How Does Somatic Coaching Address the Root Causes of Burnout?
Burnout out is at an all time high and it’s on the rise.
I’m not just making this shit up. Stats back up this statement. According to the American Psychological Association in the 2023 Work in America Survey, 77% of people reported experiencing work-place stress in the last month.
If this isn’t disturbing enough…certain sub groups of people are experiencing it at even higher rates than others. I’m talking about groups in the medical and first responder professions, LGBTTQ2S+ community, Gen Z and Millennials to name a few.
What is burnout?
Burnout can be defined as the loss of meaning in one’s work, coupled with mental, emotional, or physical exhaustion as the result of long term, unresolved stress.
Although this official definition quotes work as being the source of burnout, I believe that burnout can result from any long-term, unresolved stress in ANY area of life. ESPECIALLY, if a person has been exposed to repeated mistreatment, trauma, or pressure to achieve via social norms.
Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
In fact, there are multiple mental, emotional, physical and spiritual signs which point to burnout. Here’s the short list:
Emotional exhaustion
Depersonalization - a distant or indifferent attitude towards work which manifests as negative, callous, and cynical behaviors; or interacting with colleagues or patients in an impersonal manner.
Reduced personal accomplishment - the tendency to negatively evaluate the worth of one’s work, feeling insufficient in regard to the ability to perform one’s job, and a generalized poor professional self-esteem.
Other Signs and Symptoms of Burnout:
Perfectionism and working ever harder to ‘fix’ the problem
Micromanaging/controlling things which are out of your control or minor
Feelings of depression, hopelessness, anxiety, overwhelm
Loss of motivation and meaning
Aches and pains that have “no reason”
Low bandwidth
Use of substances as a means of coping
Fatigue and sleep disruption
The Solution
Search the internet and this is what you will see: Get more sleep, take a rest, eat well, drink more water, avoid triggers. You workplace will tell you the answer is self-care. Making it a YOU issue.
None of these are bad things obviously but they put all the onus on you. In the depths of burnout these may not feel doable. And ultimately these are just band-aids. Providing temporary relief but never getting to the root of the issue.
To recover and to ensure you don’t burnout out again (which is common btw), you need to go deeper:
What is the deeper source of the behaviours and mindset that lead to burnout in the first place?
How do you make the changes needed in a timely way, so as to not create even bigger problems?
Somatic healing can offer a real solution.
What is somatic Healing?
The word “somatic” means “of the body.” Because our minds and bodies are so intricately connected, somatic healing is an integrative approach recognizing the body's inherent ability to heal itself.
It acknowledges the deep connection between the mind and body, emphasizing the importance of treating physical symptoms and addressing emotional and psychological imbalances simultaneously.
Somatic healing is based on the idea that unresolved trauma and stress become trapped in the body, leading to physical symptoms and emotional distress. By focusing on bodily sensations and facilitating the release of stored tension, somatic coaching aims to restore the body's natural equilibrium, promoting overall well-being.
The science behind somatic healing lies in the intricate relationship between the brain, the nervous system, and the body's physiological responses.
At the core of somatic healing is the concept of neuroplasticity, or brain rewiring, which refers to the brain's ability to change. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to create new neural pathways, strengthen existing ones, and rewire connections based on our experiences. Individuals can harness the power of neuroplasticity to rewire the brain's neural pathways, regulate emotional responses, and restore balance within the autonomic nervous system.
By addressing the physiological imprints of trauma and stress, somatic healing promotes healing at both the psychological and physical levels.
How somatic Coaching helps with burnout
1. Addressing the Root Cause
Somatic healing approaches focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of burnout.
By working through past traumas and stored stress in the body, individuals can release tension, reestablish a sense of safety, and reduce the impact of burnout.
2. Restoring Body-Mind Balance
Other somatic tools engage the body's innate ability to regulate itself.
Through gentle movements, breathing exercises, and awareness of your thought patterns and body posture, you can reconnect with your body, promoting self-awareness and enhancing your capacity to regulate stress responses.
This process allows for a restoration of balance between the body and mind and an increase in resilience.
3. Accessing your inner Wisdom
While our bodies hold onto patterns we’d like to change, they’re also incredibly wise. This wisdom is connected to our intuition, purpose, values, and vision for the future.
Somatic coaching can help you turn inward and access this wisdom. This often translates into work feeling more meaningful and boosting your self-esteem, while also improving your stress levels, energy, and wellbeing.
I now structure all of my coaching in a series of 6 sessions via Zoom, bi-weekly so you have time to integrate between session. I would be honoured for the opportunity to help you resolve your burnout once and for all…
