If you find yourself using alcohol to cope with stress, or to help you get to sleep at night, beware: the real culprit might be burnout. Burnout is defined as long-term unmitigated stress. Not sleeping well? Brain fog? Feel like you’ve lost yourself, or sense of purpose? These are common signs of burnout and need attention. According to a 2018 independent study by Drinkware, 60% of adults admit to using alcohol to cope with stress. If your stress is caused by burnout, alcohol is the worst possible solution.
My guest on the podcast, Jamie Phillips, shares her own story about burnout and recovery. After successfully recovering, she now works as a coach and focuses on burnout repair and reinvention.
In our conversation today, Jamie shared the signs of burnout:
- Living in fight or flight
- Never recovering from stress
- Adrenal fatigue/exhaustion
- Loss of agency
- Survival mode
- Brain fog
- Poor sleep
She also gives her favorite tips about fighting back from burnout:
- Check with your doctor
- Use nutrition for support
- Hydration
- 3 minutes to breathe
- Take one thing off your ‘to-do’ list
My personal take-away from the ‘how-to’ list was her strategy of micro-dosing. Jamie shares a powerful concept of micro-moments so that we can build in rest and self-care without feeling further overwhelmed.
In addition to burnout and recovery, Jamie and I talked about how ‘drinking was her favorite thing’ and the prevalence of alcohol in the queer community. Jamie shares openly and honestly how she discovered a deeper layer of purpose behind alcohol.
You can find out more about Jamie and her work with burnout and alcohol here:
Website: www.jamiephillips.coach
6-week RESET: www.revolutionaryreset.com
