A spiritual perspective on mental burn out
Burn out is a generally known term that has become (sadly enough) a household name among all layers of society.
It's a phenomenon that I have experienced multiple times in my younger life by letting people emotionally drain me without me pouring back into myself.
I would find myself in a loop caught in continuous triggers of old trauma I had not jet healed.
I found these Phantom pains in every new relationship I would commit myself to.
I always felt like I was catching up but never quite there, never quite grown, never satisfied, never quite safe to blossom.
This led me to an emotional breakdown.
My past unresolved trauma led to chronic stress and this led to a burnout
But you have other forms of chronic stress that can trigger burnout.
For instance When people’s work requires them to operate with high-stress levels without rest.
Postpartum burnout, women who don't have enough support systems in place after given birth.
People who are chronic givers and don't know how to ask for help.
Single mothers or fathers with not enough support systems
People with bad lifestyle choices and diet
All these elements and situations can lead to reduced productivity and risk their health resulting in burn out .
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Burn out from a spiritual perspective
From a holistic perspective, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
A healthy human is in tune with its mind, body, and spirit, the spirit leads the mind and the mind leads the body.
Burnout symptoms are a state of deactivation of the connection to the spirit and therefore also the mind and body.
After periods of prolonged stress, you retreat from yourself and your higher power - soul.
It’s important to recognize and prevent spiritual burnout because it fogs your vision, drains your inner energy, and in extreme cases can lead to a total abandon of your beliefs and faith in life.
Recognition starts with understanding the difference between feeling challenged and the early signs of burnout.
Challenge is a state of activation, when we are faced with challenging situations, our spiritual ego activates for action.
Burnout is a state of stagnation, you are unable to function and productivity stagnates.
Spiritual Burnout signals include:
Withdrawal from community and activity
Feeling depressed
Feeling hopeless
Spiritual disconnection (“God has abandoned me”)
Spiritual strain (“God is so far from me.”)
Spiritual doubt (“I can’t believe in God if this terrible thing could happen.)
How do we heal?
The first step is awareness
Like I previously mentioned, self-awareness is essential
some signals include:
Anxiousness
Sleeplessness
Feeling tense or pressured
A sense that you’d be okay if you got the situation under control
Learn how to empty your mind
Just as you can train your physical muscles when you exercise, you can also train your mental muscles through practices like meditation and make your mind strong balanced, and flexible, and able to focus but also UN-focus at will.
implement ritual into your life
Pick a time of day when you have some quiet time and make your spiritual practice personal and loving.
Maybe it’s 10 minutes of meditation or a quick prayer and journaling before bed.
Maybe it’s simply expressing gratitude before dinner each night.
There are simple and low-stress ways to feel connected and uplifted by your spirituality.
If the signs of spiritual burnout are resonating with you, take a moment to look at your lifestyle and how your beliefs fit into your daily life.
How can you create more balance so you to withstand the stress of a emotionally taxing breakthrough or a profound physical reaction?
Stop trying to be a superhero
Nobody is perfect if you know you are a perfectionist. try to cut yourself some slack and allow yourself to fall back and accept where you are in life or in that situation at that moment.
Seek out a support system
surround yourself with friends, family, and leaders who you can talk to.
We are global citizens living in local communities.
We are fortunate that at the end of the day, we are all human and never have to go through this beautiful life alone.
As an endnote, just remember that we are energy in physical form or spiritual beings having a human experience, and in this regard, our energy is our highest currency, protect it well.
Elvira Ocran
founder of Igzia Health