Did you know…..

• Women over 50 years are more likely to experience burn out at work.
• Working over 40 hours a week puts you at higher risk of burnout (research from Aragon Institute of Health Sciences).
• A survey by microbizmag found that 22% of respondents had experienced job related burnout.

So, you might ask, what is burn out and do I have it?
The World Health Organisation defines burnout as:
“the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
 
Stress is the precursor to burnout.  But when stress has been going on for some time, and you have been unable to deal with it, it is not your fault.  We all experience stress every day.  That is normal and even healthy under the right circumstances.  But the type of stress that leads to burnout has not been managed properly.  That might be because your problem has not been recognised, you haven’t received the right support or, you just don’t have the right tools and resources to help yourself cope.
I remember when burnout was not acknowledged, and people were embarrassed to admit that they were struggling to cope.  So, it’s great to know that larger organisations in the UK have programs to help the staff deal with the chronic stress that causes burnout.
But what if you are a small company owner or perhaps are a sole trader?  Then you might not have the tools or the time to help yourself.  The pressure of the bottom line might overshadow your wellbeing.
When we suffer from burnout, it shows itself in several ways.  Here are just some of them;

• Struggling to get things done.
• Putting things off or prevaricating.
• Being unable to make a clear decision.
• Feeling that your work is out of control.
• Feeling like your voice and your opinion is not being heard.
• A feeling of panic rising in your chest or a tightness in your throat.

We can go on coping and coping and coping.  And then one day, our bodies or our brains say enough is enough. And burnout hits you full on.
Many things can help you to avoid burnout.  But you need to adopt long term changes.  The sticking plaster approach will not work for long, but it can help achieve a short term quick fix.  Here are some suggestions.

• Turning off those incessant email alerts
• Achieve no more than 2 ‘MUST DO’s each day.  The ones that move your business forward
• Making sure you balance work and home life
• Not looking at the screen and social media before you go to bed
• Take regular breaks from the screen and get some fresh air

But to cope with long term stress, I have developed my powerful Six Steps to Avoid Stress model.

SSAS - Six Steps to Avoid Stress 

1. Reduce unnecessary stress.

You will experience areas of conflict, sometimes between home and work, sometimes between different priorities at work.Make different choices to avoid these obvious areas of conflict, stress and anxiety.In the short term, that might include reviewing priorities and deadlines.In the long term, this might include a change in career or leaving a destructive relationship.

1. Release negative stress.

Some stress is positive, but some stress cannot be dealt with by channelling into activity. It can become excessive.This is negative stress. You can reduce it by controlled venting, relaxation techniques or seeking emotional support from a friend or family member.

1. Channel stress into positive activity

When stress does begin to build, channel it.Complete the task that is causing stress.But if the stress is outside of your control, channel it into a achieving a different goal. Rise to the challenge you have set yourself.

1. Plan for the future.

Having a plan will help to cope with stress because you will feel more in control.Aim for the goals that you have set yourself.Be prepared to be flexible.

1. Increase your resources.

Stress can creep up on us unexpectedly. But we can see more stress coming before it arrives.Such as a deadline, Christmas, an increase in workload for a period of time.So stress tends to come in batches and periods.Keep an eye on your horizon and when you see stressful situations looming, take action to increase your ability to cope.Improve your diet, increase your nutritional supplements, get plenty of sleep, exercise, give yourself some YOU time, increase your emotional or professional support networks.Do not try to cope alone with your usual level of resources – increase them.

1. Address your emotional and mental wellbeing.

Think about what your stress trigger is.When does it happen, where does it happen?Is there a particular person or situation that triggers it?When you have identified your trigger and when it is likely to happen, think about what you can change to stop it from happening.
Your employees
Do you manage a team of people?  Managers of employees can make a massive impact on staff welfare and their ability to cope with stress.  Recognising the signs of stress in your team and reduce the likelihood of burnout.

• Keep an eye on the hours staff are working
• Set a good example with the hours you work.
• Promote healthy habits among staff
• Encourage regular exercise.
• Ensure employees don’t sit at their desks for too long.
• Make sure people can talk to their line manager.
• Set up routine informal chats with individual team members, as well as team meetings
• Promote mental health days.
• Ensure staff take their annual leave.

Introducing the ‘SSAS - Six Steps to Avoid Stress’ model at work or in your personal life will make a significant impact on your ability to cope with stress and prevent negative stress from turning into burnout.

I noticed in the papers recently a picture of Adele having lost a significant amount of weight.  First, let me say that the ideal weight is an individual thing and I do not criticise or judge anyone for the weight they choose to be.  However, I am sure that Adele is feeling better because of the health benefits she will be experiencing.  I congratulate Adele because it takes hard work, determination, and a commitment to self-care, to lose weight and I genuinely hope she can maintain her new weight.
And there is the crunch – for many of us who lose weight, keeping weight off is the biggest challenge.  That’s why dieting doesn’t work.  To clarify that statement, diets do not work in the long term.  Many of us experience weight loss which is followed by weight gain.  It might be 3 months later or 6 months later, but for many of us something happens to send us running back to our old eating habits.  Sounds familiar?  I too have been in that camp many times, until I understood what really needed to change in order to keep weight off.  I believe it takes four things and eating the right foods is only one of those.
It takes self-care and self-love.
It takes a long-term change in our approach to food.
It takes the ability to listen to what our bodies are telling us.
Poor eating habits can often mask other issues that we have.  We use food as a comfort blanket during difficult times, from serious stress down to the stress of boredom or tiredness. Dealing with the root problem of anxiety, boredom or whatever it is that makes you turn to food for support is THE long-term fix for maintaining healthy eating.
Understanding the role that food plays for us in our lives vitally important.  How we can use it to our advantage or disadvantage and what is really going on with our self-esteem.
Did you know that it can take 9 months to change a long-term habit?  Our poor eating habits are usually long-term habits.  So, changing them takes commitment.  This is one of the reasons why diets don’t work in the long term.  It is so easy to think that we can adopt new healthy eating habits over a couple of weeks.  The truth is, it takes a lot longer.
Our bodies are our best friends.  Say hello to your new best friend.  A best friend only wants the best for you, to help you and support you.  Our body wants the very best for us.  We are built to keep ourselves as healthy as possible.  Let’s face it, our bodies are amazing – they self-heal when we cut ourselves and they rebalance the sugar in our bodies to protect our organs.  Our bodies tell us when we are full and how much to eat.  Many of us have forgotten how to listen to our bodies and have become used to the supersizing of portions.  Bigger plates, bigger glasses, bigger portion size.  But our poor bodies can still only deal with so much.  Our bodies will seek out the nutrients in the food we eat and let us know when we have had enough.  But some of us have forgotten how to listen to that.
The Feel Better Naturally Nutritional Coaching teaches you;

1. Self-Care.
2. How to identify why they have a poor relationship with food.
3. How to build your resilience to cravings and to reduce them altogether.
4. How to listen to your body and give it what it needs.