How Burnout May Be Affecting Your Mental Health
How Burnout May Be Affecting Your Mental Health
Our culture seems to reward overworking. While work is important for self-esteem, confidence, financial stability, and more, there is a tendency in the United States to overdo it. This, in turn, can lead to burn out.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is your body and mind’s way of telling you to slow down. It’s the feeling of “hitting a wall.” Those that suffer from burnout often feel like they can no longer focus, they are stressed out, and they simply can’t seem to function like they did before.
From a study published in the National Library of Medicine:
“…distress symptoms such as fatigue, physical and mental, and feelings of depression, [are] regarded as the most characteristic symptoms of burnout.”
How Does Burnout Affect Mental Health?
As burnout puts a great strain on the mind and causes a lot of emotional turmoil, it directly affects the mental health of the patient. Feeling constantly anxious, depressed, and tired takes a massive toll on the sufferer. In order to numb this feeling and “push through,” many turn to alcohol and addictive substances. While these substances may numb the feeling, they don’t do anything to get to the root cause of the anxiety and depression.
What’s worse is the dependence many people develop on the substances they are using to push through burnout. A beer after work to wind down can become multiple. A stimulant to push through a workload may become a regular occurrence. Before the person suffering from burnout notices they are suffering from another ailment—addiction.
Avoiding Burnout
Instead of suffering through burnout or using substances to “push through” your discomfort, consider these suggestions for avoiding burnout:
Rest
A lot of burnout is caused by a lack of taking time to rest. Ironically, it’s much harder to get things done while sleepy and emotionally drained. Don’t listen to the “sleep when you’re dead” crowd. You need to sleep and relax so you can function.
Take Care of Your Health
Exercise can actually help with the circulation of dopamine in your body and increase the number of available dopamine receptors. Exercising helps to improve your mood, while also lowering your levels of stress.
Along with exercise should come a healthy diet. When fueled with the right food you will be in a better mood, have better energy levels, and live longer.
Get Help
If you are feeling mental strain and are overwhelmed, seek help. If you find you are using substances to feel relief from the pressure you are experiencing, reach out to Front Door Health. We can help.
Reach Out Today!
Front Door Health provides in-home substance abuse treatment and mental health support. We’ll help you to find work/life balance, while also providing you with the support you need to overcome reliance on substances.
We look forward to speaking with you!
info@frontdoorhealthcenter.com
