What is Burnout? 5 Ways Hypnotherapy Can Help

Do you feel exhausted even trying to perform the simplest tasks? Does everything that normally relaxes you end up further stressing you out? Are you trying to balance out several jobs all at once?

Today, people of all ages are struggling with something that has been heightened in intensity for the past several decades: burnout.

What is burnout?

The basic definition of burnout would be running out of your physical and mental fuel. Your body is telling you it’s exhausted. There is too much to do, but you find you have a tough time doing even the smallest tasks. 

It is also one of the most dangerous physical and mental states of being, for several reasons.

Causes and Signs of Burnout

In 2019, the World Health Organization officially declared burnout a legitimate occupational phenomenon. Consisting of a combination of symptoms, burnout is also known as ‘compassion fatigue’ and commonly affects those who work where there is an intensity of exposure to emotionally challenging situations. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (feeling detached), and a perceived lack of personal accomplishment are factors used to assess burnout and its severity. 

Long-term chronic exposure to the stressors and gradual depletion over time of a person’s resistance to it is the main difference between burnout and ‘normal’ work-related stress. Many studies show the effects of burnout and wide-ranging health consequences for those who suffer from it conclude it can affect physical health in terms of insomnia, musculoskeletal problems, and an increase in cardiovascular disease. In terms of mental health, a study in Finland on burnout shows 90% of people showed symptoms associated with depression, as burnout increases the possibility of developing anxiety and depressive disorders. 

A person can be susceptible to burnout if they feel their identity is closely linked to their job, especially if they aren’t receiving much satisfaction from it. Research suggests those who are highly empathetic, have high expectations in their role, and lack rationality at work may be more susceptible to burnout. 

Like a lot of other conditions, the experience of burnout often causes further issues, affecting one’s health and relationships with those close to them, presented as coping mechanisms such as alcohol or drugs.

The top signs of burnout include:

• Feeling exhausted all the time
• Taking a longer time to complete tasks
• Making frequent mistakes
• Feeling detached and useless
• Feeling unwell chronically
• Taking frustrations out on others

Burnout Prevention and Rejuvenation

Here are some things you can do to help prevent burnout and rejuvenate if you feel you are suffering from burnout. 

Self-Care

Those who often have a profession in which they care for others, or if they are a primary caregiver to those around them, they often aren’t the best at caring for themselves. Practicing self-care is as simple as having some alone time, going for a walk, nourishing your social life, and talking to someone such as a close friend or professional.

Managing Your Empathy

When it comes to work, what is recommended is feeling a sense of compassion rather than empathizing with those you are helping. When you put yourself in other’s situations and feel the emotions of those around you, you become drained very quickly. It is helpful to understand how to protect your energy.

Be Aware of Your Signs

Self-awareness is key as it’s beneficial to identify and confront any changes you may notice in yourself as soon as possible. Things such as increased irritability toward others or cynicism to things you were never cynical towards before, for example.

Stress Management

It is a good idea to integrate good stress managing techniques into your everyday life such as mindfulness (experience things in the present rather than focus on past or future). Make sure you maintain clear boundaries between work and home life—not being available outside work hours and not doing any work-related things at home. 

5 Ways Hypnotherapy Can Help

1. Tap into the Subconscious 

With hypnotherapy, we can access the subconscious state and help you relax and calm your mind. The burnout could be work-related if you try too hard to prove yourself or your environment is too high pressure for you, for example. By putting your brain into a relaxed state, your mind is free to wander which (with the help of positive suggestions from your hypnotherapist) can help to create solutions and enable you to find your way out of burnout.

2. Increase Self-Confidence and Rebuild Your Self-Esteem 

In order to get the full effect of hypnotherapy and the most out of your sessions, you must take full responsibility for your own well-being and put in the work towards stopping destructive patterns. Through building self-confidence and rebuilding your self-esteem simultaneously, this is possible. Low self-esteem comes from our subconscious and overly critical, irrational thoughts. With hypnotherapy, these thoughts can be quieted or removed and help you to believe in yourself to challenge your burnout.

3. Restore Your Normal Quality of Life

Hypnosis is a drug and chemical-free gentle way to restore balance and harmony. Hypnotherapy helps to restore your normal quality of life. But, in order for it to work, you must be willing and ready to put effort into the process of self-awareness and self-healing.

4. Shorten Path of Suffering

Hypnotherapy can help reduce the time of suffering from burnout and end any recurring behavioural and psychological patterns that encourage the exhaustion loop of performance. 

5. Give Yourself Lifetime Skills 

Hypnotherapy not only can help with short-term burnout but also it has long-term benefits. Examples include being relaxed, being able to set more effective personal and professional boundaries, and adopting useful behaviours as it relates to food, exercise, and sleep. It can help you define and set priorities in your life through self-analysis and help you re-evaluate your priorities to avoid future burnouts.

Burnout is growing as a very real problem that is detrimental to everyone’s health, but it doesn’t have to control your life. At Healing Soul Hypnosis, I make sure you are taken care of in all aspects of your life, starting with the subconscious mind. If you feel you might be suffering from burnout or have any questions or concerns about how hypnosis or hypnotherapy can help, don’t hesitate to contact me today. 

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