Explore the science behind burnout and discover how Polyvagal Theory can offer valuable insights into managing stress, restoring emotional balance, preventing employee burnout, and fostering resilience for a brighter future.
Polyvagal Theory: What exactly is it?
If you already know the basics of Polyvagal Theory, feel free to scroll on down to the next section! If not, let’s jump in and get familiar with this theory. Polyvagal Theory really hones in on the vagus nerve within the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes like breathing and heart rate. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a HUGE role in regulating our health and behavior, which makes sense since we know it regulates such basic processes. The Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how safety and co-regulation are central to being a healthy human by describing the psychological and physiological states that are beneath our daily behavior. It also describes why we sometimes have challenges with our mental and physical wellbeing.
TLDR: Polyvagal Theory explains why our bodies do what they do in various circumstances based on our sense (or not) of safety, connection, and co-regulation.
So, if we know that the Polyvagal Theory can help us understand why our bodies respond certain ways, it makes perfect sense to explore how it can impact burnout recovery and prevention.
How does the Polyvagal Theory impact our conversation about burnout?
Burnout is such a hot topic and buzz word in the mental health world as well as our culture at large these days. The pandemic brought workplace burnout to light, or really under a microscope, as most people were forced to work from home and face the true magnitude of the stress they were experiencing at work. While the pandemic might have illuminated the issue of burnout, the reality is that it’s been around for much longer.
When we feel regulated, peaceful, and connected, our ventral Vagus nerve is activated. But when we feel threatened, experience intense pressure, and stressed our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) kicks into overdrive and in turn our ventral vagus system shuts down. This is a major indicator of burnout. With what we know about the autonomic nervous system (ANS), we know that this isn’t simply a reaction we can cognitively control. We can’t “just calm down” or “just enjoy our jobs again” as some (not-so) helpful people might imply, or worse—actually say to us. This response of our ventral vagus system shutting down can occur either suddenly or slowly, such as a panic attack or slow burning anger.
Hooked already and interested in booking a dynamic speaker to deliver a curated training or discussion on Polyvagal Theory and how impactful it is with burnout prevention and recovery?
SO, how do we recover from burnout using the Polyvagal Theory?
- Accurately recognize our body’s experiences
Starting with the basics, we first just need to work on distinguishing and explaining what is happening in your body accurately. When we’re in a state of burnout and our SNS is in high gear, sometimes we inaccurately perceive our experiences. For example, if we hear heavy footsteps our bodies may jump to reacting as if they are footsteps of an angry boss, rather than our spouse who has come in from doing yard work.
If you’ve been in a state of burnout for a while, remember to give yourself tons of grace as you heal! You didn’t find yourself in a state of burnout overnight, and it will take some time to recover.
- Identify the signals our body is giving (fight, flight, freeze)
Once you are able to accurately recognize that you are experiencing symptoms of your SNS being in overdrive, it’s a good next step to go deeper and label the signals your body is giving through these symptoms. Is shock, feeling stuck, or collapsing a main symptom? If so, then your body might be in a “freeze” state. Are you more likely to be in a consistent state of anger? If that’s the case, “fight” might be more accurate. If fear, wanting to run, or hiding are temptations or actual choices you make in response to the stress, then “flight” may be your predominant signal.
Knowing and labeling the signals your body is giving can help more accurately repair your nervous system and recover from the burnout.
- Develop a growth mindset to help move into other states
When recovering from burnout, we want to help foster resilience for a brighter future. Sometimes when we talk mainly about burnout it can land us in a fixed mindset that often inadvertently reinforces blame, grief, and even shame. With a growth mindset, however, you can feel empowered to achieve the balance you need to truly recover sustainably from burnout. We aren’t looking for a quick fix, we want lasting change.
- Instigate sense of calm, co-regulation, and safety
Part of managing stress once you’ve identified it and its source is determining what
can help you reliably experience a sense of calmness and safety, even when aspects of your life (including work) may be stressful. Restoring emotional balance is key because without it you are back on a fast track to burnout. What works for you may not work for your friend, co-worker, or family member. It may take some trial and error to determine the most effective regulatory strategies to help you gain and maintain this sense of safety. For some, co-regulation is a major factor to help initiate this sense of safety. Co-regulation refers to a relationship where one person provides another with an environment that feels safe and nurturing.
- Evaluate your environment—are you able to grow and heal in this environment?
Employers, listen up! If you want to prevent employee burnout, your employees need to feel safe, calm, and supported. To cure burnout stress, you need to seriously reevaluate the systems and policies you have in place and ask what needs to change. Ready to address employee burnout prevention or recovery? Schedule a call with me to book a training for your team about Polyvagal Theory and burnout!
Employees, if you’re experiencing burnout it’s time to seriously ask yourself the question: Can you achieve the balance you need to live the life you’ve always wanted by staying in this particular environment? What have you identified and labeled as your body’s symptoms and signals? Are these things that can be truly healed, or will the systems in place prevent you from making lasting change? Unsure of what exactly you need to change in your environment? Let me help you remove the stumbling blocks and schedule a consulting call with me!
These are extremely difficult questions to ask as both an employee and employer. It requires humility and vulnerability to show where there may be weak spots in your company, and it can be scary to think about changing your place of employment.
Regardless of the cause of your burnout, there is truly hope for healing in a deep and meaningful way. You can restore your emotional balance and live the life you imagined living when you got to this stage!
Hooked already and interested in booking a dynamic speaker to deliver a curated training or discussion on Polyvagal Theory and how impactful it is with burnout prevention and recovery?
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