Under pressure?
How can you get back on track when life gets on top of you? Tracey Cole shares her advice to ease the burden
Words: Bethany Searby.
Photos: Peter Nixon
The term burnout was first coined as a condition seen in health workers in the 1970s. Then, the idea spread to different types of work, especially in the corporate sector.
A person with burnout experiences total physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, which usually follows a stressful, anxious or depressed stage that has depleted their cortisol levels – anatural hormone that helps the body deal with stress.
Burnout is the extreme end of these conditions, when cortisol levels are low and remain low, even if the original trigger’s removed. This means that if a person experiencing burnout goes away for a week in the sun, they won’t come back fixed.