“I’m just feeling a little bit burnt out…”
If you’re able to recognise this feeling before you enter full burnout mode, you’ve done a fantastic job. Burnout is a fickle, secretive beast whose signs and symptoms are easy to ignore. What seems like low-level stress initially can quickly spiral into anxiety, and then depression before you can even hit send on that supposedly ‘urgent’ email.
What are the signs and symptoms of burnout?
According to GP and burnout survivor Dr Claire Ashley on TikTok, there are five key stages of the syndrome to be aware of.
- The Honeymoon Phase: This occurs when you’ve just started a new job, or a new role within your current workplace. Everything is good – so good, in fact, that you take on a lot of extra work to prove your worth and deepen your job satisfaction.
- The Onset of Stress: Before long, you’ll notice a nudging feeling of stress. Chilled days are few and far between if existent at all. Dr Ashley says that there are three things that characterise this stage: a lack of time for personal needs, seeing your friends and family less, and feeling like your work is the most important thing. You might get headaches, aches and pains, difficulty sleeping as well as some emotional symptoms.
- Chronic Stress: Your ability to focus and problem-solve begins to be affected. Dr Ashley says that you might begin to feel out of control and powerless. Your productivity decreases as a result, which brings feelings of overwhelm, failure, guilt and shame. There’s also a sense of denial at this stage, which forces sufferers to distance themselves from colleagues and loved ones. Some people might self-medicate during this stage.
- Burnout: According to Dr Ashley, the main symptom of burnout itself is apathy. You’ll also experience critical exhaustion and fatigue which doesn’t necessarily feel in line with how much sleep or ‘rest’ you’re getting.
- Habitual Burnout: This is where you’ll likely need outside intervention from either a doctor or psychologist.
By checking in with yourself to see where you’re at on your personal stress barometer and acting accordingly, you work to actively prevent the onset of a mental health crisis which necessitates a far longer recovery time. Dr Ashley says that if you’re in stages one to three, you have a fantastic opportunity to take steps now.
You can pre-order Dr Ashley’s book The Burnout Doctor: Your 6-step Recovery Plan now.
How do you prevent burnout?
There are a myriad of ways in which you can burnout. First and foremost is recognising the onset of chronic stress. From here, you can talk to your boss about your concerns and adjust your schedule accordingly. Then, the personal work begins:
What can you do to help alleviate burnout?
“When recovering from burnout, essential oils like lavender, bergamot, frankincense, and ylang-ylang are particularly beneficial due to their calming, grounding, and mood-boosting properties.” Says Yasmin Sharp, the In-House Aromatherapy Expert at Nikura.
“Nikura’s Positivity Essential Oil Blend has a blend of Bergamot and Frankincense: bergamot uplifts the spirit while reducing stress, and frankincense can help aid in mental clarity and emotional balance. These oils, when used in combination through diffusers, topical application, or baths, can help restore energy, alleviate feelings of overwhelm, and bring a sense of peace and renewal during the recovery process.”
Brigitta Lark, Holistic Therapist at Almora Botanica adds, “Self-care and showing yourself love is the fastest way to recover from burnout, and within that, massage is a fantastic tool to help relieve tension. I love using a natural oil, like Almora Botanica’s Nourishing Night Face Oil with a gua sha tool, gently massaging key areas that get tense easily, like the jaw and temples. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and as you gently massage your tool into the area, feel the tension melt away.”
We’ve curated a selection of tools, gadgets and accessories that will help you to prioritise self-care this burnout season.
Almora Botanica Face Yoga Fitness Skin Glow Set
Once you experience a professional facial, it’s hard to go back. Nevertheless, this brilliant face yoga set from Almora Botanica allows you to experience the power of an Ayurvedic facial from the comfort of your home. Vegan and made in the UK, it includes a Restorative Day Face Oil containing flax and celery superseed extracts that even out skin texture, as well as two Gua Sha mushroom tools for supreme lymphatic drainage.
Buy now £85.00, Harrods
Nikura | Positivity Essential Oil Blend
Pop this concentrated blend of goodness into your electric diffuser, your bath, or on your pressure points before meditating to engage in positivity-fuelled relaxation. It contains bergamot and frankincense to help improve mental clarity and reduce stress, as well as lavender to promote relaxation.
, Amazon
Fable England Tree of Life Vintage Blue Long Pyjamas
Just like a brand-new workout set encourages movement, a luxurious pair of sumptuously soft pyjamas will encourage you to get cosy and spend a much-needed evening on the sofa before getting an early night. We love these 100 per cent viscose PJs which provide a silky-soft, easily washable feeling without breaking the bank.
Buy now £38.00, Fable England
Neal’s Yard Remedies Esta Aroma Diffuser
Create a spa-like feel in the comfort of your own home with the Neal’s Yard Esta diffuser — we can already feel the terrycloth robes and oversized slippers.
Housed in a stylish bamboo casing, the diffuser is small but mighty with an automatic setting that encourages mist to be released every 30 seconds. You won’t need to disguise this one behind a house plant either, place it on a side table and book your massage.
Buy now £51.00, Neal's Yard Remedies
Bed of Nails Original Acupressure Mat
Far from the medieval bed of nails of ‘ole, this modern acupressure mat has been reinvented to alleviate aches as well as reduce stress and prevent sleeplessness. The 8,800 non-toxic plastic spikes increase blood flow and release endorphins in a similar way to acupuncture needles.
Shop more acupressure mats here
Buy now £70.00, Amazon
Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
Handcrafted and filled with beautiful dried botanicals, these shower steamers have been expertly crafted with therapeutic essential oils to enhance your mood through the power of aromatherapy. This set contains five wonderful blends of essential oils, with each targeting a different mental goal: clarity, vitality, serenity, purity and tranquillity.
Buy now £31.99, NOTHS
Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 750DAB Wake up to Daylight Table Lamp
Best for: insomniacs
Ideal for bad sleepers, this wake-up light alarm clock is designed to help with insomnia. It’s actually a Class 1-graded medical device. Not only will it rouse you in the most gentle and natural way possible – brightening 30 minutes before your alarm, but it will also help lull you to sleep. The fading low-blue light signals the body and encourages it to produce melatonin so you doze off, switching between pink, orange and red before turning off.
The multi-tasking product is also an alarm with 20 sound options, a digital clock and a nightlight – transforming from a warm glow to illuminate your room into a bright sunny space. Whether you suffer from SAD or winter blues, this clock will work wonders to boost your mood as well as your energy levels and even your productivity.
There’s the added bonus of a USB port to charge your phone and you can connect via Bluetooth to stream music or podcasts.
Buy now £183.20, John Lewis
Murad Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum 30ml
This is probably our favourite Murad product in the brand’s stellar collection (closely followed by the saviour Deep Relief Blemish Treatment). Without feeling greasy or oily, it glides onto the skin for megawatt brightening, while also balancing any hyperpigmentation.
As the colour of the bottle indicates, it’s a vitamin C-based formula but not the standard. It’s a gold-stabilised form used in a unique complex to encourage better potency and stability. This is something that is also ensured with the dual-chamber delivery system where with each pump, the two elements combine to maintain their concentration. Glycolic acid has a gentle buffing effect to remove dead skin cells and let your glow emanate out.
Buy now £66.00, lookfantastic
Komuso Classic Shift
Even though we are doing it continuously all day, we rarely actually focus on our breathing. This beautifully designed necklace may appear unassuming at first but can actually be used to combat anxiety by helping you slow and regulate your breathing. Controlling and focusing on your breathing has many benefits including decreased stress hormones, reduced blood pressure and lowering your heartbeat as well as loosening up your muscles.
The Shift necklace’s length and diameter are created specifically to achieve ideal exhalation. It can be used at any point in the day and makes no sound so is entirely discreet. We also like the sustainable element of this product as it is made from recycled, medical-grade stainless steel and comes in four beautiful colours.
Buy now £73.00, Komuso
Headspace
Co-founded in 2010 by a former Buddhist monk to make meditation more accessible, Headspace is filled to the brim with brilliantly guided meditations of varying lengths. We’re big fans of their sleepcasts, which can be customised depending on your preferred ambiance-to-narration ratio.
Buy now, Headspace
Find What Feels Good Yoga
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Adrienne. What she’s achieved for the yoga community – essentially pioneering at-home practice – is entirely unmatched. While you can watch her videos on YouTube for free, the subscription-based content on offer on FWFG is wide-ranging, uber fun, versatile and even comes with the opportunity to engage with a global community of yogis of varying levels.
It’s not all about Adrienne either, for there are a range of other instructors with different areas of expertise who showcase their skills in an equally motivating and calming manner.
For those who are a fan of Adrienne as a person, she posts regular member’s vlogs with life updates and advice, as well as meditative videos from manifestation experts. There are full body pilates classes which don’t require any pesky equipment, HIIT-based workouts, and the entire app is wonderfully easy to navigate. You can watch any time, on any device, and even participate in live-streamed classes for extra motivation and a wonderful sense of community.
My favourite series is the Yoga for Every Day of your Cycle – which includes high-energy classes to engage with during your follicular phase, and calming meditative practises to enjoy during your luteal phase.
Buy now, Find What Feels Good Yoga
Nourished 3D Printed Vitamins
Want to avoid the faff of having to take multiple vitamins for every aspect of your health? Opt for Nourished. The 3D-printed vitamins are vegan-friendly and designed by you, to your specifications, so you can be sure to get all the nutrients you need.
Whether you’re looking to have more energy, be more focused or get better heart health, build your own custom seven-ingredient stack from 28 nourishments (including ashwagandha, lycopene and vita-algae D3) or take Nourished’s quiz to determine exactly the right combination to help optimise your lifestyle.
You can sign up for just a one-off box of vitamins or they offer a fab subscription service where you can get the box sent directly to your door, so you’ll never need to worry about running out.
As far as vitamins go, they are also the tastiest ones on the market by a long shot.
Buy now £39.99, Get Nourished
V80 by Verve
V80 by Verve was created by the founder of MyProtein Oliver Cookson. With this powder, the sports nutrition expert created an all-encompassing nutrient-packed formula that is brimming with essential minerals with your recommended daily nutritional needs in one beverage.
The full ingredient list is detailed on the exterior of the packaging. Each element has been carefully selected to assist the body. You will find an extensive alphabet of vitamins as well as greens like spirulina, pea protein isolate and chlorella, pre and probiotics and adaptogens aplenty.
These combine to boost energy, support the immune system and balance gut health, all while remaining entirely vegan-friendly. It has also been infused with real fruit so you can forget that typical ‘green’ taste in favour of a more refreshing beverage.
Buy now £75.00, Verve
Masaj Gift Card
Redeemable at their three London studios – Soho, Marylebone and Shoreditch, a voucher bundle from Masaj is the perfect self-care gift. Choose from ready-to-go bundles which include treatments combined with Masaj’s signature candle, or curate a bespoke voucher which has been selected to suit your recipient’s needs. Prices begin at £58.50 per voucher.
Buy now, Masaj
Ayurvedic Facial
When it comes to preventing burnout, it’s important to take a full lunch break. What better way to spend it than popping in for a quick Ayurvedic facial at Harrods? The Almora Botanica treatment is 45 minutes and includes a combination of massage, lymphatic drainage and stimulation of marma (energy) points using Almora Botanica’s natural product range that is packed with barrier-protecting adaptogenic ingredients.
Call 020 7225 5954 to book.
Buy now £65.00, Almora Botanica
