Ever felt that you are stuck in a rut, burnt-out or feeling depressed? Everything you try to do is an effort, you become fearful, or you start losing your self-confidence then your self-esteem goes. You find that it is a battle to get out of bed in the morning. You become very negative, and everyone with whom you come into contact irritates you. I am sure you have been there, at some stage of your lives. These feelings may be caused by excessive stress due to work overload, deadlines, and not enough “me-time”.
If not checked it could lead to burn-out and depression and this could cause physical problems such as heart problems, chronic headaches, back and neck problems, diabetes and more.
This may make you feel like a failure and if it persists you will start believing it to be so.
What is the meaning of being stuck in a rut? This is when you do the same thing every day and your life becomes repetitive. Ask yourself “when last did I go to the movies or out to dinner with the family and friends”. If the answer is I can’t remember, then you are stuck in a rut. Life is there to be enjoyed lived to the full and not just to existing.
What is stopping you? Could it be?
• You don’t have the time
• You do not have a baby sitter
• You are too tired
May be you have other reasons, note them down and try to change them. What causes burnout?
Today we live in a world that is technologically orientated as we are human beings, can’t keep up the pace and therefore we lose the perspective of who we are. This puts you under a lot of pressure to keep up. You tend to forget that you need a balance in your life.
Below is an example of an average person’s life today.
Sleeping ( in bed not necessary sleeping) 07
Time spent working (including commuting) 12
Life maintenance (eating, dressing, cooking) 04
Time for yourself (time with family, Gym) 01
Total hours 24
Total hours left 00
With a schedule like this, weekends become a game of catch-up for all the necessities of life, like doing the shopping, washing and ironing, buying groceries, home maintenance, and then don’t forget the work you brought home, to do over the weekend. Now what about the leisure time? For the hobbies or the sport you enjoy.
This is what causes burn-out.
If this sort of pace carries on for a long period of time, it will start affecting your health. The classic symptoms may include the following:
Depleted Physical Energy: Causes you to feel constantly tired.
Emotional Exhaustion: You feel very impatient, moody, or you get frustrated with
yourself and others.
Immune System: This may result in, increased minor illnesses, such as colds and
flu, or, can be the cause of more serious illnesses, like heart
problems. This can lead to depression.
Withdrawal from Relationships: Having a lack of interest in communicating with
family or friends.
Negative Outlook of the future: It is difficult to get excited about life.
Burn-out will affect your work performance and your family life. So it is a good idea to look at how you can change something in your life. Maybe join a gym or go for Yoga or Reflexology. Just a small chage can make a huge difference.
Pat is a Thereapeutic Reflexologist and in Private Practice for the past 14 years. She specializes in Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks as well as all other related Dis-eases in the body. Pat has just completd writing a book on Eight Steps to New You. http://www.newvoices.co.za/bookstore/books_8stepshtm. She also has an online coaching business. http://www.patthehealthcoach.com