Are you driving empty? Prevent burnout with these tips

Have you ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? Between family commitments, career, household chores, and everything in between, there is some truth behind the saying, “A woman’s work is never done.”

Biochemist Libby Weaver coined the term rushed woman syndrome to describe the physical effects that occur in our bodies when we are always on the move.

“What happens for many women is a frantic double shift, day and night, with little or no rest,” she explains. “When women do paid work, household chores and childcare, that’s actually the equivalent of three jobs.”

What is rushed woman syndrome?

Most of us know the great adrenaline rush that comes when we suddenly feel alarmed or stressed. When this happens, we enter a state called fight, flight, or freeze mode, which is controlled by the body’s sympathetic nervous system.

This effect is meant to be a temporary response that helps us act quickly when we are threatened. But Dr Libby says many of us now spend too much time in this mode, due to the constant stress that comes with modern life.

“The stress response is activated all the time,” she says. “Our adrenaline is often driven by psychological stress and so, for many people, it never stops.”

The science of stress hormones

Although adrenaline can be beneficial in small doses, Dr. Libby says too much can affect everything from our sleep to our blood pressure to our sex hormones.

If we remain stressed for a long period of time, our body will eventually begin to release large amounts of cortisol. She explains: “Cortisol is our long-term stress hormone. »

Like adrenaline, cortisol only becomes a problem if our body releases too much of it. Some of the main symptoms of excess cortisol include high blood pressure, mood swings, muscle weakness, and weight gain.

Don’t burn out

When stress goes untreated for too long, Dr. Libby says we can reach a point of extreme fatigue called burnout. “It’s the body telling us that we need to really care about how we eat, drink, move, think, breathe, believe, or perceive,” she says.

If you’re reaching the point of burnout, Dr. Libby emphasizes that it’s important to show care and kindness. Make sure you eat plenty of nutritious foods, avoid too much alcohol, and do gentle exercises like walking.

She also recommends getting a blood test to check for thyroid dysfunction and nutritional deficiencies.

“If a person is iron deficient, it is very difficult to recover from burnout because iron helps transport oxygen throughout the body,” she explains.

Practice self-compassion

If you feel like you’re having trouble keeping all of your commitments, it’s important to go easy on yourself. For many of us, we also need to stop worrying about what other people think.

“A lot of our stress arises when we perceive the disapproval of others,” she explains. “It could be what our parents think of us or our inner circle of friends, or our boss or certain colleagues.”

By developing a better understanding of ourselves, Dr. Libby says we are in a better position to recover. “We often need to understand why we sacrificed our health in the first place,” she says.

Stretch to sleep better

If you struggle to get enough sleep each night, it may be time to introduce stretching into your daily routine.

Studies have proven that stretching can improve both the quality and duration of our sleep. Experts report that one of the reasons we stretch is because it interacts with the body’s nervous system.

Often we don’t realize we are holding tension in the body until someone says, “Relax your shoulders.” » Then all of a sudden, you take a deep breath and feel your shoulders slump. For a brief moment, you forget everything you were thinking about before.

Another benefit of stretching is that it releases tension in muscles and joints. This removes physical stress from the body and allows it to rest better at night.

If you need some tips on the best ways to stretch, try a yoga class or a free YouTube video.

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