A former charity director and environmental campaigner has spoken of how burnout impacted her life and how meditation helped her recover.
Natalie Fee ran the Bristol based charity City to Sea for a decade and said she first felt the symptoms of burnout after “two to three years” when a combination of stressful work and home events combined.
She battled the symptoms for a few years until the first Covid lock down when she began meditating under an oak tree in Greenbank Cemetery.
“I noticed that meditation felt different outside, there were fewer distractions and it felt like I was coming more into a relationship with the tree itself, the wildlife and the land around that tree,” said Natalie.
Occupational burnout, external is a health condition that stems from persistent and prolonged periods of stress that can have significant knock-on health effects.
“Burnout isn’t just about having a stressful week, it’s a profound state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that happens when we are under constant pressure,” said Simon Gunning, CEO, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
“Prevention is best where possible, especially for burnout. Making genuine time for yourself, taking regular breaks, setting boundaries and focusing on the things you can control can help keep those every-day stresses manageable,” he added.