Prioritize Your Mental Health or Your Body Will
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Imagine this: You wake up to a screeching alarm at 6:15AM. You splash some water on your face, down some coffee, and before you know it, you’re out the door ready to take the day on with everything you’ve got left in you. But it’s not much because you went to bed last night at 1AM (after promising yourself that you’d start going to bed earlier for weeks) and you wake up each day feeling like shit. Now you’re at work trying to stay afloat but no matter how much you do, the work keeps piling up higher and higher! Before you know it, you’re at home doom scrolling with an icepack on your head to help your tension headache.
And then it hits you – you haven’t even eaten today, much less had a sip of water (and no, coffee and diet Coke do not count). So, you scramble something together and go to bed only for the cycle to repeat the next day. And let’s be honest, if you have kids, a partner, or parents that you take care of in the mix, your days are likely even more hectic. A few weeks later you wake up absolutely trashed; you have a migraine, your throat is sore, and your acid reflux is at a 10/10. Naturally, you decide to visit your doctor or stay home to apply some home remedies for the next few days until you’re feeling better again. Yet, you notice that you find yourself in this cycle every 3-6 months. Why is that?
If any of the above even sound remotely like you, it’s because you are ignoring severe signs of burnout (or depression, anxiety, and chronic stress). When we ignore signs that our mental health is declining, it tends to manifest physically – this is what therapists call “physical” or “somatic” symptoms. Unfortunately, in many families and cultures, psychological symptoms and disorders are framed as “excuses” for laziness, cowardliness, or manipulation (here’s to you Grandpa Joe from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). We also live in a society that praises productivity (e.g., at home, work, and school). Unfortunately, there is a large work culture that only prioritizes rest and wellness if you can prove that you were at death’s doorstep. How messed up is that?
In my Caribbean household, it was an absolute crime against humanity to sleep in past 8AM on the weekends in the summertime because my grandmother was so fearful that we’d “sleep the day away” and “become bums”. Sounds dramatic, right? But for so many people and cultures, this line of thinking has kept them motivated and successful. Having a “bad day”, feeling “down about yourself”, or just wanting to sleep are not viewed as good enough reasons to take time out for yourself. However, physical ailments were. Over time, I learned to fake sick but sometimes I would genuinely wake up with a headache which gave me a few more hours to get the rest I needed (…on the weekends…during the summer). We all learn this very lesson that I did in one way or another – if we can’t get our mental health needs met or respected (by our family members, or bosses, or by ourselves), somatic symptoms will show up to legitimize our need (e.g., the need to sleep in, take the day off, or go to the doctor that you’ve been putting off). This is a long way of saying that our unconscious mind comes to our rescue to “make us sick” to give ourselves a break because our conscious mind won’t let us.
Research also shows that there is a strong correlation between poor mental health and physical wellness; the longer our bodies exist in a chronic state of stress (be it due to a lack of sleep, stressful work/home environment, poor diet, burnout, etc), the more susceptible we become to illness and diseases. Burnout has been linked to headaches, stomach/intestinal issues, and muscle pain. Chronic stress has been associated with difficulty breathing, indigestion/heartburn, blurry vision, chest pains, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases. Anxiety, if untreated, can cause insomnia, weight gain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and viral infections. These physical illnesses and diseases are often linked to the increased adrenaline and cortisol hormones the body releases to get through short but intense periods of stress. But that’s just it, these hormones were designed to be released for short periods of time (think a few hours or 3 days MAX). So when we’re feeling depressed, burnt out, or chronically anxious/stressed for weeks and months at a time, our bodies are continuously being exposed to these stress hormones which can cause irreparable damage. So learn to prioritize your mental health or your body will.
Don’t wait for your body to push back. Get started with burnout therapy in New York, NY
Don’t wait until you are feeling sick to get support. As a New York burnout therapist, I understand the struggle and I’m here to help you navigate it. If you’re ready to take control and start feeling like yourself again, reach out to Lavender Therapy today. Together, we can create a personalized plan to address the root causes of your burnout and help you regain balance and joy in your life.
1. Schedule a free, 15-minute consultation with me and start your journey to recovery.
2. Explore my blog for insightful articles and practical tips for managing burnout.
3. Start feeling like yourself again!
Other services I offer in the New York area
Life brings many unique challenges, and I'm here to support you every step of the way. In addition to burnout therapy, I offer specialized services to help you navigate through different phases and experiences. Anywhere in New York, I offer therapy for postpartum and pregnancy concerns, general therapy, therapy for infertility and pregnancy loss, and family planning therapy. Let's work together toward your physical and mental wellness.
About The Author:
Dr. Ruby Rhoden is a New York-based Licensed Psychologist who is dedicated to uplifting women through life changes and challenges, including reproduction. With a deep understanding of the complexities of burnout, Dr. Ruby provides a safe and supportive space for clients to explore their emotions and develop strategies to overcome exhaustion and regain their zest for life. She understands how unhelpful behavior patterns and mental health disorders uniquely impact women and uses evidence-based techniques to usher in sustainable change and relief. Dr. Ruby is dedicated to helping women develop healthier habits and relationships with themselves and their bodies so that they can connect to others and the world around them again. Dr. Ruby studied at Cornell University and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey for her Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees, respectively. In her free time, she enjoys watching reality TV, supporting small businesses, and writing blog posts to remind all women that they are not alone.
