Loved By Jane

“The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself” 

Tony Robbins

 

BURNOUT – How do we prevent ourselves from Burnout?  How do we recover from Burnout?

It has been stress awareness month, and we live in an ever demanding world where we are facing the dangers of burning out more and more.  So, it feels important to highlight the issue of stress, anxiety and what can lead to burnout.

Cause lets face it we all feel overwhelmed at times with what life throws at us, and that we never feel we’re ‘BUSY ENOUGH’ or feel the need to just respond to that ‘ONE MORE EMAIL’ in evenings and weekends…..right?!?

I attended the ‘The Stress Summit’ with leading hypnotherapist and anxiety expert, Chloe Brotheridge and Nutritional Therapist, Rosie Millen aka ‘Miss Nutritionist’ to learn more.

Did you know that…  

12.5 Million working days are lost due to work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/2017

526,000 workers are suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing)

  Source: Labour Force Survey (hse.gov.uk)

 

Chloe (pictured above) started the talk with a short meditation.  This was to enable us all to connect with ourselves and feel more relaxed.  If you suffer from anxiety you will know all too well how hard it is to switch off that over thinking brain of ‘what ifs’, and then the panic attacks take hold!

I am someone who already loves the power of meditation, I myself have suffered from severe anxiety and have found this extremely helpful in calming the mind and preventing panic attacks.  Meditation can take many forms and there’s an option to suit everyone out there.  It’s all about helping you to be present in the moment, aiding memory, sleep, and regulating your breathing.  You can even do this for as little as 5 minutes, and if you prefer you can use affirmations.  If you haven’t tried this I do recommend it to help your mind and body cope with any stress and anxiety you’re dealing with.  Some recommended apps to use for meditation are Headspace https://www.headspace.com/ and Calm https://www.calm.com/.  Some inspiring affirmations can be found by Louise Hay https://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/.

Even if you don’t suffer from stress or anxiety then meditation is still great for the mind!

The Science Part – Anxiety not only causes symptoms to make us feel worse, it is also known to change the structure of the brain, as it can actually increase the size of the amygdala.  This is the part of the brain which is responsible for our fear response, causing us to be even more anxious.  Meditation is important as this can not only help us to relax, but can also change the structure of our brain in a positive way, as it can actually increase the Prefrontal Cortex of the brain.  This is the part that helps you with problem solving, planning, cognitive behaviour, decision making and development, and will help reverse the effects caused by anxiety.  So meditation has to be wise with it’s ability to increase this part of your brain ….win, win!!

Chloe also taught us a few other important things…

Being Busy – Hands up who thinks it makes us sound more successful if we say ‘I’m very busy’ or ‘I’m just too busy’ or ‘I’m so busy doing…’.  Well Chloe is here to remind us that being busy is ‘not a badge of honour’!  (YES Chloe….clapping my hands right now!)  thank you for this great reminder to us all that this does not in fact make us sound more successful (see picture below).  In reality we are not too busy, we are just prioritising different things, so something you’re not currently doing, maybe further down your list of priorities.  This does not make you more successful!!

Never forget the power of “no”…learning to say no to things is highly effective in reducing stress and anxiety levels.  Maybe there are tasks at work which you can delegate, or don’t say yes to all those social events.  Take time out for yourself to do things you enjoy.  (the self-care revolution is now!)

The second part of the talk was carried out by Rosie Millen, teaching us about how Nutrition can help us deal with stress and anxiety.  I have learnt so much in this last year about the importance nutrition has on our bodies and minds.  How fuelling our bodies and minds in the correct way can help us to keep more healthy, active and engaged.

Rosie Millen aka Miss Nutritionist (pictured above) also explains the importance of those blood sugar levels and how we can keep them in check….

Who else has suffered this blood sugar rollercoaster (I know at the height of my anxiety and panic attacks my blood sugar levels were all over the place).  Changing my diet has made it much more steady.  Hey, I’m the first to say I am by no means perfect and still can’t give up that perfect (caffeine fuelled) coffee or occasional treat.  But overall my diet now keeps me on an even keel and I make sure I drink plenty of water every day too.

It’s all about learning how your bodies react to what you put in, and if you can even make one small change for the better, then this will help.  Enjoy eating the rainbow!!

The Science Part – our bodies are made up of 60 % water, and every function inside our body depends on it, the cells, organs and tissues….so the top tip is to keep hydrated to thrive & survive!

Stress and the body – (see picture below) Rosie shares her top 3 effective ways to reduce stress, and I have to say they are highly effective.

 

What are those snacks we should be reaching for to prevent that ‘afternoon slump’ –  here Rosie gives us her top Snack Ideas – yummy!!  (see photo below)

 

Thank you to both Chloe Brotheridge and Rosie Millen for their expert advice and a great evening.  If you would like to learn more about anxiety or nutrition then I cannot recommend enough heading to their websites or social media below.

PLUS….

Chloe has an amazing book ‘The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, A Calmer You’.  One of my top reads!

Rosie has created these delicious and very healthy, high protein energy bars called ‘Dynabites’.  A must eat!

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Chloe Brotheridge having suffered with anxiety herself, is a professional who is easy to relate to.  She also runs one to one sessions, corporate workshops and online programs to educate and help people.

For more on Chloe – https://www.calmer-you.com/

Instagram – Instagram.com/chloebrotheridge

Twitter – @CBrotheridge

Rosie Millen aka ‘Miss Nutritionist’ has herself lived with Adrenal Fatigue and now helps others learn about nutrition and healthy lifestyle tools through one to one sessions, and corporate talks.  She now classifies herself as 90% recovered.

For more on Miss Nutritionist – https://www.missnutritionist.com/

Instagram – Instagram.com/missnutritionist

Twitter – @ms_nutritionist

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The talk was held at the amazing We Work Soho (me pictured below, ‘creating my life’s work’… haha!!)

For more on the venue We Work Soho, Medius House – https://www.wework.com/buildings/soho-medius-house–london

FOR HELP – If you ever feel too overwhelmed with anxiety or you are struggling with any mental health issues please do not hesitate to contact Mind or the Samaritans for  help: https://www.mind.org.uk/  https://www.samaritans.org/

Thanks for stopping by and reading, if you have experienced any of these issues or have any great tips on these areas then please feel free to share or comment.

Remember to take a little time out, breathe and relax.

Jane 🙂