The steady ride to the land of burnout in women today

The steady ride to the land of burnout in women todayThe steady ride to the land of burnout in women todayWomen today work hard. But sometimes all this hard work can get to us. How many times have you caught yourself thinking, Wow, Im burned out Its a feeling fruchtwein women today can identify with. The inner drive to do more and achieve more is significantly impacting womens health, families, and careers. The problem is that burnout process is so dynamic and so intricately woven into womens lives, with raising families, building careers, volunteering, maintaining homes, and a social calendar, that even the brightest of women are not able to identify the telltale signs of burnout until it is too late.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThis steady ride to the land of burnout is caused by a complex and interacting web of stressors, but they all boil down to a few key causesWomens ex panded roles (home, career, children, parents)Constant sensory stimulation (devices and being 24/7 plugged in)Social pressures to achieve more and have moreFamily and child expectationsFinancial constraintsPoor lifestyle habits (sleep, diet, exercise, hormone imbalance, and brain chemical deficiencies)Adrenaline addictionThe bodys sophisticated response to all types of stressors in high-stress women today is nothing short of a miracle. But, the reality is that we overachiever-superwomen-stress-junkies spend quite a bit of time being plugged in and in fight-or-flight mode, maneuvering strategically between one highly pressurized situation to the next. Its like a time bomb. While our bodies are meant to react to perceived stress occasionally, they are clearly not capable of withstanding longer periods of flight or fight without some sort of breakdown.This elaborate stress response, with multiple internal alarms going off, typically occurs regularly throughout the day for most women. M illions of women today are tripped out on stress from the moment they wake up until they throw themselves in bed at night. This constant state of activation and overstimulation requires continuous effort to preserve and restore your adrenal glands. This is incredibly taxing on them, and causes the entire system (female hormones, thyroid, gut, brain, and immune system) to become sluggish-imbalanced, and sick, which in turn leaves you depleted, depressed, gaining weight, with suboptimal cortisol and female hormone production, creating a myriad of symptoms that turn your whole world upside down.The bodys sophisticated response to stress is nothing short of a miracle. But the reality is that today we are all plugged in 24/7 and in a fight-or-flight mode, maneuvering strategically between one highly pressurized situation to the next. Its like a time bomb. While our bodies are meant to react to perceived stress occasionally, they are clearly not capable of withstanding longer periods of f light or fight without some sort of breakdown. If you are in over-drive, consider the following easy steps to move you out of it and more balanced.Step 1 Change Your Diet and TimingReduce blood glucose spikes and dips by eating the lean proteins, good fats and high fiber good carbohydrates like veggies, to help eliminate morning grogginess and afternoon fatigue. That means no bagels or muffins for breakfast. Protein is brain food and will improve your focus and memory for the entire dayStep 2 Take Vitamin C and Stress Support supplementsVitamin C is utilized by the adrenal glands in the production of cortisol and other adrenal hormones. Consider taking higher doses of Vitamin C in the morning and noon. Also, consider stress support supplements that contain adaptogens. I recommend BalanceDocs STRESS AM AND STRESS PM supplements to balance the day and night rhythm of cortisol. BalanceDocs.comStep 3 ExerciseWalking, yoga, Pilates, and light strength training will serve you better than pounding it out in a spin class or running. Any type of vigorous exercise will leave your stress glands even more taxed since one of the causes of the stress syndrome is over-exercising.Step 4 HydrateDehydration is one of the most common problems with fatigue and the physical inability to manage stress.Step 5 Ignite Your Parasympathetic Nervous System TrackTake ten minutes twice daily to reboot. Breath in through your nose (expanding your belly, not your chest) and out through pursed lips while focusing on the exact thing you want for yourself at that moment. Imagine exactly what you want to feel, have, acquire, and be with all of the positive emotions to go along with it. Stay there for 2-3 minutes.Step 6 Get Deep, Restorative SleepSkimping on sleep handicaps the brain, nervous system, hormonal system, and the body as a whole by robbing it of needed recovery from the previous day and hindering the rejuvenation of hormones and neurochemicals to get you through the next day.Step 7 B egin Brain-TrainingAvoid negative sayings like I am so stressed and replaced them with saying, I choose myself, and am ready for better health, this is not an emergency, I am in control of my life right now.Nisha Jackson, Ph.D., MS, WHCNP, HHP, author of Brilliant Burnout, is a nationally-recognized hormone expert and gynecology health specialist with 29 years of experience in research and patient care. She is the founder and owner of Peak Medical Clinics.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people