Burnout 101
Somatic Therapy San Francisco
In this day and age, all of us have heard the term burnout. Most of us correlate burnout with work and have a general understanding of what the term means. However, the original meaning, as defined by Herbert Freudenberger in 1975 (and discussed by Nagoski and Nagoski in their book of the same name and quoted here), involves three key components:
“Emotional exhaustion: the fatigue that comes from caring too much, for too long;
Depersonalization: the depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion; and
Decreased sense of accomplishment: an unconquerable sense of futility: feeling that nothing you do makes any difference” (Nagoski and Nagoski, 2019).
Many of us have the lived experience of burnout—we know it intimately and have tried our best to deal with it. However, as much as we try to self-care the burnout away by using green juice and massages, we can’t seem to get a handle on this ever present phenomenon.
Why don’t our remedies work to relieve ourselves of burnout? As Nagoski and Nagoski (2019) adeptly point out, our nervous system evolved to deal with threats in a very specific way. They use the example of a lion chasing us. There is an explicit threat and we deal with that threat in a very appropriate way: we run, we fight, or we freeze. In our modern society, we often can’t respond how the primitive parts of our brain would like us to and we can get stuck, e.g. we can’t take action such as punching someone who is impolite to us, even though that might complete the stress cycle. So we get stew in the stress, even when we remove the stressor. And as Nagoski and Nagoski succinctly state:
“. . .addressing the cause of stress doesn’t mean you have addressed the stress itself. Your body is soaked in stress juice, just waiting for some cue that you are now safe from potential threat and can now relax into celebration. And it happens day after day. . .after day (p. 8).”
It’s no wonder that all the celery juice and spa days in the world do not erase the accumulation of stress. According to Nagoski and Nagoski, we have to find a way to complete the stress cycle—to let our nervous system know that the proverbial lion is gone and that we are ok. Nagoksi and Nagoski espouse movement as the easiest way to let our bodies know we are safe:
“Physical activity is what tells your brain you have successfully survived the threat and now your body is a safe place to live. Physical activity is the single most efficient strategy for completing the stress response cycle.” (15).
To start dealing with our burnout, incorporating movement is our best bet. However, sometimes movement alone is not enough.
What does Somatic Therapy San Francisco Have To Help With Burnout?
Although movement is the single most efficient way to deal with burnout (and regular movement, daily is better, per the Nagoskis), many people are unable to process the stress and trauma that have accumulated without some professional help. They might already be going the gym or taking dance class but may not be able to shake that feeling of burnout. Fortunately, somatic therapists exist that can help process those experiences with clients.
Somatic therapy, specifically dance therapy, allows clients to both move and release trauma.
Therapists are trained to analyze where clients hold trauma in the body and how to use specific movement interventions to release that trauma. Dance therapists are also trained in psychotherapy to help clients process themes that relate to their mental health.
So having the ability to incorporate both movement and therapy can start clients on the road to releasing their stress and trauma, thus alleviating burnout.
Another benefit to working with a somatic therapist is that the therapist can personalize your strategies to deal with burnout. The Nagoskis point out that each person is different and may need different strategies and that not every strategy will work the same every day. Having a healthcare provider to help guide you in releasing stress and trauma may make the process less overwhelming.
However, to quote the Nagoskis one last time:
:“One thing we know doesn’t work; just telling yourself that everything is okay now. Completing the cycle isn’t an intellectual decision; it’s a physiological shift.” (21).
If you are ready to learn how to regularly make those physiological shifts to help alleviate burnout, please email me at lisa@lisamanca.com. If you have any questions about how somatic therapy can help you, please reach out!
References:
Freudenberger, H. (1975). The staff burnout syndrome in alternative institutions. Psychotherapy Research and Practice, 12. 73-82.
Nagoski, A. and Nagoski, E. (2019). Burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle. Ballantine Books