Burnout, the illness of our era.

Burnout is a term that we hear used more and more lately as our lives become busier, more stressful and we have more and more expectations placed on us.
Hence it is no wonder that so many people are suffering and struggling to cope.
Just a few days ago a dear friend shared with me that they felt they were burning out.
The term is usually related to work but I believe (and this is just my belief), that it can also be loosely used to describe any situation in which we find ourselves exhausted and floundering.
This blog will focus on burnout from work but may also be useful in other causes of "burnout."


So what is burnout?


Officially, job burnout is classified as a special type of job stress — a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work.


Signs that you may be experiencing burnout.


Have you become cynical or critical at work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started once you arrive?
Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
Feel that every day at work is a bad day.
Feel exhausted much of the time.
Feel no joy or interest in your work, or even feel depressed by it.
Feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities.
Feel hopeless about your life or work.
Find yourself worrying about work even when you are not there.
Experience physical symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, headaches or heart palpitations. (Make sure that you see your doctor about these!)


If you answered yes to many of these then you may be personally experiencing burnout.
Often we are too busy to even take the time to work out why we feel so stressed and do not even realize what may be happening to us.


What causes job burnout?

Job burnout can result from various factors, including:
Lack of control.
Unclear job expectations. 
Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. .
Mismatch in values.
Poor job fit.
Extremes of activity.
Lack of social support.
Work-life imbalance


What can I do about these?
Take a Vacation or Leave of Absence
Reassess Your Goals and evaluate your options
Practice Positive Thinking
Try and adjust your attitude
Seek support from a counselor, your doctor, your health center or your minister
You may want to discuss your options with a career advisor
I strongly suggest that you see your doctor anyway to rule out any physical causes and/or mental health problems
Look after yourself (which we will discuss below)
Say "No", Politely (which we will also discuss below)




Ways to look after yourself.
Healthy diet and regular exercise
Regular sleep patterns and quality sleep
Manage your stress, use relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and/or meditation on a regular basis
Try and cut down on alcohol, nicotine or other drugs
Talk to someone you trust
Make sure you have quality time with your family and friends
Make sure that you have time out on your own


How to say no.


Learning to say no can be one of the hardest things to do.
We have this misguided perception that we need to say yes to most things.
Often if you can be assertive your situation will change.
I'd like to share with you what I share with my clients.
This is called the Bill of Personal Rights and applies to every one of us.


The Bill of Personal Rights


I have the right to say no to requests or demands I can't meet.
I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.
I have the right to change my mind.
I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.
I have the right to follow my own standards and standards.
I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values.
I have the right to determine my own priorities.
I have the right not to be responsible for others' behavior, actions, feelings, or problems.
I have the right to expect honesty from others.
I have the right to be angry at someone I love.
I have the right to be uniquely myself.
I have the right to feel scared and say "I'm scared."
I have the right to say "I don't know."
I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.
I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.
I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.
I have the right to be playful and frivolous.
I have the right to be healthier than those around me.
I have the right to be in a non abusive environment.
I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.
I have the right to change and grow.
I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.
I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
I have the right to be happy.


You may find it beneficial to write these out on a poster and place it where you can see it every day.


Hopefully the above information will help you if you are experiencing burnout symptoms.
If you would like more support and/or information, please visit my website below to see how I can help you.


Also if you have any suggestions about things that have helped you that may also help others, please feel free to share them, as the above lists are guidelines only.
Often we can learn more from those who have experienced things, than from any text book.


http://www.valkeenalifecoachaustralia.com/

ALCOHOL, DO I HAVE A PROBLEM AND IF I DO, WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?

Alcohol plays a huge role in Western society.
It is consumed in greater and greater amounts and the age of people that drink alcohol is getting younger and younger.
It can cause families to fall apart, fatalities on the roads, health problems, loss of jobs, loss of friends, family alienation, financial difficulties, counteract medication, cause situations that people regret and often can not even recall.
That is just to name a few, the list is endless.


So, what or who is an alcoholic?
Different terms related to alcohol use and classification are related to the amount people drink and the impact on their lives.


Definition - an alcoholic is a person, while alcoholism is the illness.
An alcoholic suffers from alcoholism.
Alcoholism is a long-term (chronic) disease.
Alcoholics are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work, and financially.
Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism, but still have a problem with it - they are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption.
Moderate alcohol consumption will not generally cause any psychological or physical harm. However, for some individuals, social drinking eventually leads to heavier and heavier alcohol consumption, which does cause serious health and psychological problems.
(Medical news today)


I tend to take a slightly different approach than some counselors when working with people that consume a lot of alcohol and that is to look at the underlying cause.


What makes someone drink in the first place?
Some of the factors are:
- people being brought up in a family where excessive drinking was the norm
- it may be from social pressure
- it may be a way of "self medicating" to deal with depression, anxiety and other illnesses
- it may be to escape from the realities of life
- it may be that they feel they need it to be confident
- it may be to try and treat insomnia


It is important to try and determine why you drink.
If you can identify this you can address the underlying cause with counseling an or medication, depending on the situation.


I won't go into detail about what that involves in this blog but strongly recommend that if you feel you or anyone you know has a drinking problem then please seek help through your GP, a community drug and alcohol center or similar.
Do not try and stop drinking on your own if you are a heavy drinker as the complications and withdrawal can be life threatening.


These days we do not tell people "you must not drink".
That is unrealistic.
We encourage you to drink safely and look at the benefits and disadvantages for yourself to either address your problem or chose to ignore it.


If you are serious about considering reducing your alcohol please draw up a chart.
On one side have the headings:
Benefits of not drinking, disadvantages of not drinking
Then draw a similar table using the heading Benefits of drinking, disadvantages of drinking.
When you have done this, review what you have written.
This will give you an idea regarding how alcohol is affecting you and hopefully motivate you to look at what you plan and or need to do if your drinking is excessive or more than you would like, or exceeds the guidelines recommended:
# these charts can also be used if you have concerns about drug use


Guidelines
Factors such as gender, age, mental health, drug use, and existing medical conditions can change how alcohol affects you.
Responsible drinking is about balancing your enjoyment of alcohol with the potential risks and harm that may arise from drinking - especially if you go beyond low risk drinking levels.

For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over a lifetime.

Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.  (Australian Government department of Health)

Some other tips to reduce how alcohol can affect you and reduce your consumption are:
- Never drink on an empty stomach, try and have some foods high in carbohydrates before you drink
- Eat food whilst drinking, have some nibbles that you can munch on
- Try and have drinks that has a lower percentage of alcohol
- Drink a glass of water between each drink
- If you are a white wine drinker, try and mix half of your drink with soda water or mineral water or even orange juice
- If you drink spirits only pour a half nip instead of a full nip
- Some people fear getting ridiculed by their peers if they don't have alcohol so a handy tip is to drink ginger beer that is non alcoholic with a stubby cooler around it, the feedback I have had from clients who have tried this has been positive
- Drink slowly


Hopefully this information can help you identify if you need to assess your current drinking amounts and how to look at making a decision regarding whether or not you want to change.


For more information regarding how I can help you, please visit my website:
http://www.valkeenalifecoachaustralia.com/

Mental Health First Aid

When we think about the words "first aid" we usually think about the posters we see at swimming pools and beaches.


I hear you say "but first aid is for someone that has drowned, had a heart attack or is a victim of other type of emergency."


Yes it is and it is a "physical health action plan".
an action plan is provided by the following with the mnemonic DRABC(D)
D : which stands for Danger,
R: Response,
A: Airway,
B: Breathing and
C: Compressions (Defibrillation).

We won't go into that but provided below is a link for further information and it is a good idea to do a practical course.
We as health professionals are required to do an update annually.


http://www.medicalonline.com.au/medical/first_aid/all_situations.htm




Similarly, the "mental health first aid action plan" advises you about how to help a person in a mental health crisis or developing mental health problems.

Its mnemonic is ALGEE.

Although the action of assisting with a crisis is the highest priority, the other actions in the mental health first aid action plan may need to occur first.

Therefore these actions are not necessarily steps to be followed in a fixed order.

They are numbered purely to help remember them.

The helping person has to use good judgment about the order and the relevance of these actions and needs to be flexible and responsive to the person they are helping.

Listening non-judgmentally is an action that occurs throughout the giving of first aid.

The mental health action plan

A: Assess for risk of suicide or harm

L: Listen nonjudgmentally

G: Give reassurance and Information

E: Encourage appropriate professional help

E: Encourage self-help and other support strategies

Action plan step 1

The initial task is to approach the person, look out for any crises and assist the person to deal with them.

In a situation involving a person with a mental health problem, the possible crises are that:

: The person may harm themselves (e.g. by attempting suicide, by using substances to become intoxicated, or by engaging in non-suicidal self-injury);

: The person experiences extreme distress (e.g. such as a panic attack, a traumatic event or a severe psychotic state);

: The person’s behaviour is very disturbing to others (e.g. if they become aggressive, or lose touch with reality).

If the first aider has no concerns that the person is in crisis, they can ask the person about how they are feeling and how long they have been feeling that way and move on to ACTION 2.

Action plan step 2 

Listening to the person is a very important action. When listening, it is important to set aside any judgments made about the person or their situation, and avoid expressing those judgments.

Most people who are experiencing distressing emotions and thoughts want to be listened to empathetically before being offered options and resources that may help them.

When listening non-judgmentally, the first aider adopts certain attitudes and uses verbal and non-verbal listening skills that:

Allow the listener to really hear and understand what is being said to them, and Make it easier for the other person to feel they can talk freely about their problems without being judged.

It is important to listen non-judgmentally at all times when providing mental health first aid.

Action plan step 3

Once a person with a mental health problem has felt listened to, it can be easier for the first aider to offer support and information.

The support to offer at the time includes emotional support, such as empathising with how they feel and giving them the hope of recovery, and practical help with tasks that may seem overwhelming at the moment.

Also, the first aider can ask the person if they would like some information about mental health problems.

Action plan step 4

The first aider can also tell a person about any options available to them for help and support.

A person with mental health problems will generally have a better recovery with appropriate professional help.

However, they may not know about the various options that are available to them, such as medication, counselling or psychological therapy, support for family members, assistance with vocational and educational goals, and assistance with income and accommodation.

Action plan 5

Encourage the person to use self-help strategies and to seek the support of family, friends and others. Other people who have experienced mental health problems can also provide valuable help in the person’s recovery.

If you are still concerned that the person is at risk then call "000" as soon as possible and try and remain with the person until assistance arrives.

Care for yourself

After providing mental health first aid to a person who is in distress, you may feel worn out, frustrated, distressed yourself, or even angry.

That is okay, there is nothing to feel bad about.

These reactions are normal.  

You may also need to deal with any feelings and reactions you set aside during the encounter.

It can be helpful to find someone to talk to about what you have experienced but please do not forget about confidentiality, so do not disclose who you had helped.

It is also important at this time to look after yourself, a bit of self nurturing can go a long way.

If what you experienced or witnessed traumatized you and you can't stop thinking about it or have bad dreams or nightmares for more than a few days, then please seek professional help for yourself.

If you would like to do a mental health aid first course yourself, this link has information regarding options available for you. 

https://mhfa.com.au/courses/public

For more information about how I can help you or anyone you know that may benefit from professional help with mental health issues, please visit my website.

http://www.valkeenalifecoachaustralia.com/

If you have any questions or comments, please write them below.

A.L.G.E.E bear used in the USA