Burnout with Ellen Mara De Wachter
Arts writer and yoga teacher Ellen Mara De Wachter spoke to AWITA Members on the topic of burnout. She explored the science around this topic and offered strategies to avoid, and help yourself recover, from this 21st century predicament. Ellen began by establishing that her talk is informational and she is not offering medical advice. She shared her experience and her studies of anatomy and neuroscience to help put the mind into perspective.
“It is well acknowledged that burnout is the consequence of stresses… we are animals and we have evolved to respond to different stresses and threats.”
The part of the body that is responsible for the stress response is the sympathetic nervous system which is more or less out of our control. When we have a threat to our bodies, the stress response is set in motion which can include increased blood pressure, pupils dilate, hormones are released (like adrenaline) and the non-essential bodily systems such as fertility, immune and digestive systems, are suppressed.
Ellen outlines the four different responses to stress. The more well-known flight or fight response triggers anger or fear. The third response is freeze which appears as uncertainty, paralysis, powerlessness, and avoidance. The fourth and much less documented response is the fawn response which is appropriate to women as we are conditioned to please. The Bliss and Grit podcast “From Fawn to Fierce: A Conversation with Jane Clapp" explores this research further and Ellen has shared a link to this and other resources mentioned in the talk through the link below.
“When thoughts become intrusive and repetitive...this can cause a physical stress response.”
Ellen explains this can cause a stress cycle that is difficult to break out of. The authors Emily and Amelia Nagoski cite the philosopher Kate Manne's theory in their exploration of how burnout can be a social and existential situation. They write:
“Philosopher Kate Manne describes a system in which one class of people, the “human givers,” are expected to offer their time, attention, affection, and bodies willingly, placidly, to the other class of people, the “human beings.” The implication in these terms is that human beings have a moral obligation to be or express their humanity, while human givers have a moral obligation to give their humanity to the human beings.”
This often falls neatly along gender lines and Ellen notes that intersectionality and different aspects of identity can make things more challenging.
It is important to recognise if your work is contributing to your exhaustion, and Ellen emphasises asking yourself how it is contributing. Ellen describes a situation called “toxic positivity bias” which is when someone in a position of power comes enthusiastically into a room with lots of great ideas and plans but then leaves the room and everyone else has to work out how to make it happen. In this example, it is often the distribution of labour that can cause people to burn out.
Ellen concludes the talk with ways to avoid burnout. She recognises that you need to complete the stress cycle and “discharge" the stress from the body. She highlights that while stress can be caused by thoughts, “stress is a physiological response…and to move through it, you need to move through it with the body.”
Exercise (restorative yoga is the best for burnout), laughing, affection, and creativity are great ways to avoid burnout and suggests integrating these small practises throughout the day. To recover from burnout, you need to get to know yourself and most importantly rest, which can only be properly achieved with practise.
Please visit Ellen’s website for the resources mentioned in the talk: https://ellenmaradewachter.com/2022/02/09/resources-from-talk-on-burnout-and-recovery/
Password: Unburnouted
Please note, this talk was not recorded so the quotes may not be verbatim. The above summary was put together with the assistance of Ellen after the session.