Have you heard the news? The burnout struggle is real!
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the inclusion of burnout in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon!
As a burnout survivor who has chosen to dedicate my life to conquering stress and defeating burnout, I cannot emphasize enough how important this development is for all of us.
Here is why this is fantastic news:
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The addition of burnout to the ICD-11 revision recognizes that the struggle of burnout is real!
If you have accepted that stress and burnout are the price you have to pay for success, think again!
Long gone are the days when we assumed that diminished performance was a personal flaw.
The symptoms of burnout are a clear wake-up call that we have exceeded our capacity to meet life’s demands without harming our wellbeing.
2. The WHO description of burnout in the ICD-11 revision reminds us of the three warning signs that indicate that we are sliding down the slippery slope of burnout:
1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job;
3. Reduced professional efficacy.
3. The WHO entry, defines exactly what the problem is and why burnout has become a public health crisis:
“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.“
As long as we learn how to manage stress better, we CAN defeat burnout!
Now is the best time to elevate effective stress management to one of our top priorities, which we commit to daily.
As the founder of Myndzen and a toxicologist who has developed an effective treatment plan against the toxic impact of stress in our lives, I am thrilled that the World Health Organization recognizes how important addressing the burnout crisis is.
But as a fellow human being who has suffered so much from chronic stress and burnout despite succeeding by the status quo expectations, I want to offer you a different perspective on effective stress management.
Here are three things you can begin incorporating into your life today to get on the path of conquering stress and defeating burnout for good.
1. Commit to enhancing your stress-related self-awareness.
You can access your inner strengths and optimal performance. Make it a daily priority to identify triggers, false alarms, and limiting beliefs that activate your stress response unnecessarily. Then add daily practices, such as meditation or exercise, that help you become better at re-setting your nervous system after a reactive stress response to a calmer mode.
2. Re-organize your life for less stress.
Whether you need to get rid of toxic people in your life, or establish a place for your keys, make sure you are dedicating some time every day to make the necessary changes to minimize unnecessary stress.
3. Use every day experience to build a stress-resilient brain.
When we give up the notion that someday, the external world will be less stressful, we can take ownership of our internal responses that trip us up.
We can then work diligently to build new ways of responding to stressors that don’t make us feel like we are falling off a cliff. The practice of these new responses can alter the neural pathways in our brain so that our brain becomes more resilient to stress.
Instead of waiting for external things to change to lower your stress, you can use this effective “treatment plan” to stop stress from messing with you.
The World Health Organization’s recognition of burnout is a significant turning point in our collective efforts to address the toxic impact of stress on our bodies, relationships, and workplaces.
However, we can do much individually to shield ourselves from the debilitating impact of burnout. You don’t have to be a toxicologist to avoid the toxic impact of stress in your life!
Also, if you ever get stuck, or don’t know where to start, know that I am here for you.
By clicking on this link, you can join my mission to defeat burnout and have science-based, effective & practical tips to conquer stress and defeat burnout delivered directly to your inbox.
I can show you how to stop stress from messing with your life.
Together, we can make this world a less stressful place for all of us to live in.