As the silly season descends upon us, so too does our need to take care of our precious energy! This is a very yang (the opposite of yin) time of year with looming deadlines, a full social calendar, concentrated family time or lack thereof—all of which can bring great expectation and will undoubtedly have us multitasking, striving, pushing, competing and.. over-committing.  

Generally, we are not even aware that we are operating in survival mode and constantly releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline until we are left completely frazzled, exhausted and, helpless. Once we’ve exceeded our biological capacity for healthy stress management, we can find ourselves edging towards the depths of burn-out, which is actually  a chronic manifestation of stress and unfortunately once depleted, it can take a long time to fully heal our nervous system and regain our vitality—so, lets collectively do our best to avoid burnout with our tried, tested and approved ways to remain grounded, well-rested and healthy this festive season. 

Stress Vs Burnout 

Stress is a chemical reaction in our body that can manifest as a “butterflies in the belly” type of nervous feeling or a burst of energy, this type of stress is actually super beneficial to us, it is adaptive and even helps us to build character and memory! However, Burnout is notably different to everyday stress. 

Burnout tends to be longer lasting with significant negative physical and emotional symptoms. When we’ve reached the level of burnout, we can experience feelings of heaviness, hopelessness, we can feel stuck/frozen, experience anxiety, depression and sometimes feel bitter or resentful towards ourselves as well as our loved ones and co-workers. Although, burnout can certainly manifest differently for everyone. 

PK’s actionable ways to beat burnout:

• Try not to overcommit or schedule within every inch of your life & make a list of where you can free yourself from things that are not filling your cup.

• Set non-negotiable boundaries around your work schedule/hours & social commitments, read more on our boundaries blog. 

• Use your voice - if your workload or responsibilities are becoming beyond your capacity, speak out, honesty here is better for everyone, especially when it comes to preserving your mental, physical and creative energy. 

• If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a break and carve out a minimum of 15 minutes a day to re centre, use this time to breathe, listen to a guided meditation, stretch, colour in, make a tea or engage with something that makes you laugh, 15 conscious minutes a day is not overrated. 

• Limit habits and stimulants that can nudge you even further into overdrive, like that second daily coffee (guilty), late night doom-scrolling (also guilty..) or saying yes to things that are really a full-body no!

• On that note, during this time, practice saying yes only to the things that are a full-body yes for you, this is something we are collectively working on at PK HQ.

• Eat easily digestible foods. If our body is over-using energy elsewhere (mental & physical), our digestion can become weak, this causes all sorts of undesirable health consequences..not worth the long term effects. So, take the extra minute or spend those extra few dollars during this time to eat nourishing foods that will support you during this time. 

• Take advantage of the wellness recourses around you. If you have the budget, explore your local movement studio, sauna, spa, and wellness /massage space. However, this doesn’t override all of the accessible cost-effective ways to unwind/decompress either, there’s nothing a good old fashioned walk in nature and breath of fresh air can’t help relieve for a little while. 

• Lastly, there are many herbs and adaptogens that can support us during this time! In saying that, from experience, it is always a good idea to check in with your healthcare practitioner before implementing any medicines, be they natural or not when you are experiencing any health concerns, especially if they have become chronic.
  Some herbs we have been loving recently at PK HQ are The Wood Herbal Adaptogens, Superfeast Reishi Mushroom Powder and Love-Tea Blends. 
  

It is essential to take care of you by carving out time to replenish your emotional and physical energy, as well as prioritising the things that not only rejuvenate you, like good quality sleep and proper nutrition but also for the things that fill your cup most, like creative pursuits and quality time with your loved ones! We hope you will wrap up your year feeling the most supported, grounded, radiant and creative version of you! 

With love, PK HQ. 

               Written by Denise Battany