What is Burnout?

Symptoms of burnout can vary from person to person. Here is a list of common symptoms of burnout.

• Fatigue
• Feeling apathetic or having a hard time accessing any emotions
• Feeling numb
• Headaches
• Changes to diet or sleep patterns

When working with burnout, our Edmonton-based counsellors like to take a holistic approach, understanding the biological, psychological, and social factors that have contributed to a person’s burnout. By evaluating all these areas with their clients, the therapist can help identify a comprehensive plan to deal with burnout in the now and work on proactively changing the factors that might increase the risk for burnout in the future.

Here are some examples of biological, psychological, and social factors which might increase our risk for burnout.

Biological factors:

• Chronic health concerns
• Neurodiversity
• Sustained activation of the flight, fight, freeze response/sympathetic nervous system 

Psychological factors:

• Mental health concerns making life overall more difficult (ie - anxiety or depression)
• Historical or current trauma
• Difficulties setting appropriate boundaries. To learn  more about boundaries you can read our blog post here.

Social factors:

• Toxic work/life environment
• Lack of accommodations for neurodiversity, disabilities, and/or chronic health conditions
• Unrealistic expectations of capacity either by someone else or yourself
• Low or no social supports
• Life stressors
• Systemic stressors such as racism, misogyny, homophobia
• Not receiving appreciation/connecting to purpose and meaning in life

As Shaheen discusses in the video, we can also integrate spoon theory with the biopsychosocial model in order to better understand and effectively prevent burnout.  Spoon Theory was originally introduced as a metaphor for managing limited energy in chronic illness. The idea is that each person receives a set number of spoons per day and each activity that they engage in takes spoons away. When we consider burnout, we could say that burnout is simply repeatedly running out of "spoons," and forcing oneself to continue on with life’s demands without any spoons left.

Spoon theory also allows us to reflect on each individual’s unique capacity. For example, for some people, visiting with their family would add spoons whereas for others it could be a major spoon thief. We can also pull from the biopsychosocial model to understand what might use up spoons. For instance, neurodiverse people might use up extra spoons if they try to mask throughout the day.  Understanding day-to-day what we are spending our spoons on and which activities take more from us can help us begin to understand how to create a life which feels good to us.

We also want to work on cultivating more spoons, wherever possible. This can be done by engaging in activities that provide a sense of purpose and meaning, setting boundaries to protect their well-being, and nurturing supportive relationships. By taking a holistic approach that addresses both the internal and external factors impacting their well-being, individuals can cultivate resilience and maintain balance in their lives, ultimately reducing the risk of burnout and promoting overall mental health.

The biopsychosocial model allows us to take a preventative approach as we begin to understand the layers involved in setting up the conditions of burnout. Our talk with Daria explores how changes in the way we live our lives in modern times might be contributing to increased amounts of burnout. Engaging in activities that give you a sense of purpose and meaning, getting enough rest per day, having a balance of activities, feeling in control of your life and your outcomes, and connecting with people you care about are crucial steps in preventing burnout. By adopting these strategies, we can cultivate resilience, maintain balance, and reduce the risk of burnout, ultimately promoting overall mental health and well-being.

Need some extra help with navigating burnout or want to prevent it from happening? Reach out to us at Holistic Healing Counselling and one of our Edmonton-based trained therapists will get you started!