You are NOT suffering from Burnout

DIRK JAN VERSLUIS

Why a burnout is usually not a burnout

You must have noticed that almost everyone at some point has experienced 'burnout', and that a huge industry has formed around the burnout phenomenon.

Just like in the diet industry, everyone has a unique vision, a unique offer and preferably personal experience with what works and what doesn't work.

And if you want to rank in Google as a coach or therapist, you can't avoid to mention burnout somewhere!

There is also something about the word itself: people don't talk easily about depression or addiction, but burnout is quite easily mentioned. On the one hand it expresses the total loss of energy and the crisis you experience in that, on the other hand it does not evoke the feelings of abnormality and shame one frequently experiences with many psychological diagnoses.

So people use the B-word easily, even when it’s not actually a burnout but a long-lasting marital crisis or clinical depression.

Add to this the fact that burnout typically contains a wide range of symptoms and that there is still some debate going on in scientific circles about the origins and approaches to burnout, and it is easily understandable that many people struggle to find a suitable, thorough solution that actually delivers long-time results.

This will happen if you don't understand your burnout

Many people mess around a bit. They do take a few months of rest but do not really recover, they hardly find out what exactly was going on and they keep walking around with scars and residual symptoms for months or even years.

More importantly, the burnout was mainly an interruption or discontinuity in their lives, but it did not bring about real change. Except maybe the awareness of vulnerability, or the fear of encountering another episode. The factors that caused it or kept it alive - personally and in work or organization - remain virtually unseen.

This is all a waste of time, energy and also money (ask Google for a minute what a 5-month burnout for employees costs, and entrepreneurs can do the math for themselves).

And honestly? We often see people doing the whole thing over and over again a few years later.

How to come back better from burnout!

Of course, this doesn't have to be the case! With a solid approach, a burnout has the potential to be a merciful intervention that changes your life and makes you a better person.

If that’s what you want too, the following is important:

Stop thinking about burnout in quantitative terms (too much stress, too little relaxation): nine times out of ten it is not about working too hard, but about unresolved personal shit that remained under the surface. The burnout forces it to the surface (and of course that doesn’t go without struggles and symptoms).

Stop either/or thinking: let go of the whole discussion whether it be psychological, physical or work related. Be open to the possibility that it is both/and: every serious health problem has a physical and mental component, serious work challenges are also personal and colleagues can feel like your most annoying stepsister or ex-boyfriend.

Stop thinking in terms of 'getting rid of it'. That burnout restores balance in your life and in your ecosystem by forcing you to face what you haven't seen or didn't want to see for years. Maybe you have to do something completely different, you lost yourself or there is room for a huge step in your consciousness and personal development.

Crisis always gives friction, and friction gives warmth, growth and expansion!

We can help!

Do you understand that a serious transformation is needed in your life, and are you not afraid to face yourself?

Come talk to us!