you feel calm and safe.
The following activity can help you know what the signals of safety are for you.
What activities help me relax?
What activities do I find fun?
What activities do I love to do, but I feel a bit silly?
If I could have a day to myself that was the most perfect day, what would it include?
Whatever comes from using these prompts, try to incorporate them in any way that you can. It might be having baths, doing finger-painting, having a cup of tea, seeing a friend, going to yoga classes, enjoying silence or having music in the house. All of these will help your body know that the time of stress has passed and that it can start to recover and move back into the rest and digest, parasympathetic nervous system state.
If you’d like help to create your own rest and recovery plan for your body and mind, book in a time to chat with me.
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All blog posts contain general information and are not to be taken as medical or health advice. Everyone is unique in their needs, so please consult your health team before making any diet, mental health, or medical changes.
