Been feeling emotionally drained lately? What about fatigued or overwhelmed? Well turns out you’re not alone. In fact Lululemon’s 2024 Global Wellbeing Report found some pretty staggering statistics – 1 in 2 are experiencing wellness burnout while 2 in 3 of those people facing burnout feel like they can’t improve their wellbeing.
Women’s Health spoke to clinical psychologist Dr. Emily Musgrove on how to address burnout, setting realistic goals when it comes to your wellbeing, and how to introduce movement to support mental health.
What is burnout?
According to the Global Wellbeing Report, burnout is defined as “a state of physical, mental, or social exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” Signs of burnout can include feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained as well as physical symptoms like headaches, tummy issues and changes in your regular sleep routine.
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Dr. Musgrove acknowledges burnout is an increasingly occurring phenomenon. The Global Wellbeing Report showed that 55% of Australians are experiencing significant levels of burnout, even though wellbeing is a priority. The relentless pressure to “do it all” — from work, social commitments, and personal wellness routines — is leaving many Australians overwhelmed.
“We feel under more pressure than ever before, but we have fewer adaptive coping skills. We are turning more often to strategies of avoidance (like spending time on the phone) which may help in the short term, but in the long term can cause significant difficulties,” she explains.
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What are the different types of burnout
There are a number of different types of burnout a person can experience. These can include overload burnout, under-challenged burnout and neglect. However what’s also interesting is the rise of “burnout stress” contributing to burnout.
As Dr. Musgrove puts it, we’re being constantly shown what wellbeing should look like through social media. Think intermittent fasting, cold plunges, high intensity interval exercising, juice cleanses, journaling, practising gratitude… It’s a lot to take in.
“While these can be important aspects of wellbeing, they do not represent the whole picture when it comes to our psychological health. The paradox is, that the more pressure we feel to be well and to “demonstrate” wellbeing, the more overwhelmed we feel. This mental load leaves us feeling overwhelmed, confused, not good enough or helpless.”
How long does it take to recover from burnout?
It’s difficult to put a timeframe on how long someone can experience burnout. It is an incredibly personal journey and will vary depending on so many different factors including who you are as a person, if your situation changes, if you’re seeking help or changing your environment. As a general period of time, it can take weeks or even months to recover.
Exercising to address burnout
There are a number of different things you can do to address burnout however not everything will work for you. One way is to introduce movement and exercise to support your mental health. The Wellbeing Report suggests Aussies who workout in group movement activities report a 24% higher overall wellbeing.
“It can be as simple as dancing with our kids or walking the dog. In addition, movement with other people has immense benefits not only for our physical health but our psychological health.”
“This could be facilitated by joining a team sport, doing a group challenge or enlisting a friend to go for a walk with you,” Dr. Musgrave says.
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Tips for setting realistic wellness goals
Dr. Musgrave advises the use of the acronym SMART to set goals you’ll actually be able to achieve. She explains to best support our goals, they need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. Other tips include:
- First and foremost, bring awareness to your own personal needs
- Start small – if you’re exercising or meditating, start with just 5 minutes a day
- Set boundaries with yourself and others – even with things like technology and social media to allow yourself regular breaks from being “always on”
- Practice mindfulness
- Try your best to disconnect from what’s being demanded of you
Our favourite pieces for mindful movement
It’s important to seek help if you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious or noticing any other effects on your own mental health or that of the people around you. You can phone Lifeline to speak to a Crisis Supporter on 13 11 14, text 0477 131 114 for support, or chat to Lifeline online at lifeline.org.au – all services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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