Relationships and hormones (and stress reduction)
There is a lot that can be done for stress and burnout.
One thing stands ahead of many others, though.
When you feel stressed or are heading for burnout fast, go find a friend or two and talk about it.
What does this do? It created oxytocin.
What does this wonder hormone do for stress and burnout?
“For example, several studies have found that in men, oxytocin improves the ability to identify competitive relationships and navigate their fight or flight response. Women generally lack this response. Instead, oxytocin tends to increase feelings of kinship (in women).”[1]
Another cool thing is that this hormone makes for a positive feedback loop. When oxytocin is released, we seek out relationships and want to spend quality time with others, which then, causes oxytocin to be released, etc.
Finally, this hormone fights the negative effects of cortisol, which is released into your body when you are under stress.
Also, for whatever reason, it seems that low oxytocin levels are related to burnout.[2]
So, find a friend of close family member when you are under a lot of stress or heading towards burnout.
Oxytocin is related to two other stress-fighting hormones: serotonin and dopamine – together the three are called the “happy hormones”.
Serotonin is a hormone that improves your emotional mood and stability. AND, like oxytocin, helps to create stress resilience. If you do not have enough of this hormone, you might feel overly tired, unmotivated, unconcentrated and even sad.
So what can you do to increase serotonin? Do something you like. Take a walk, sit in the sunshine, exercise, meditate or even sing (& dance). Even a few short minutes in the sun every day (about 15 minutes is all that is needed) can raise your serotonin level significantly.
Also, for food fanatics, eat dark chocolate, avocados, oats and bananas.
Dopamine, like the other two hormones, is a neurotransmitter and it makes you feel good. It affects a lot of your behavior and work performance. Things like, attention (and the “flow”), sleep and feeling wide awake, and memory and learning are all affected (i.e. enhanced) by dopamine. But for this piece for writing, it makes you feel “happy”. When your dopamine levels are balanced you feel happy, alert, focused and motivated. (Every boss should want balanced dopamine levels for their employees). If you have too high levels and you might become manic (or even aggressive) and not be able to sleep, too low and you might become forgetful, grumpy, have sleep problems (again)…
So you see a balance of dopamine is key.
What can you do about your dopamine levels? Get a massage (I know a very good massage therapist, btw), play with a pet, read a book, go for a walk outside in a pretty place, and do things you like (a bit like serotonin). You can also eat foods and besides the foods above, try leafy green veggies, green tea, pumpkin seeds and tomatoes.
To reiterate the beginning, when you are feeling low, stressed or near burnout, find a friend (or trusted family member) and share your thoughts and feelings. It will do you a load of good.
This is the first – and last – thing you should do.
For the past few weeks I have been busy with work (oral exams and corrections) and MOSTLY a very important relational activity: the wedding of our only daughter. It was a relational time and that time was spent with friends and family (new-laws and “old” family of origin) and writing was put on the back burner until today.
I hope you are all well and can spend time with the people that count this coming week.
Patricia Jehle. patricia@jehle-coaching.com
