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South Africa is one of the most stressed nations in the world and the number of people experiencing burnout is reaching epidemic proportions.
If you think that sounds a tab melodramatic, test yourself on this list from the book Recover from Burnout by Judy Kiplin:
There’s needing-a-caffeine-fix-to-get-you-going-in-the-morning burnout that has you eating everything containing caffeine, sugar, carbs or salt
The combative burnout, which makes you pick a fight with everyone – family, friends, colleagues, strangers in traffic
The not-wanting-to-talk-to-anyone-or-do-anything (other than lie in bed and watch undemanding movies or read trashy novels) burnout
The miserable, depressed and dispirited burnout that makes you question every life choice you’ve ever made
Or the burnout that has you so bone weary and so depleted that you can’t even pull a door closed, let alone yourself toward yourself.
I was shocked that I could identify with some on that list and I could identify the symptoms in others. Judy is a Johannesburg-based Master Life Coach who has suffered from burnout. In this book she reveals how burnout works, provides clear guidance on how to recover from burnout and how to keep it at bay for the rest of your life.
I was fascinated by her explanation on the Drama Triangle or the Bermuda Triangle of Drama because it’s so difficult to resist being sucked into: “Once you are in it, it’s equally difficult to get out of. But it is possible to leave and stay out of the drama. It requires being mindful and vigilant about how we behave in our interactions with others and within ourselves. Once we understand the dynamics and how we respond to people and situations, we can drop the drama and find peace and calm,” said Judy. The anxiety caused by the drama leads to burnout.
By recognising the patterns that lead to burnout you can change your habits for the better. If you find yourself pleasing others at your own expense; saying yes when you should say no (and no when you should say yes); trying to do everything yourself rather than asking for help or giving more than you have – then you need this book.
Recover from Burnout is available at Loot for R206, Exclusive Books for R276 and Takealot for R205.
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