As a Life Coach, NLP Master practitioner and Clinical Hypnotherapist I’m seeing more symptoms of Burn out in my practice than ever before.
With stress being the great threat to wellness in the workplace, it rapidly becoming apparent that companies across the UK are losing billions in profit due to the collective culture of corporate fatigue.
Modern technology has lead to an expectance amongst some that because you’re able to be, you should be, continuously signed in. This has become both the best and the worst thing to happen to the corporate world. Smart phones and ubiquitous access to the internet mean that we can work from any where in the world, giving us more freedom than ever, however it also means that we just do not switch off, ever!. I question if that is really freedom, when we are tied to the laptop or internet at all times?
This ability to be always available affects us on many levels, like being able to actually stop and recharge and to stay present with ourselves and those close to us. This in turn plays havoc with our health, happiness and our personal (and professional) relationships.
I think our Work life balance has become…. off balance.
In a world where we are living from the Yang energy which is the male energy, the driven, dominant and the doing energy. There is no coincidence that this yang energy is the fire energy.
Whilst we are talking about burn out, we need to acknowledge and nurture more of the Yin energy so that we can remain in balance even when we are super busy being productive. Yin energy is the feminine side, the soft being energy, the water that balances the other side of us all, yes even you men out there, that needs to be nurtured in you too, to keep us all balanced and healthy.
Now, here is the the thing, the corporate world has been historically, and whilst things are now changing, is still to this day predominantly male. It is all about getting stuff done, driving forward, hitting targets, go go go and so burn out is inevitable in the individuals that make up this culture, unless the individuals take action to help themselves through means of exercise, nutrition, mindfulness and self development.
Animals are different from humans in the way that they react to stress. When the deer gets chased by the tiger and escapes it can be found, calmly grazing in the field, just a short time later.
However when we have had a stressful experience; an argument, a traffic jam, witnessed a road traffic accident, the stress hormone cortisol is released into our bodies. We will notice this when our breathing changes, heart rates raise, rational thinking is elusive as our bodies go into fight or flight mode.
At this point concentration becomes a challenge and trying to get anything done becomes almost impossible, it certainly wont be your best work, let me tell you…..
We then don't go calmly to graze on the grass, nor would we want to; but you get my point right?
We then arrive at the office still in the stressed state to be confronted by unexpected work, new deadline, 1 million emails and a letter of resignation from the most amazing PA that you ever had!
Wow… that stuff happens on a daily, until Friday night when we can hit the pub and drown our worries into the bottom of a pint glass or bottle wine.
Living this kind of lifestyle overtime, plays havoc with your ability to focus, it creates irritability, weight problems, anxiety, panic attack and depression and eventually this will all cause disease.
What is needed is stress management and health maintenance. Providing stress management tools to employees can literally save hundreds upon thousands of pounds in business costs. As productivity increases, absenteeism decreases and morale lifts all-round.
Research shows that in order for staff retention it be at its the best, staff need to feel connected and part of the family. When we are in a state of stress the only thing that are primitive brain can focus on is survival, so the feeling of connection is non apparent and people leave the fold in search of that feeling of safety and security, which other companies may or not provide.
At Ignite this is exactly what we provide. We have created a system which combines a multitude of techniques which are taken from NLP, Coaching, Therapy and even from aspects of Yoga philosophy which enable employees to not only feel ‘safe’ but allows them to become self empowered in relation to their own mental and emotional well-being. This has been proven to reduce the levels of stress in the work place and create a more desirable place to be.
Written by Adele-Marie Hartshorn
