Burnout Recovery: 3 Naturopathic Regimens to Rebuild Your Energy

Burnout can take a toll on both your physical and emotional health. Trying to keep up with work demands while trying to live your life to the fullest is a struggle even the most talented workers face. Recovering from burnout may be a long road ahead, but it is a path you should take for your long-term health and for the people you love. In this blog post, we will uncover three different strategies to help support your body’s response to chronic stress that can lead to burnout from within!

Why Burnout Happens

Burnout results from prolonged and unresolved stress which can affect anyone, whether you’re still months into your first job or you have worked in a specific industry for years. This type of stress impairs the connection within the brain, eventually causing your body’s response to be out of balance! This imbalance may reflect as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, exhaustion, and even irritability. To learn more about why burnout happens and how it can affect the connections that keep your body strong and healthy, we have the perfect blog post for you!

Regimen #1: Mindful Eating

The Goal: nurture healthy blood sugar levels throughout the day
As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is especially true when you are suffering from burnout because eating nourishing meals during breakfast can fuel your entire day and at the same time maintain adequate levels of glucose in the blood. Eating gluten-free and protein-rich foods such as fruits, eggs, dairy products, and meat can help maintain energy levels while reducing inflammation that your body may be experiencing due to stress. Interestingly, burnout has been associated with being addicted to caffeinated drinks!1  Controlling the amount of coffee you drink and monitoring your caffeine intake throughout the day can help prevent your burnout symptoms from worsening.
 
Knowing what you will be eating helps reduce decision-fatigue, leaving you more mental-emotional bandwidth for the decisions that matter. Starting your day with an easy, meal-prepped breakfast can help take some stress off of you and allow you to focus more on what you want to accomplish throughout the day. 

​Click here to learn how to make the Perfect Chia Pudding or our favorite Blueberry Muffin overnight oats for a delicious and healthy treat to fuel you for the day ahead! You can even try Dr. Johnson’s favorite variation (dairy or non-dairy): swap out the blueberries for frozen mixed berries, use 1T+1t chia seeds instead of flax seeds, double the cinnamon (tasty and helps lower blood sugar!) and add ¼ t vanilla extract. So yummy!

Regimen #2: Nourish Your Adrenals

Supplementing your meals with vitamins and minerals can help boost your adrenal gland, which is the source of the hormones that drive your body’s stress response. 

The Goal: support your meals with supplements 

1. Vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and a strong antioxidant that fights off free radicals and oxidative stress, thereby preventing damage that may result from persistent stress.2 Additionally, vitamin C helps control the production of cortisol, which is the main stress hormone made by the adrenal glands.2
2. Selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant in the body that works together  with other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, to boost protection against the damaging effects of free radicals and oxidative stress.2 Additionally, selenium is essential for producing glutathione, a major player in our body's defense against oxidative damage.2 Selenium also offers significant protection against damage caused by overactivity of the HPA axis, which happens when you have chronic stress or burnout!
3. Zinc. Zinc is very important in the production and release of many hormones in the body, especially those found in the adrenal gland. By helping balance hormone production, zinc can help reduce oxidative stress caused by adrenal hormone imbalances.2
4. Probiotics. Probiotics help maintain a healthy and diverse gut flora, which is essential in preventing unnecessary inflammation and nurturing the integrity of the gut barrier. This prevents harmful bacteria and toxins from entering the blood and boosts the body's antioxidant defenses and lowers oxidative stress. Because imbalances in the gut microbiota can heavily affect your adrenals, nurturing healthy levels of these microorganisms are important in balancing adrenal hormones and addressing issues related to oxidative stress.2 ​

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Regimen #3: Prioritize Relaxation

The Goal: give yourself some time out
​One of the simplest but most effective approaches in recovering from burnout is by deciding to pause and relax every once in a while. Whether long-term or short-term, your body needs rest. Practicing good sleeping habits, taking on that long overdue vacation, and even taking a 10-minute walk can help clear out your thoughts and turn off your body’s alarm signals against stress. Doing breathing exercises, such as doing longer inhales and shorter exhales for a few minutes can already help enhance your mood and reduce anxiety, and at the same time regulate your heart and respiratory rates.3

The Naturopathic Approach

Burnout can cause debilitating symptoms and affect your overall quality of life, even after work. The key to managing burnout is holistic and integrated care that focuses on uplifting your psychological mindset while at the same time nurturing your body’s response to prolonged stress. At Natural Path to Wellness, we will help you discover the best holistic regimens for your unique case and preferences. Talk to us today!

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This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your licensed naturopathic physician or other licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your medications or supplements. 

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​REFERENCES:​

1. Bae EJ, Kim EB, Choi BR, et al. The Relationships between Addiction to Highly Caffeinated Drinks, Burnout, and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. Soa Chongsonyon Chongsin Uihak. 2019;30(4):153-160. doi:10.5765/jkacap.190015
2. Patani A, Balram D, Yadav VK, Lian KY, Patel A, Sahoo DK. Harnessing the power of nutritional antioxidants against adrenal hormone imbalance-associated oxidative stress. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1271521. Published 2023 Nov 30. doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1271521
3. Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(1):100895. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895