Burnout: When Your Body Has Had Enough
We often think of stress as something that happens to us: a difficult job, relationship problems, financial worries, illness or simply having too much on our plate.
Stress is actually a normal part of being human.
Your body is constantly responding to changes in your environment. You're too hot, too cold, hungry, thirsty, tired. You've eaten a meal and your digestive system is working away. You've exercised. You're running late. You've had an argument. You're excited about something.
Your body is designed to deal with stress. The goal isn't to eliminate stress. The goal is to become better at moving through it and returning to a state of safety and recovery.
Your body is designed to keep you going
When your brain perceives a threat, your nervous system doesn't sit down and have a committee meeting about it. It reacts.
One of the first chemicals involved in the acute stress response is adrenaline (epinephrine). It gives you that surge of energy you need to respond. Your heart rate increases, you become more alert and energy becomes more readily available.
Think of adrenaline as the fuel that gets you moving.
Cortisol is also involved in the stress response, but it doesn't simply appear at exactly the same time as adrenaline. The stress response is a coordinated process, with adrenaline acting quickly and cortisol contributing to the longer lasting response. This is incredibly useful when you actually need it.
If a car is suddenly coming towards you, you don't want to stop and calmly analyse your feelings about it. You want energy, speed and you want to MOVE.
The problem isn't having this response. The problem is when your body keeps being asked to use it.
Chronic stress can affect sleep, digestion, mood, energy and blood sugar regulation. Your body can cope with stress, but it wasn't designed to remain in a heightened state of alertness indefinitely.
Could your body be carrying more than your own stress?
Have you ever wondered why your body can sometimes react incredibly strongly to something that your conscious mind knows isn't actually dangerous?
There is growing research into intergenerational trauma, which is the idea that the effects of significant trauma and chronic stress can sometimes be observed in subsequent generations.
This is a fascinating and still developing area of research. It doesn't mean that trauma is simply "passed down" like a gene, and researchers are still exploring how much may be biological, psychological, environmental or a combination of all three.
Research involving descendants of Holocaust survivors, for example, has found differences in stress related biological systems in some descendants.
Imagine a great grandparent who experienced extreme food deprivation during the Holocaust. For them, not knowing where their next meal was coming from was a genuine survival threat.
A descendant obviously isn't living through that same experience. But it raises an interesting question about whether patterns around scarcity, food, vigilance and stress can sometimes influence how later generations respond to perceived threats.
This doesn't mean every descendant will have the same response, or that your body is literally remembering a specific event. It does remind us that our nervous system is shaped by far more than what is happening in the present moment.
Meet your vagus nerve
This brings us to one of my favourite pieces of anatomy: the vagus nerve. The name comes from the Latin word vagus, meaning wandering. It really does wander!
The vagus nerve travels from the brainstem through the neck and has branches involved with areas including the ears, throat, heart, lungs, oesophagus and digestive tract, reaching as far down as the stomach and colon.
It is a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system, the part involved in rest, digestion and recovery.
When we're stressed, our nervous system prioritises survival. When we feel safe, our body has more opportunity to move towards digestion, recovery, connection and repair. (Is the penny dropping?!? Many people experiencing chronic stress also have stomach/digestion issues!).
And here's something I think is really important:
You can know you're safe intellectually and still have a body that doesn't feel safe.
You might tell yourself:
"I'm fine."
"There's nothing to worry about."
"I'm safe."
However, if your nervous system is still on high alert, thinking your way out of stress isn't always enough. Sometimes we need to communicate safety to the body as well.
Try this simple exercise
Stand up.
Slowly turn your head and look over your right shoulder.
Then slowly turn and look over your left shoulder.
Repeat this a few times.
Look around your environment. Notice what's there.
This simple grounding exercise encourages you to orient to your surroundings and notice that, in this moment, there isn't an immediate threat coming from behind you.
Sometimes the body needs a little reassurance from the body itself.
Don't forget blood sugar
Another piece of the burnout puzzle that often gets overlooked is blood sugar regulation.
Your brain and nervous system need a steady supply of energy. Large swings in blood glucose can add another physiological stressor, particularly when you're already depleted.
This is one reason I'm cautious about fasting when someone is already exhausted, burnt out, struggling with sleep or under significant stress. Intermittent fasting can work well for some people, but it isn't universally beneficial. How someone responds can depend on things such as biological sex, energy availability, reproductive status and overall health.
If your body is already under significant stress, deliberately adding another stressor by going long periods without food may not be what you need right now.
Sometimes the answer isn't more discipline, it’s about more nourishment.
So where does homeopathy fit in?
When I'm working with someone experiencing burnout, overwhelm or nervous-system exhaustion, I'm not looking for a generic "burnout remedy."
I'm interested in how their stress shows up in their body and mind.
What happens when they're overwhelmed?
Do they become restless? Exhausted? Tearful? Irritable? Unable to switch off?
Do they crave solitude or company?
Do they wake at 3am with their mind racing?
Are they mentally exhausted but physically wired?
Do they feel responsible for everyone?
Do they push themselves relentlessly and then suddenly crash?
This is where the individual symptom picture becomes so important.
Here are just a few of the remedies I might consider. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Calcarea carbonica
Overworked, overwhelmed and struggling to keep up
Conscientious, responsible and hard working
Feels like there is too much to do and not enough energy to do it
Worries about security, health or whether things will be manageable
Exhaustion after prolonged effort
May feel physically heavy, sluggish or depleted
Often needs routine, stability and a sense of security
Aconitum
Sudden, intense fear or panic
Strong sense that something terrible is about to happen
Restlessness and heightened alertness
Can follow a shock, fright or overwhelming event
Feels like the nervous system has gone into emergency mode
Emerald
Feeling overwhelmed by the environment and constant stimulation
Strong sensitivity to surroundings
Feels like you're absorbing too much from everything and everyone around you
Difficulty switching off from the outside world
Can be interesting when modern life itself feels like "too much"
Promotes a sense of safety
Kali phosphoricum
Classic picture of nervous exhaustion
Mental fatigue and difficulty concentrating
Feels completely drained after prolonged stress
"I just can't do any more"
Exhaustion following intellectual, emotional or physical overwork
May feel tense and unable to properly switch off despite being exhausted
Natrum muriaticum Tissue Salt
Holds everything together on the outside while struggling internally
Tends to process emotions privately
Difficulty letting go of old hurts, grief or disappointment
May push through difficulties without asking for help
Emotional stress eventually leading to profound exhaustion
Often needs space rather than lots of people when overwhelmed
Natrum sulphuricum Tissue Salt
Emotional stress closely connected with physical symptoms
May feel worse following emotional upheaval or trauma
Heaviness, low mood and difficulty shifting out of a negative state
Can be sensitive to environmental changes
Worth considering when emotional and physical symptoms seem closely intertwined
Berberis vulgaris
Sometimes considered as an organ support remedy when physical symptoms accompany stress and depletion
May be considered when there are prominent kidney or urinary symptoms
Can be useful to explore when physical symptoms are adding another layer to overall exhaustion
Avena sativa
Nervous exhaustion and feeling completely worn out
Useful to consider after prolonged mental or physical strain
Difficulty sleeping because the nervous system won't settle
Feeling "wired but tired"
May fit when someone feels they've simply run themselves into the ground
Coffea cruda
Racing thoughts and mental overactivity
The mind won't switch off
Excitement, anticipation or stimulation keeps you awake
Extremely alert despite needing sleep
Everything feels amplified; thoughts, sensations and emotions
Can be considered when the nervous system feels like it has its foot permanently on the accelerator
These are just a few of the many remedies that may support the nervous system. The remedy isn't chosen simply because someone says, "I'm burnt out."
It's the way you experience burnout that matters.
Your body isn't failing you
Perhaps this is the most important thing I'd like you to take away.
If you're exhausted, overwhelmed, struggling to sleep or finding yourself unable to cope with things that normally wouldn't bother you, your body isn't necessarily letting you down.
It may actually be doing exactly what it was designed to do: Protect you.
Your nervous system has spent a long time keeping you going. It probably doesn’t need more pushing, it needs to know that it’s finally safe enough to stop. That is very different from being lazy!! It's recovery.
You don't have to wait until your body completely shuts down before you start listening to it. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop.
Eat.
Breathe.
Rest.
Look around.
Feel your feet on the ground.
And remind your body: "We're okay. We don't have to keep running."
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