10 physical symptoms of a burnout and how exactly meditation helps with healing it
Are you listening to your body’s signals of a burnout? If it’s screaming at you with those signals like a Christmas tree, it’s probably time to start meditating. You’ve heard how meditation can help you become happier and healthier but the likelihood to actually do it is low. I get it. I was there as well… Let me help you with some data to increase your motivation to start.
Whether you have an entrepreneurial, managerial or any other decision-making position, you are no stranger to the demands and pressures of a high-stress work environment. However, this constant state of stress can take a toll on your physical, mental and spiritual health, leading to burnout.
Burnout is a state of chronic stress that leads to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.
It can manifest in a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, changes in appetite, headaches, aches and pains, immune system suppression, cardiovascular symptoms, and digestive problems. We’ ll deep-dive into them in the second part of the article but before that, let’s explain what is stress.
What is stress?
Stress is not something that happens to you. Life happens and it is a stressful response in your body that causes all the troubles and discomfort. It’s basically a dysregulation of your nervous system when the body believes you are in danger.
Look, stress has its evolutionary purpose by putting us into a survival mode. When our ancestors were getting attacked by sabertooth tigers, the stress response actually kept them alive. How? By a chemical reaction known as Fight or Flight response.
When your sensory organs perceive something dangerous, Amygdala, the part of your brain responsible for acting upon instincts activates and releases a signal that the body is in danger. Your sympathetic nervous system goes on high alert and as a result, your heart rate increases and so do the stress chemicals Cortisol and Adrenaline, which are acidic in nature. Acidic chemicals also get to your blood so you’re not as tasty as a prey. Blood thickens so in case you get bitten you would not bleed out. It gets transferred to your limbs so you can fight or run away and naturally it leaves your brain because you don’ t really need to think under a threat. Your vision narrows and you have sharp focus on the easiest way to survive. Your bladder and bowels evacuate to make you lighter. Your digestion stops because the energy needs to be transferred to your muscles. And of course, your immunity is shut down because who cares about self healing abilities of a minor cold or cancer if you’re not going to live as a consequence of being the main course in the menu of a wild animal?
See? Stress is good in certain instances. But what happens when you are under chronic low-grade stress? Your sympathetic nervous system is always on and your body behaves like you are in danger despite you actually are not and it is just your thoughts holding you in this high-alert state. What happens to your body as a consequence of the process I described above? Let’s fill some things in the blanks…
- Cortisol and Adrenaline, which are acidic in nature. Acidic environment in the body = playground for inflammation. Chronic inflammation = playground for autoimmune diseases and pains
- Acidic chemicals also get to your blood so you’re not as tasty as a prey. This leads to aging of your skin. Look at a picture of any US president the day they started and then how they look only 4 years later.
- Blood thickens. Thicker blood, more work for your heart, more likely to experience a cardiovascular disease
- Blood leaves your brain because you don’ t really need to think — Prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for cognitive function is shut down. High stress = self-imposed lobotomy. Simply said, stress makes you stupid. No judgement here, it is a purely evolutionary response.
- Your vision narrows and you have sharp focus on the easiest way to survive — you don’t look to cooperate with others, you are only focused on your own survival. To thrive in society, we need to coopearte and build meaningful connections. However, your biology is preventing you from that. On top of this fact, having meaningful connections decreases anxiety, depression and feelings of being lonely. And we all know that this feeling of disconnection is getting stronger with stress.
- Your bladder and bowels evacuate to make you lighter — problems with frequent diarrhea, anyone?
- Your digestion stops because the energy needs to be transferred to your muscles — the opposite — problem with constipation, anyone? Digestion is the most energy-intensive process in our body after keeping the nervous system (NS) intact. Since the NS is working overtime, there’s no energy neither point in perfect digestion of your food. And that’s where the digestive problems might arise. Also, look up the brain-gut axis and you’ ll find out how the guts are considered to be the second brain. Consider this lobotomy squared.
- Your immunity is shut down — you’re more prone to being sick. Not only your mental health suffers but your body is giving you hard time as well. Extra disease to fight with = extra energy spent on something that is not repairing your stress-wrenched body.
I know those symptoms way too intimately. I went through a burnout and I successfully ignored all the warning signals that my body was screaming at me. Until my body stopped cooperating, I let it go far beyond what’s healthy. So I did what I had to do, I booked a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka and my path led me also to the Tibetan part of Indian Himalayas and Bali, where I immersed myself in anything that could help me heal from the tragic state my body-mind was in.
Two most important tools that helped me on my healing journey were meditation and breathwork. Yes, Ayurvedic doctors were doing their best to help on the physical level with all the herbs and detox protocols, but they were the ones who suggested implementing mindfulness exercises into my life. On my social media I am talking ins-and-outs of how to practice and their benefits, but this time we’ ll look at the scientific explanation of how meditation and breathwork actually helped me to heal from the physical symptoms of the burnout. There will be another article about the mental and spiritual side of the burnout so be on a lookout if you want to know more.
Why am I writing this? Anywhere I look, there is a plenty of people who seem to be on the verge of a complete burnout and I assume many of them are not even realizing that. Let’s look at the individual symptoms of the burnout and how adopting a meditation and/or breathwork practice can help those who are struggling.
Signs of a burnout and how exactly meditation & breathwork help with healing it
Fatigue: Constant feelings of tiredness and exhaustion, even after a full night’s sleep.
Meditation and breathwork can help reduce fatigue by decreasing the activity in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which is responsible for the fight or flight response to stress, and increasing the activity in the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which regulates rest and relaxation. Studies have found that regular meditation practice can lead to improved sleep, increased energy levels, and a decreased sense of fatigue. Your body enters such a deep rest that 15 minutes of meditation equals a 60 minutes nap. Perfect for busy people, isn’ t it? And also, breathwork clears the biomemory of stress imprints and hence your body does not have to deal with this during the sleep. Which brings us to…
Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or insomnia.
Meditation and the calming type of breathwork can help improve insomnia by reducing the activity of the SNS and promoting relaxation. Studies have found that regular practice of meditation and breathing techniques can lead to improved sleep quality, increased sleep duration and reducing insomnia symptoms. Our bodies are perfectly designed to keep us alive so only either one of the body or the brain get to rest at one time. You know, in case we’d get attacked by a sabertooth tiger, somebody needs be on guard. During sleep, it is mostly your brain that is getting deep rest and regenerates. Perfect for fighting that low-grade brain inflammation that is caused by prolonged periods of stress. If there’s some extra capacity, your body gets to regenerate too. During meditation or in sleep, you give your body extra time to regenerate in a faster pace.
Changes in appetite: Loss of appetite or overeating.
Meditation and breathwork can help regulate appetite by reducing stress-related hormones such as cortisol, which can disrupt hunger hormones and lead to changes in appetite. Additionally, regular practice can lead to increased awareness of physical sensations, allowing you to better distinguish between physical hunger and emotional cravings.
Headaches: Chronic headaches or migraines.
From a neuroscientific perspective, meditation can reduce chronic headaches by altering the activity in specific brain regions and neural networks. Research has shown that when we experience chronic headaches, the activity in certain areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, is increased. These areas are associated with the regulation of pain, stress, and emotions. Meditation, specifically mindfulness meditation, can help to reduce the activity in these areas, by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. This is achieved through the practice of focusing one’s attention on the present moment, and non-judgmentally observing one’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This can lead to a decrease in the activity of the default mode network (DMN) which is a network of brain regions that are active during mind-wandering and self-referential thinking and are known to increase pain perception.
Aches and Pains: Muscular tension and pain, especially in the neck, shoulders, and back.
Apart from the above mentioned decrease of the DMN activity, meditation also reduces the activity in the amygdala, which is the brain’s center for stress and emotional response, leading to a decrease in the release of stress hormones that contribute to chronic pain. Additionally, meditation can also increase activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is responsible for decision making, attention, and working memory. This increase in PFC activity can help to improve the ability to focus and shift attention away from pain. Finally, meditation may also activate the release of pain-relieving chemicals such as endorphins, which can provide natural pain relief.
Immune system suppression: Increased susceptibility to colds, flu, and other infections.
Meditation and breathwork can help boost the immune system by flooding your system with bliss chemicals Serotonin & Dopamine which are alkaline in their nature. And we all know that the majority of chronic and autoimmune diseases are caused by inflammation, which is thriving in acidic environment. The stress chemicals of cortisol and adrenaline are acidic in nature and they are constantly released into your system when you find yourself under pressure. So just contemplate whether the amount of bliss in your life is at least the same as the amount of stress. If not, there’s an imbalance and it can be corrected by the right practice. Also, studies have found that regular practice of meditation can lead to an increase in immune cells such as T-cells and natural killer cells, which are responsible for fighting off infections.
Cardiovascular symptoms: Increased blood pressure and heart rate, chest pain.
The calming breathing techniques, such as slow and deep breathing, have been shown to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health by changing the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is responsible for regulating the body’s physiological processes, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Slow and deep breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which is responsible for relaxation and rest, and decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which is responsible for the “fight or flight” response to stress. This shift in the ANS activity can lead to decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and lower overall stress on the cardiovascular system. Additionally, deep breathing has been shown to increase the production of Nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the blood vessels and improves blood flow, which reduces the risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke.
Digestive problems: Indigestion, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem to the abdomen, and is responsible for regulating many of the body’s internal functions, including digestion. The vagus nerve is also a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which regulates rest and relaxation. Breathwork, specifically the practice of slow, deep breathing, has been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve and reduce the activity of stress hormones such as cortisol, which can disrupt the digestive process.
Additionally, the stimulation of the vagus nerve through breathwork can lead to an increase in the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates the muscles of the gut and promotes peristalsis, the rhythmic contractions of the muscles that move food through the gastrointestinal tract. This can help to alleviate symptoms of indigestion, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
Research has also shown that slow deep breathing can also increase blood flow to the gut, which can help to improve nutrient absorption and bowel regularity.
It’s important to note that the research on the effects of breathwork on the vagus nerve and the digestive system is still in its early stages, but the results so far have been promising. As always, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise or practice.
To sum it all up…
In conclusion, breathwork and meditation are powerful tools that can help to heal burnout. These practices can help to reduce stress, promote relaxation, and alleviate physical and mental symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, changes in appetite, headaches, aches and pains, immune system suppression, cardiovascular symptoms, and digestive problems. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system and stimulating the vagus nerve, breathwork can help regulate the body’s internal functions, including digestion and clearing bio-memory of your tissues. Meditation, on the other hand, can help to increase self-awareness and reduce negative self-talk that leads to the downward spiral.
I know those tools work because not only they helped me, but I saw my clients being transformed in extremely short period of time (2 weeks) after implementing their 30-minutes personalized breathwork practices on daily basis. And those who left from my intensive 11-day transformational retreats were unrecognizable from the people who actually arrived there. It works like magic and whoever tried it can prove it.
So, don’t wait any longer, start incorporating breathwork and meditation into your daily routine today and see the benefits yourself. Find a meditation teacher, a breathwork instructor or just visit the yoga studio next door to teach you pranayama. Download a meditation app. Search guided mindfulness practices on YouTube. Just do something.
If you want to know how to start with the ancient Himalayan Breathwork and Meditation practices, follow me on Instagram at @theSimona and check my content for free guided exercises. If my work resonates with you and you want to take it further, reach out directly so I can design a personalized technique for you too.
A little disclaimer here — I am not a doctor, I am just a person who tried to understand what happened to me, how can I prevent it in the future and how the things I’ve learned can help others on their path. In the years of casual studying of neuroscience and experimenting with different tools, the information mentioned in the article are my findings. If something is not 100% correct, well, so be it. I put out my best and palyed with the scientific terms because I know that on my journey, I needed to convince my mind first before adopting any kind of new habit.
I am, however, certified in teaching breathwork and meditation, and have a track record of clients whose distress levels decreased as a consequence of trusting the process instead of deep-diving into the nitty-gritty of the scientific proofs. Hence, I invite you to explore meditation and breathwork and see for yourself how you feel.
