Where does working smart and being focused to make a difference turn a corner and head towards burnout? To complement her podcast this week, Kim Ingleby gives you the low-down plus some useful resources.
‘Burnout’ is often known as the over-achievers’ syndrome: always being switched on, available and saying yes. To a point, doing this is required to succeed in life, to take a risk, grow your business and make things really happen. But at what point does it head towards burnout?
In 2016, 2,000 GPs were interviewed by Pulse and suggested that over 50% of their patients were at a high risk of burnout. But how can you tell if you are at a high risk? Burnout isn’t just feeling a bit tired, missing a client appointment and not taking care of yourself for a couple of days. Although these are great early-warning signs to take notice of, burnout is when your mind and body is in complete overload from prolonged, unmanageable levels of stress through work, family, life and within yourself. Emotionally and physically you are exhausted, irritable, overwhelmed and even the simplest of tasks are challenging. The irony of near burnout is that people tend to do more – trying to override the feelings of fatigue due to confusion, fear of saying no and stopping, or just not realising how stressed they are.
How to stop the rollercoaster of a busy client diary and long hours is a challenge, which undoubtedly takes time and trust. Learning how to manage your client diary, the ability to say no and having clear boundaries is key. Then, working together with the support of a great team is invaluable. In the fast-paced, high-energy environment of the fitness world, it’s often easy to miss someone close to burnout due to the adrenalin from teaching, and the pressure to perform and deliver.
Learning how to support each other, and look after yourself, is key to longevity in this industry. It sounds simple, yet encouraging good rest, recovery and down time is key and also good practice for our clients to observe. It is really helpful to prioritise your own training, nutrition, hydration and fun time – for, without this, many trainers lose the very joy and motivation that brought them into the industry. I encourage you to take a moment and think about how you feel as you read this. Do you feel as vibrant and excited about your work as you used to? And, if not, what three simple changes could you make this week that would make a difference? Write them down, commit and then repeat. And, if you would like more support, do just reach out and connect with me: I would love to help you.
Additional resources to help with burnout
- Simple life hacks blog
- My TEDx on overcoming adversity
- Trainer’s blog
- Rise and Shine book
- My Hound of Happiness – Simple Tips to Feel Good book (profits go to Mental Health Charity)
- Adrenal Fatigue book
- Headspace app
- Good pop out box and simple blog by ACE
About the author
Kim Ingleby is an award-winning mind and body coach who founded Energised Performance in 2004, offering three core services for business teams, sports performance and female mind/body confidence. Her clients include several CEOs, Team GB Olympians, running companies, Strictly Come Dancing professionals and hundreds of people looking for that support to achieve more and feel happier in life.
Where next? Listen to Kim’s podcast about burnout.
And then … read about how the health and fitness community is helping the homeless.
