The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

 By: Megan Brewer, LMHC Burnout can be an easy topic to read about cognitively, file away as good information, and then disregard without letting it impact you further. But as we talk about burnout in this article, I encourage you to not only engage it cognitively, but to consider the personal implications for how it affects your own life. Burnout can be discussed in different contexts, such as in our careers or personal lives. but let’s start with a simple definition of burnout that can cover a lot of contexts. Burnout is the depletion of a substance that is needed to keep something going. When we strip the definition of burnout down like this, we can easily see burnout in a number of different areas, such as in the physical, emotional, mental, and relational arenas. Anything that requires something of you—some output of energy or effort—will 1) require you to have what is needed to engage the work you want to do, and 2) require replenishment to keep going. Now, if we th...

By: Megan Brewer, LMHC The first time I had surgery, I was well into my thirties. It wasn’t major—just removing a small abnormality inside my leg. The surgeon told me to expect 1–2 days to heal; then I could walk on it. He also said most people returned to work shortly thereafter. This was good news, because I didn’t want to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary away from my regularly scheduled week. Being kind to my body and giving it time and space to heal is something I have regularly wrestled to do. So, you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when after 1–2 days I still needed my sweet husband’s help to get around the house. I eventually borrowed crutches in order to move about without pain. Two weeks after the surgery, I was still unable to walk without pain and sat in my physical therapist’s office feeling frustrated—like my body had failed me somehow. She too was surprised to see my leg so swollen and so unusable, which helped me to feel a little more va...

 By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Stress is the result of a demand that is placed on you. As an example of stress, think of something made from metal such as an aircraft wing. The wing is designed to take stress, but too much and the metal becomes fatigued and begins to show signs of stress exhaustion. This creates cracks or perhaps breaking altogether. The same thing can happen to people when they stress. We are designed to handle stress, and in fact, stress can help us grow and learn. Our brains respond to stress by becoming stimulated to learn and adapt to our environment. However, when there is too much stress and we begin to show signs of fatigue and begin to break down. Additionally, stress can create physical issues as well. There is a saying, “the body betrays the mind.” In other words, what is happening in the mind shows up in the body. Stress can create ulcers, high blood pressure and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol stimulates the adrena...