Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress or overwork, often associated with job-related pressures. Here are common signs of burnout:
1. Physical Symptoms
Chronic fatigue: Feeling tired most of the time, even after rest.
Sleep disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or feeling unrested after sleep.
Frequent headaches or muscle pain: Physical tension can manifest as headaches, neck, back, or muscle pain.
Lowered immunity: Increased susceptibility to colds, flu, and other illnesses.
2. Emotional Symptoms
Feeling drained or overwhelmed: Constantly feeling emotionally exhausted and unable to cope.
Irritability or mood swings: Being easily frustrated or angry over small things.
Detachment or cynicism: Developing a pessimistic or cynical outlook on work or life in general.
Loss of motivation: Feeling unmotivated or indifferent towards activities that were once enjoyable.
3. Mental Symptoms
Decreased concentration: Difficulty focusing, making decisions, or staying organized.
Memory problems: Forgetfulness or struggling to recall important information.
Negative thinking: Persistent feelings of failure, self-doubt, or lack of accomplishment.
4. Behavioral Changes
Isolation: Withdrawing from social interactions, colleagues, or even friends and family.
Procrastination: Struggling to start or complete tasks, often delaying work more than usual.
Neglecting personal care: Poor self-care habits such as skipping meals, neglecting hygiene, or using substances to cope (e.g., alcohol or caffeine overuse).
5. Work-related Signs
Reduced performance: A noticeable drop in productivity or effectiveness at work.
Avoiding responsibilities: Trying to escape or delay tasks, dreading going to work.
Feeling disconnected: A sense of detachment from colleagues, clients, or the work itself.
Burnout can affect all areas of life, so it’s important to address these symptoms early by seeking support, setting boundaries, and practicing self-care.
Cigarettes were called “torches of freedom” during the early 20th century as part of a marketing campaign that tied smoking to the women’s liberation movement. The phrase originated in 1929 when American tobacco companies sought to break the taboo around women smoking in public.
Edward Bernays, a pioneering public relations expert, was hired by the American Tobacco Company to help increase the market for cigarettes among women. He cleverly linked smoking to women’s fight for equality and independence by framing cigarettes as symbols of empowerment and freedom.
During the Easter Sunday Parade in New York City in 1929, Bernays arranged for a group of fashionable women to walk down the street smoking cigarettes, which they referred to as “torches of freedom.” This event received widespread media coverage, promoting the idea that smoking was a form of rebellion against social norms and a symbol of liberation for women.
This campaign successfully helped normalize public smoking for women and cemented cigarettes as an emblem of personal freedom and gender equality, even though it was primarily a commercial strategy.
Setting and managing personal boundaries is key to maintaining healthy relationships, ensuring emotional well-being, and protecting your time and energy. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you establish and manage boundaries:
1. Identify Your Limits Reflect on what makes you feel uncomfortable or stressed. Pay attention to your emotional reactions in various situations (e.g., feeling overwhelmed, resentful, or drained). These are clues that boundaries might need to be set. Assess different aspects of your life where you might need boundaries: work, relationships, time management, emotional energy, physical space, etc.
2. Clarify Your Values Determine what matters most to you. Your boundaries should align with your values (e.g., respect, honesty, time for self-care). When you know what you prioritize, it becomes easier to say no to things that contradict those values.
3. Communicate Clearly and Assertively Express your boundaries to others calmly, directly, and with confidence. For example: “I need time to recharge after work, so I won’t be available for phone calls in the evening.” Avoid over-explaining or apologizing too much. Be concise but clear about your needs.
4. Practice Saying No Start small if you’re not used to setting boundaries. Get comfortable with saying “no” when something feels overwhelming or goes against your well-being. Use phrases like “I can’t do that right now,” or “That doesn’t work for me.”
5. Be Consistent Once you set a boundary, stick to it. Inconsistent boundaries can confuse others and lead to them being ignored. Consistency reinforces your commitment to your own well-being.
6. Prepare for Pushback Not everyone will accept your boundaries easily, especially if they’ve become accustomed to you not having them. Stay firm and be prepared to handle resistance calmly. Remember, it’s okay to prioritize your needs even if others disagree.
7. Monitor and Adjust Regularly assess how well your boundaries are working. Sometimes, boundaries may need to be adjusted depending on new circumstances or if you feel they aren’t strong enough. Be open to evolving your boundaries as your personal and professional life changes.
8. Manage Guilt and Self-Care It’s normal to feel guilty when setting boundaries, especially if you’re used to pleasing others. Remind yourself that boundaries are necessary for your health and well-being. Practice self-care and prioritize your own needs to reinforce the importance of maintaining your boundaries.
By understanding your limits, communicating effectively, and staying consistent, you’ll build stronger, more respectful relationships and protect your mental and emotional energy.
The phrase “failure is feedback” suggests that failure should be viewed not as a negative end point but as valuable information or a learning opportunity. When you experience failure, it provides insight into what went wrong, which you can use to adjust your approach, refine your methods, or gain a deeper understanding of the challenges. Instead of seeing failure as a defeat, you see it as a form of constructive criticism that helps guide you toward future success.
In essence, failure is a natural part of progress, teaching you what doesn’t work so that you can get closer to what does.
What can i do then with failure?
When you experience failure, you can turn it into a growth opportunity by taking the following steps:
Reflect and Analyze: Understand what went wrong by breaking down the situation. Identify the factors that contributed to the failure. Ask questions like: What did I overlook? What assumptions did I make? What could I have done differently?
Learn from It: Treat failure as a lesson. Look for the key takeaways that can help you improve. Each failure teaches something—whether it’s about your approach, your skills, or the environment you’re operating in.
Adjust Your Strategy: Use the feedback from the failure to make changes to your plans or methods. This might mean refining your goals, improving your skills, or trying a different approach.
Stay Resilient: Failure can be discouraging, but it’s important to maintain a positive attitude and persistence. Resilience helps you bounce back from setbacks and keeps you moving forward toward your goals.
Apply the Lessons: Take what you’ve learned and apply it in your next attempt. Each iteration will bring you closer to success, as long as you continuously refine your process based on feedback from failure.
Embrace a Growth Mindset: Viewing failure as part of the learning process fosters a growth mindset, where you see abilities and intelligence as qualities that can be developed through effort, practice, and persistence.
Failure, in this sense, becomes a stepping stone, helping you progress toward success.
Adrenal fatigue is a term often used to describe a collection of symptoms, such as chronic tiredness, body aches, and difficulty coping with stress, which are believed to be caused by the adrenal glands not functioning properly. The adrenal glands produce hormones like cortisol, which help the body respond to stress.
Proponents of the adrenal fatigue theory suggest that prolonged stress leads to the overuse and eventual exhaustion of the adrenal glands, resulting in a suboptimal hormonal response.
However, adrenal fatigue is not recognized as an official medical diagnosis. Most medical professionals, including endocrinologists, view it as a myth, as there is little scientific evidence supporting the idea that stress can cause the adrenal glands to become “fatigued.”
Conditions such as adrenal insufficiency (e.g., Addison’s disease), where the adrenal glands cannot produce adequate amounts of certain hormones, are well-established but different from the concept of adrenal fatigue.
People experiencing symptoms often associated with adrenal fatigue may actually be suffering from other conditions, such as sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, or thyroid dysfunction, which should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
What causes it?
While adrenal fatigue is not recognized as a legitimate medical diagnosis by most healthcare professionals, those who believe in the concept suggest that it is caused by prolonged or chronic stress. They claim that the adrenal glands, which produce stress hormones like cortisol, become overworked from constantly having to respond to stress, eventually leading to a state of exhaustion.
Here are some proposed causes of adrenal fatigue according to this theory:
Chronic Stress: Emotional, mental, or physical stressors, such as work pressure, relationship issues, financial problems, or trauma, can supposedly cause the adrenal glands to constantly produce cortisol, leading to their exhaustion over time.
Poor Lifestyle Choices: Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, excessive caffeine or sugar intake, and insufficient exercise are said to contribute to the imbalance of hormones and strain the adrenal glands.
Infection or Illness: Some proponents suggest that chronic infections, like the flu or respiratory infections, as well as long-term health conditions, might contribute to the depletion of adrenal function.
Overuse of Stimulants: High caffeine or stimulant use is thought to push the adrenal glands to release more cortisol, eventually leading to “burnout.”
That said, the medical community emphasizes that the symptoms attributed to adrenal fatigue—such as fatigue, brain fog, and low energy—are likely linked to other medical conditions, such as thyroid issues, sleep apnea, depression, or anxiety. For true adrenal problems, like adrenal insufficiency (e.g., Addison’s disease), the cause is often damage to the adrenal glands due to autoimmune conditions, infections, or other systemic diseases.
If someone is experiencing symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue, it’s recommended to seek advice from a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment.
The new model of leadership is founded on personal empowerment. At its core is heightened self-awareness and awakened consciousness. It isn’t so much about self-mastery as it is about the self-acceptance. The Taoists believed that all living things, including people, had an essential nature, an innate nature.
Once consciousness is invoked it permeates everything including the business enterprises we lead and serve. This emergent feminine energy will not announce its arrival. It will sweep forth like a tsunami underfoot. It’s power irresistible and unrelenting.
Unlike masculine power won from hard fought battle this tsunami effect is quite a natural phenomenon. In leadership parlance it does feed on power, control and authority structures and this is why it is more prevalent outside the traditional organisational structures that we know of in large corporations and government. It is also one reason why there is such perpetual struggle in these corridors of power.
In practical terms we work in a business, economic and technological environment unlike anything we have experienced before. This change is of our own doing. As Einstein so poignantly put it, “You cannot solve problems with the same level of thinking that created them”.
We need another way of approaching complex problems. A more feminine approach would be sit with the problem and its unresolved tension, expand our thinking, or better still let the tension bring forth am emergent solution of its own accord. These leaders of the new light are artisans at sitting with unresolved conflict, unsolved problems.
Heart guides will. Invite your intuition to guide you. Relax your highly tuned problem solving skills, which are the domain of the left hemisphere of your brain, and allow yourself to be guided by a felt sense of direction, purpose and resolution. Brian Tracy once coined the phrase, “As you take one step towards your goals, your goals take two steps towards you.” It is a bit like that. Trust in your intuition and that creative resolution will be invoked by your heart.
This feminine energy is omnipresent in business. It always has been; just like our intuition has always been available to us but we have stifled it through one dimensional learning methods like rote learning and homogenised success formulas in business and problem solving.
Ask any small business operator if they use a business plan and most will say they either don’t or they prepare one and shelve it. Now, I am an advocate of strategic planning. I am also an advocate of scenario planning, brainstorming and thinking outside the square. The first question to ask is not, “How do I create success?” but rather, “Why am I in business?” in sequence the order of questioning is, Why, What and How?
There are three keys principles of the emergent feminine energy in leadership and business. They epitomise the invocation of the new light, a new light of consciousness awareness. They are:
Potential: The epitome of the feminine is potential – unrealised potential. The expressions maximise your potential and reach your full potential are misleading. Unrealised potential knows no boundary, no ceiling. The feminine is a metaphor for universality or infinite possibility. The leaders of the new light accept and embrace the divinity that is inherent in all things. Genius springs forth in such an environment.
Space: This notion of creating and holding space is at the core of all coaching engagements. It has its origins in ancient shamanistic practice and it is significant that it does. These leaders of the new light are leading us on a return voyage. A return to heartfelt leadership, values infused culture and a deeper exploration of what is purposeful and meaningful to us as individuals and collectively as humans. The adage, “If you want your outside world to change, you must be the change” holds true.
Flow: When our hearts and souls are aligned with our purpose, mission and values then we are in flow with our innate nature. This is our innate state. This is how life works until you limit your beliefs, doubt yourself, place blocks and limitations in front of your feet. Beliefs like “You have to work hard to succeed” belong to a bygone era. Many of the inspirational quotes and elements of the success formulas were also penned in eras of war, lack or male domination. They served their time but the leaders of the new light will shine the way for you into the future.
The leaders of the new light, a new light of consciousness, start from a paradigm that you have potential (unlimited potential) and that when you aligned with your own heart you will evoke a creativity that is innovation at its core. And it is the most innate natural state you can live and love from.
Many business owners, small and large, provide performance incentives for their staff, eg annual bonuses, gift vouchers, time in lieu, equity schemes and the like.
But what exactly are you rewarding?
Incentive programs don’t typically reward performance, rather they reward results. Business success demands results. Fair enough, too. But, let’s go back a step.
“Most incentive programs don’t reward performance, they reward results.”
Results are outcomes, eg sales targets, profit, market share, growth, customer satisfaction. They are all business outcomes. In a cause and effect relationship, they are the effect. What then drives results? Performance drives results and is the cause in the relationship. So, what then constitutes performance and how do you measure it?
End Goals v Performance Goals
There are two types of goals. End Goals and Performance Goals.
End Goals are the outcomes or results you achieve from having done something, eg sales, turnover, profit, customer satisfaction. They are measured ex post facto (after the fact) or what are commonly referred to by management consultants as lag indicators.
Performance Goals are the drivers that get you the results, eg sales calls, customer visits, prospects, outbound calls, customer response times. These can be measured in real time and are referred to as lead indicators.
There can be considerable and costly time delays between when a lag indicator is first brought to the attention of a business owner for corrective action. Time means money. Do your performance measures include lead indicators?
Lead indicators are predictive measures of future success. And success is the cumulative effect of doing the little things day-by-day.
“Lead indicators are predictive measures of future success.”
Lead and Lag indicators form an integral part of what Harvard academics, Kaplan and Norton, call a Balanced Scorecard. Many large corporations use Balanced Scorecard measures and increasingly franchisers are too. They are equally applicable to small firms and truly are essential to driving performance to higher levels.
What drives Performance?
If performance drives results then what drives performance? Well, there are two things that drive performance:
1. skills
2. behaviour
What is the difference? A skill is learned knowledge of how to do a task whereas behaviour is a conscious/subconscious response or choice.
Ask yourself; does this person know how to complete the task? Have they ever completed the task beforehand? Have they received skills training? Have they demonstrated competency in the skill? If not, then you may have a skill deficiency that needs addressing through skills training.
On the other hand, if your employee is competent or has the necessary skills but for some reason doesn’t apply them, then you may have a behavioural issue. In which case as the manager/employer it is incumbent upon you to call them on it. Behaviours tend to run in patterns so it is likely that the employee will repeat the behaviour (at work and at home). So, you are really doing them an enormous favour long term.
In essence you bring to their conscious awareness the subconscious (or conscious) choice they have made. It now becomes their conscious choice whether to amend the behaviour or not. Either way hold them responsible for their choice and the resulting consequences.
Try these exercises:
1. Create a Performance based incentive program. Offer staff gift vouchers or lifestyle rewards based on their performance not results. Reward behaviours such as proactivity, attention to detail, customer focus, team work.
2. Ask your staff to benchmark themselves. Empower them to take responsibility for
their own performance. Nurture the talent you have within your reach. If you are self-employed benchmark your sub-contractors/ suppliers.
3. Include a lead indicator in each functional area – Sales & Marketing (customer visits, qualified prospects, customer complaints); Finance (reminder notices, daily cash position); Operations (capacity, occupancy rates); Service Delivery (response times, compliance with packing slips); People (absenteeism, timeliness, overtime).
4. Call an employee/ sub-contractor on a behavioural issue, eg coming late to work, failure to meet a deadline, failure to keep a promise. Give regular and informal praise for good behaviours.
5. Practice asking open questions. What? When? How? Engage your employee’s creative genius. Encourage them to come with solutions and not problems. You’ve got enough on your plate.
Yes, daylight saving time (DST) can affect sleeping patterns for many people. When clocks are moved forward or backward, it can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle based on light exposure.
Here are some ways DST can impact sleep:
Spring Forward (Losing an Hour): When clocks are set forward in spring, people lose an hour of sleep, which can lead to feeling groggy, tired, and less alert in the days following. The sudden shift can make it harder to fall asleep or wake up at the usual time, as the body takes time to adjust to the new light schedule.
Fall Back (Gaining an Hour): In the fall, clocks are set back an hour, giving people an extra hour of sleep. While this may seem like a bonus, it can still disrupt sleep patterns. Some people find they wake up earlier than usual, which can throw off the routine and cause difficulty adjusting.
Circadian Rhythm Disruption: Since the circadian rhythm is closely tied to natural light, any sudden shift in the time of sunrise and sunset due to DST can cause a temporary misalignment between the internal body clock and the external environment. This disruption can lead to difficulty falling asleep, poorer sleep quality, and daytime fatigue.
Mood and Energy Levels: Sleep disruptions caused by DST can also affect mood, energy, and cognitive performance. The adjustment period can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the individual.
For some people, the effects are mild and temporary, while others may find it more challenging to adapt. Maintaining a consistent bedtime, limiting exposure to screens before bed, and getting plenty of natural light during the day can help ease the transition during DST changes.
Adrenal fatigue is a condition that progresses through distinct phases as the body struggles to cope with chronic stress. The adrenal glands, which produce cortisol and other hormones that manage stress, can become overwhelmed by prolonged physical, mental, or emotional pressure. Understanding the stages of adrenal fatigue can help in recognizing early signs and preventing the condition from worsening.
Stage 1: Alarm Reaction (Fight or Flight)
In the initial phase, often called the Alarm Reaction, the body’s natural stress response is activated. This stage is characterized by the fight or flight reaction, where stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released to help the body deal with the immediate stressor.
Symptoms in this stage may include:
Sudden energy bursts to cope with the stressor. Heightened alertness and focus. Mild anxiety or irritability. Insomnia or difficulty winding down after stress.
This stage can be seen as the body’s attempt to maintain balance during stressful events. If the stress is temporary, the body recovers. However, if stress becomes chronic, the body progresses to the next stage.
Stage 2: Resistance (Chronic Stress)
In the Resistance stage, stress becomes long-term, and the adrenal glands continue to produce cortisol at higher levels to keep up with the demand. However, they are starting to struggle.
Common symptoms in this phase include:
Fatigue, especially in the morning and mid-afternoon. Increased reliance on stimulants like caffeine. Difficulty recovering from physical exertion or illness. Anxiety, mood swings, and mild depression. Digestive issues such as bloating or constipation.
The body begins to lose its ability to function optimally under stress, and the performance of other bodily systems, such as the immune system, starts to decline. Chronic inflammation may develop, and you might feel “wired but tired,” unable to fully relax despite exhaustion.
Stage 3: Adrenal Exhaustion
As the adrenal glands become overworked and can no longer meet the body’s demands, the Adrenal Exhaustion stage sets in. Cortisol production drops significantly, and the body’s stress response starts to fail.
Symptoms of adrenal exhaustion include:
Extreme, ongoing fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest. Brain fog and difficulty concentrating. Digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Emotional instability, such as crying for no apparent reason. Low blood pressure and frequent dizziness.
At this stage, you may find that simple daily tasks become overwhelming. Many people in adrenal exhaustion also experience significant emotional instability, including feelings of impending doom, panic attacks, and depression that may not respond to conventional treatments
Stage 4: Adrenal Failure (Burnout)
In severe cases, untreated adrenal fatigue can lead to full-blown adrenal burnout, where the body is incapable of producing sufficient cortisol or managing stress effectively. This stage can be life-altering.
Symptoms in this final stage include:
Total inability to cope with stress or perform daily activities. Severe depression and anxiety. Muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass. Chronic infections due to a suppressed immune system. Collapse of blood sugar regulation, causing hypoglycemia.
At this point, the body’s homeostasis is significantly disrupted, and without intervention, adrenal burnout can contribute to more serious health issues, including autoimmune disorders and thyroid problems
How to Prevent and Treat Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue can be prevented and treated through lifestyle changes that focus on stress management and hormone regulation.
Some strategies include:
Prioritizing rest and sleep to allow the body to recover. Eating a balanced diet rich in nutrients that support adrenal health, like B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin C. Incorporating stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation, and gentle exercise. Seeking guidance from a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment options.
Recognizing the symptoms of adrenal fatigue early can help prevent progression into more severe stages. If you find yourself resonating with these symptoms, consider adjusting your lifestyle and seeking medical advice to support your adrenal health.
This blog post helps explain the progression of adrenal fatigue and how each stage impacts the body differently, offering your readers valuable insights into managing their stress before it escalates.
About the author
Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.
Setting and managing personal boundaries is key to maintaining healthy relationships, ensuring emotional well-being, and protecting your time and energy. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you establish and manage boundaries:
1. Identify Your Limits Reflect on what makes you feel uncomfortable or stressed. Pay attention to your emotional reactions in various situations (e.g., feeling overwhelmed, resentful, or drained). These are clues that boundaries might need to be set. Assess different aspects of your life where you might need boundaries: work, relationships, time management, emotional energy, physical space, etc.
2. Clarify Your Values Determine what matters most to you. Your boundaries should align with your values (e.g., respect, honesty, time for self-care). When you know what you prioritize, it becomes easier to say no to things that contradict those values.
3. Communicate Clearly and Assertively Express your boundaries to others calmly, directly, and with confidence. For example: “I need time to recharge after work, so I won’t be available for phone calls in the evening.” Avoid over-explaining or apologizing too much. Be concise but clear about your needs.
4. Practice Saying No Start small if you’re not used to setting boundaries. Get comfortable with saying “no” when something feels overwhelming or goes against your well-being. Use phrases like “I can’t do that right now,” or “That doesn’t work for me.”
5. Be Consistent Once you set a boundary, stick to it. Inconsistent boundaries can confuse others and lead to them being ignored. Consistency reinforces your commitment to your own well-being.
6. Prepare for Pushback Not everyone will accept your boundaries easily, especially if they’ve become accustomed to you not having them. Stay firm and be prepared to handle resistance calmly. Remember, it’s okay to prioritize your needs even if others disagree.
7. Monitor and Adjust Regularly assess how well your boundaries are working. Sometimes, boundaries may need to be adjusted depending on new circumstances or if you feel they aren’t strong enough. Be open to evolving your boundaries as your personal and professional life changes.
8. Manage Guilt and Self-Care It’s normal to feel guilty when setting boundaries, especially if you’re used to pleasing others. Remind yourself that boundaries are necessary for your health and well-being. Practice self-care and prioritize your own needs to reinforce the importance of maintaining your boundaries.
By understanding your limits, communicating effectively, and staying consistent, you’ll build stronger, more respectful relationships and protect your mental and emotional energy.
About the author
Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.
