Are you running on Full or Empty?

3 things to do if you feel you’re heading for burnout.

Have you noticed more people around us are talking about burnout?   

They’re either heading for it, going through it or know all about it.    If you’re driving along the highway and notice your car’s tank is heading to empty, you wouldn’t hesitate to pull over at the nearest gas station and fill up, would you?    You’d take note of when your car is due for service or tune up.    Naturally, if you choose not to, the car stops.

Our body of course is incredibly resilient and far superior to the average car, but the idea is the same.   We expect the car to always be on call and answer our needs, just the same as we always expect our body to do our bidding.    I used to, until it didn’t.    We take much longer to recognise our own ‘empty tank syndrome’.    We keep pushing until our body decides, without the mind’s consent, to simply break down.     And the break down can come in so many different forms.

I was seriously in empty tank zone for a lot of years and didn’t realise it.   I thought feeling this way was normal.     It took some ill health and education (becoming a health coach, diabetes food advisor and yoga teacher) to have it drummed into me that this is not the normal way to feel.

Empty tank signals.   Take note of which of these apply to you. 

Overwhelm with no sense of flow

Tired with a lack of energy

No interest in much else other than the essential ‘to do’ list

Foggy brain

Emotional and Reactive

Erratic weightgain or loss

Autoimmune flare ups

Heart palpitations

Body aches and a general body weakness

Exercise is a chore and can make you feel worse

Poor sleep

 If you ticked at least 4 or more of these symptoms, your body could be heading for burnout or worse.

Women will tell me they don’t even know what full tank feels like.   It proves that many of us are running on empty for too long.

Full tank awareness:

Your world feels calm and flows

Sleep well – like a solid 7 to 8 hours

Wake up with a sense of vitality and bounce

Eat well without experiencing hunger

Body finds its perfect weight

Look forward to exercise

You laugh a lot

Feel productive all day.

Are you somewhere in between these lists and assuming the ‘full tank’ list is a complete lie.    Whoever feels like that right?

Here are 3 key things to do to move yourself from empty tank syndrome to full tank vitality:

1.       Take time away – remove yourself from the stress.   Make it a trip to the beach and walk along the sand or walk in a garden.     Studies show the moment you take the time away from the pressure cooker environment your nervous system calms.     It’s why we need to take vacations.   Taking a day, weekend, a week or a few weeks to another location to destress is critical.     I needed to do that only recently.    I took a whole month away from a stressful situation and felt like I’d had a holiday.    Sometimes we can’t remove the stress, but we can find a way to deal with it.

2.       Start taking the crap out of your diet and bring colours of plantbased food in.    If you’re overindulging in carbohydrate laden snack foods, sugar and alcohol you’re damaging your gut.  And it’s easy to head that way. When we’re tired, stressed and irritable the body looks for this kind of food. Bring veges, essential fatty acids, fibre and micronutrients into your body.  Stress begins in the gut, shoots up to the brain and eventually envelopes the whole mind, body connection.      We’re busy, I get it.     And sometimes I’m the first person to have a ‘lazy’ diet.    It’s so much easier to just have toast rather than create a meal.     But convenience sometimes doesn’t add up to health.

3.       Move gently.    If your immune system is compromised, or your nervous system is on high alert, high level exercise can make you feel worse.    Start with gentle stretches, walking, dance to your favourite movement or head to a restorative yoga class.   I’ve learned over the years never to underestimate the power of slow.      Slow, deep, stretchy, mindful movement is simply incredible for the body mind connection.

Short workouts and food that cares for the body is what is necessary for someone running on empty.    Talk to me about a private health consultation or join my online yoga program.     www.annenoonan.com.au/virtual-yoga.