Ah, burnout.

If you've experienced it, you know that it feels bad, and sometimes kind of scary, too… like you'll never find your way back to your baseline.

Burnout can strike even when you used to enjoy doing something — but suddenly you just feel like someone else altogether.

It can cause a loss of motivation, feelings of failure or self-doubt, feeling detached, and even persistent feelings of dread, worry, and anxiety.

Unfortunately, work-related burnout is getting worse. According to a recent SHRM survey, 44% of U.S. employees feel burned out at work, 45% feel “emotionally drained” from their work, and 51% feel “used up” at the end of the workday. Do you relate to any of these?

It’s easy to blame overwhelm for causing burnout, but that’s not the whole story — because burnout can strike even when you think you have it all together.

This week, we’re talking about the surprising root causes of burnout, and more importantly — what we can do to prevent or reverse it.

Let's get into it.

The Stress Response Cycle

The Stress Response Cycle is a physiological process that helps humans deal with threats in our environment. 

Back in the old days, when we would be chased by predators like a lion, our stress response cycle would activate as a way to protect us.

Our blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate would all increase, and certain systems would go offline — like digestion and reproduction. When we would survive the attack, we’d feel a sense of safety, and our body would bring all of our systems back online. 

The Stress Response Cycle is our body’s natural way of preparing us to face a threat in our environment. By activating our sympathetic nervous system, our bloodstream is flooded with epinephrine (aka adrenaline) and we are better able to fight or flee. 

In today’s world, we aren’t getting chased by lions… but we are experiencing other kinds of threats, such as work deadlines, a big speech, or even sitting in traffic.

You may not feel like you’ll die in any of these situations — but your body doesn’t know that, and begins to activate the Stress Response Cycle. 

And leaving the Cycle running without completing it is one of the root causes of burnout!

So let's talk about how to close the Cycle.

Closing the Stress Response Cycle

According to researchers, closing the Stress Response Cycle requires us to create experiences where we feel safe. 

An important thing to remember about our body’s response to stress is that just because the stressor in the environment is gone, doesn't mean that the stress we feel is gone. Stress can remain stored in our body long after a stressful event has ended.

You may have heard the phrase “the body keeps the score,” which relies on this same principle.

Have you ever completed a big project and then jumped into another task… but still felt kind of scattered, irritable, or unfocused?

This is likely because your body is still stuck in the Stress Response Cycle, and does not feel safe yet.

Learning how to complete the cycle will help you get unstuck.

4 Ways to Complete the Cycle: 

#1: Movement

One way to tell your body you are safe and complete the cycle is to: Move your body. 

Physical movement is the most efficient way to communicate to your body that you are not in a physically dangerous place anymore.

So today after a stress-inducing task, we invite you to try dancing, stretching, running, walking or your favorite way to move your body!

Even if it feels silly — movement is an extremely effective way to expel stress that’s still stuck in your body. Try it!

#2: Connection

Research has proven that physical comfort, either from yourself or a trusted person in your life, can serve as an effective method for closing the stress response cycle. Some experts recommend a 20-second hug which activates the release of oxytocin. Pets count too! 

If neither of these sound appealing or are available to you, there is also the option to connect with yourself through self massage. You can also put your hand on your heart for a bit of bio-feedback, and breathe in and out deeply for 30 seconds.

Both of these options have been shown to be effective at closing the Stress Response Cycle. 

#3: Creativity

Creativity has many benefits, but did you know that reducing burnout is one of them? According to researchers, doing something creative can help your body recover after a threatening and stressful event. 

For some, creativity can be intimidating, or feel just out of reach. Remember to focus on the experience rather than the outcome. The key is to do something that you enjoy! 

I recently signed up for a pottery class and at first I found it frustrating because nothing I was making was turning out the way I wanted. But once I let go of things looking a certain way and started focusing on how the clay felt in my hands, I felt lighter and more free! 

What is something creative you’ve been wanting to try lately? 

#4: Release

One of the most effective ways to release emotion is to cry.

Did you know that gazelles in Africa release tears after being chased by predators as a way for their body to release stress? 

Not everyone can cry on command, but perhaps there are things that can help you get there — such as journaling, watching an emotional video, or chatting with a friend.

You could try yelling into a pillow, too, if tears aren't really your thing. What’s most important is the act of release.

Another common way to experience emotional release is through laughing.

Have you ever been super stressed but were jolted out of it by something unexpectedly hilarious?

Next time you’re coming off of a stressful situation, try turning on your favorite TV show, or watching a funny video that always makes you laugh — I have one of my brother-in-law dancing with my cat that always gets me 😅

Final Thoughts

In this post, we uncovered a major culprit behind burnout — and many strategies for preventing it! 

It turns our that burnout is often caused by our body holding onto stress from emotionally threatening events. These threatening events in our modern day lives can be a stressful meeting with a client, responding to an intimidating email, or even having a fight with a friend. 

In these moments of stress, our body responds by releasing hormones that will help us engage better in stressful situations, but once the situation is over, our body needs a way to know it’s safe again so we don't remain in a heightened state.

That's where closing the Stress Response Cycle comes in!

This week, if you find yourself in a heightened state, give one of the strategies above a try. We'd love to hear how it goes.

See you around the sessions next week!

— Darya, focused space host