Burnout

Although the term is often overused, it was not surprising when ‘burnout’ was finally acknowledged as a diagnosable condition. We see it in colleagues, friends, family, and ourselves. However, for the few who actually looked into how the diagnosis was framed, it was more than a little disappointing.

According to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

On one level, it makes perfect sense, but on the other, it falls short of our life experience.

“Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.” — WHO (www.who.int/news )

Surely we are what we do, and the dividing line between ‘workplace’ and ‘home’ is blurred at best.

How do you distinguish between what falls into the ‘occupational context’ and the rest of your life? Other than when sleeping, how much of your day is spent being responsible for the functioning of your home, being responsible for your family, your pets, your community? Even going on holiday can be a ‘job’, as any parent on vacation with their kids can attest.

The term “burnout” has certainly become hackneyed, but dismissing the experience of many and limiting it to the ‘workplace’ does not seem sensible either. Creating a treatment distinction between the spheres of your life does not really address the human condition.

Burnout is classified as a workplace phenomenon only, and not a medical condition. Nevertheless, ignoring the medical impact of burnout also feels a little disingenuous.

We cannot separate body and mind, and burnout has both a physical and a mental impact.

Some of the physical changes we often see include the “stress tummy” or rounding of your body, thickening of your neck, and a bump of extra fat on the ‘hump’ of your back.

In lab tests, burnout is associated with increased chronic inflammation, increased blood sugar, HbA1c, and glycoprotein (a sticky protein which, in excess, contributes to brain fog and neurodegeneration), elevated cortisol, elevated triglycerides, low HDL, changes in white blood cell numbers, altered liver enzymes (ALT, AST), and digestive issues.

These signs and symptoms are often just attributed to ‘metabolic syndrome’, followed by the ‘appropriate’ medication being dished out.

“Here, this pill will improve this marker, and this pill that marker…”

You are not a laboratory. Medication to force certain measurements into a ‘normal parameter’ does little other than create other imbalances.

The root causes are almost never addressed.

Sometimes patients are told to eat better and exercise more, but what does that even mean? The advice is either given with very little guidance or, on the other hand, with fanatic dogmatism that is not suitable for the lifestyle of the patient.

Burnout, whether you think of it only in terms of the workplace or apply it more broadly, is a serious issue that impacts productivity (in all areas of your life) and negatively affects all aspects of well-being.

It all starts with identifying that things are not going all that well, stepping back, gaining perspective, and setting priorities.

A good psychologist or life coach can be a valuable guide on this journey, but sometimes just a few low-tech, low-pressure days with a journal and the deliberate intention of setting course is a perfect starting point.

Sometimes you will need to remove yourself from the situation permanently. That can be an incredibly tough call, and you will need to be in the right frame of mind to make it.

At Hoogland, we have always been committed to supporting the valuable members of the human race in all of their diverse embodiments.

Our team consists of medical doctors, psychologists, biokineticists, nutritionists, life coaches, health consultants, personal trainers, a chiropractor, lab techs, massage therapists, and a whole host of support staff.

We value individuality highly and work with our guests to identify their concerns and work on solutions to suit their unique circumstances. This is important for day-to-day success back in the ‘real world’.

Our on-site laboratory is able to measure and track health markers to both identify a health ‘starting point’ and track biological progress.

We have seen measurable improvements in overall health after as little as 4 days and know that even shorter, regular ‘top-up’ visits can help to support high levels of productivity, both professionally and personally.