Do you ever find yourself in a season of high stress? The kids have sports and after-school programs. You and your spouse have increased work demands. The extended family wants time with you, and friends want to hang out. You just want to chill.
Increased stress levels, when not managed, can lead to burnout. Burnout happens when you are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from prolonged stress. There are three dimensions to burnout: exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment. We’re all in danger of suffering from burnout if we don’t take steps to manage stress.
A typical response to someone suffering from burnout is to tell them to practice self-care. Self-care is anything you do regularly to maintain physical, mental and emotional well-being. But while self-care is essential, is it the solution?
Emily and Amelia Nagoski address this topic in their book, “Burnout: The Secret to Solving the Stress Cycle.” They argue that while we all lead lives filled with stress, we never complete the “stress cycle.”
Wait, what’s a stress cycle? When a stressful situation occurs, our heart pounds, breathing speeds up and muscles tense. Our body naturally responds by “fight or flight.” This is our primary survival response to any stressful situation. Stress is heightened, but to complete the stress cycle, we need to feel safe again.