After work with dozens of women in the past few years in clinical practice I hear the same things again and again. It’s a series of unfortunate events that I can now predict the symptoms that follow. The bloating, the racing mind, the brain fog… I see these outward symptoms each day in exhausted people who are struggling to slow down. So what’s the commonality? How did it end up this way and can it be avoided? It all comes down to the habits that lead to burn out.
Maybe you have a hormone problem
Maybe you need an anxiety medication
Maybe you’re just not zen enough
But, what if none of that was true?
What if the way you feel is actually a result of a series of minor poor habits that have been in your control all along.–Those poor choices that you made again and again and again...
Jonathan Kozol said, “Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”
We’re not talking about major life changes here, we’re taking about those small minor habits that you’ve never really considered being a problem before
Related: 5 ways to simplify nutrition for the overwhelmed and anxious
5 Habits That Lead to Burn Out
1. Drink water…sometimes…but not really
If you’re prone to giving yourself a pat on the back for a day when you consume a full water bottle- Be real. Is that really a significant amount of water for your grown adult body that gets doused in diuretic beverages every 4 hours?
A baseline need for an average individual is half their body weight in ounces. This means, if you’e weighing in at 180 pounds, you should be consuming at least 90oz of water daily. This increases with intake of coffees or diuretics, activity level or pregnancy and breast feeding.
2. Skip breakfast… because you’re really not hungry + you need to listen to your body, right?
Not being hungry after you’ve fasted for 12 hours- does that seem right to you? If your hunger hormones are turned off in the early morning hours- maybe you need to be asking, “Why?”. This is your body communicating something to you. Listen. Usually your cortisol is to blame and you’re on your way heading to burn out.
Related: Burn out recovery project
3. Eat sporadically, not at all, or binge
If you’re trying to communicate to your body that it is safe and doesn’t need to feel so panicked, try giving it a steady source of fuel. This means, three solid meals, with 3 macronutrients on each plate.
This is especially true when you’re looking for a result of weight loss- why would your body be burning calories if it doesn’t know if it’s going to get fed the next 12 hours or not??
Does your eating follow regular hunger cues? Or do you lend to eat more in result of stress or extreme cravings?
Related: How to build a balanced meal
4. Eat empty carbs on an empty stomach
By empty, I mean void of real nutrients, but packed with happiness.
Cereal, chips, granola bars, bagel, soda, chocolate… you get the picture.
While there can be room for some of your favorites as part of a balanced diet, like the 3 balanced meals I mentioned above. Simple carbs like these, eaten in isolation spike your blood sugar, drive up your stress hormones and anxiety, then leave you burnt out with more cravings and even lower blood sugar.
This can even be true for some health foods- yep, I’m talking about your all fruit smoothie, or your gluten free crackers.
Watch out for those naked carbs.
Related: How to stop stress eating sugar
5. Be consistently reactive
“I’m late again. I need to wake up earlier.”
“I’m not really hungry, I’ll just have some coffee.”
“I’m all shaky, maybe I’m hungry, I’ll finish my daughter granola bar.”
“My sister wants to come over, I’m already stressed, but I can’t say no-.”
“These notifications are making me crazy, but I don’t want to miss them.”
“I fell asleep on the couch again- I need to go to bed earlier.”
“I forgot to shower- I’ll wake up earlier tomorrow.”
She said for the 100th time….
No plans, no actual steps to make changes, just fleeting thoughts of how things could be better.
If you’re spending all your time reacting to the circumstances around you- you’re missing out on the very present moment, and you’re on your way to burn out.
What would actually be the result if you changed these minor elements in your day?
How would you actually feel?
Related: Self care for depression: 10 things you need to try
If you relate to these habits above- you’re my people.
If you’re struggling to break those old habits that you know aren’t serving you anymore, you will want to check out this post: How to break old habits.
In this post, about why it’s really so hard to be consistent with our intentions when the other side of our brain is always wanting sugar, safety, and predicability- even when you know it doesn’t serve you.
It’s why these old habits are so hard to break alone.
Remember, It’s my actual job to help people just like you make sustainable changes so you can actually start feeling like yourself again.
I would love to be an ally on this journey with you. I know you don’t want something more on your plate right now. I’ll be responsible for the how. All you have to do is commit and show up.
Can nutritional therapy actually work to help you recover from burn out?
Freedom + security comes from having a plan in place.
What does that look like for you?
No more guessing.
No more grabbing all the free tidbits from Instagram and applying them to your life without results.
No more cupboard full of supplements that you don’t even know if you need.
No more “I don’t even know where to start.”
No more feeling that no one is listening to you or taking you seriously.
No more googling your daily symptoms.
If you think this could be for you, and believe change can happen, you make steps forward to change your health.
The best part?
You start your next steps prepped, prepared and ready.
This is a carved out path specifically made for you-
With all the happy progress checkpoints along the way.
I know that you’re motivated to change.
I know you’ve been researching on your own.
I know you’re ready to show up and make changes for yourself and your family.
Because you get what you came for.
” Prior to working with Leana, I was experiencing digestive tract issues and eczema flare ups which required me to have multiple rounds of steroids and consults with dermatologist. None of these interventions were helping me with my issues and I felt very “unheard” in the process. I ask my dermatologist multiple times for bloodwork to be done and to have further diagnostic assessment, but was not given the opportunity and instead, the recommendation was to go on a immunosuppressant medication for the eczema. Thanks to Leana and her nutritional therapy program, I was able to heal both my gut and my skin, and have stayed off any medication. ” -Ian
” I started working with Leana in hopes to get help with my migraines, but not only have my migraines been less often and less intense, my sleep has improved, along with having better bowel movements and less stomach aches. My cravings for sugar have greatly diminished and I am taking much less pain medication. I have been making better choices in not only what I eat but how and when I eat. “
-Nancy
This is a message of hope.
You can have a clear understanding of what foods fuel your body.
You can fall asleep and stay asleep. All Night. Long.
You can eliminate stomach pains from your life completely.
All you have to do is get started.
After all, it’s tailored specifically to you to fit into your current life.
There’s nothing stopping you.
I’m terribly passionate about seeing women recover from anxiety + depression. That’s why I turned it into my life mission.
I created a free course with my signature 5 step program to get you can-
- Fall asleep easier and sleep all night long
- Stop having a $1 reaction to a 50 cent problem
- Quiet your mind and feel balanced and at peace again
You can download this free course right here and learn the steps I walk through my every own clients with.
Or, you can lovingly forward this to a friend. <3
Best, Leana
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I do not recommend products that I have not personally vetted. *
