Did you know, burnout can be understood to be another form of addiction, of self abuse. In the case of burnout, the addiction is often to the ‘socially accepted’ vice of overworking, and to the identity that is associated with that role. Burnout can often lead to a change in identity, as you may have to face changes in your life which alter your identity – perhaps stopping doing a particular job, or changing role. You might have previously identified as being ‘able to do everything’, and instead now you’re faced with tiredness, exhaustion, and a lack of enthusiasm for the things you used to do so easily.
This change of identity can be very hard for some people. We can become attached to ideas of who we are, and changes to this can feel like challenges to the core of our being. We must reconnect with who we are, beneath these layers of identity, and build a new relationship with ourselves. This path is similar for so much work around rehabilitation and recovery – from injury, from addiction, from illness, which invites us to connect with ourselves anew.
In Chinese Medicine, both burnout and substance addiction can lead to a kind of adrenal fatigue which drains your kidneys, on your deep reserves of energy. The kidneys are also associated with identity and our sense of who we are. Acupuncture is an effective way to nourish the kidneys, and to build the strength back after adrenal fatigue. Qi gong is very good for this too. We must nourish and restore the kidneys, which are our storehouse of energy.
This is a place to start, and through restoring physical balance bit by bit, we can also rebuild our connection to ourselves and our bodies.
Tamsin Ana 