What a burnout is

Burnout often comes from anxiety

Burnout is often the result of adrenal exhaustion combined with other adverse effects of prolonged stress. The stress can come from something in the work environment and/or in the private sphere. Often it is a combination of factors what causes stress. Stress in this case is another word for anxiety.

Adrenal exhaustion

The adrenal glands are small organs that lie like caps on the kidneys, with a layer of fatty tissue between them. The adrenal glands have an important job: their function is to cope with difficult, stressful situations.

Several hormones are produced in the adrenal glands including:

• DHEA: The hormone that makes you happy and allows you to recover from exciting events.
• Cortisol: spurs you to action by releasing energy from muscle mass, for example.

Together, these two hormones trigger a fight-or-flight response to fearful situations.

The adrenal glands have an important function in:

• Regulating the stress response “fight or flight”
• Regulating your blood sugar levels
• Fighting disease and inflammation
• Regulating balance between water and salt in your body
• Production of androgens and oestrogens

What is adrenal exhaustion? 

Adrenal exhaustion results from having to release too much cortisol for a long time due to: stress, anger, anxiety, etc. Adrenal exhaustion occurs because stress is continuous.

Stress is about being able to react quickly in intense situations. Back to the days of cavemen: the only worry you had was not to be torn apart by a scary beast, or to starve to death. In those days, there wasn't a whole lot left which meant you had to constantly pay attention

Nowadays, you have your family, work, targets, phones, email, the traffic jam, etc etc which requires you to be in a constant state of readiness to react quickly when needed.

What are the consequences of this adrenal exhaustion?

The long-term consequences are that you can suffer burnout, become overworked but your exhaustion symptoms will also increase. You then get nowhere and feel chronically tired. The body struggles to release energy and because of inflammation in the body, positive hormones such as serotonin and dopamine drop.

What causes adrenal exhaustion?

Stress, anxiety and anger can deplete the adrenal glands. The desired production of cortisol is so high that at some point the body can no longer manage it. The demand is greater than the adrenal glands can produce. Some people have so much tension in their lives over a long period of time that they develop health problems. Tensions can be caused by many different factors. One characteristic may be that you are facing an impossible task that you do not see a solution for or that there is a fear hidden in the subconscious. This creates tension and if it lasts too long, your body reacts to it. Prolonged tension and thus the production of cortisol, is the culprit when it comes to adrenal exhaustion.

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