Beat The Burnout: Thrive This School Year!

While getting ready for a new school year here are a few things to help prevent feeling burned out later in the year.

Burnout symptoms include fatigue, low motivation, getting sick often, and poor focus and concentration.

Reflect on the past

try to remember previous episodes of burnout and plan for breaks or downtime when periods like exams and project deadlines are near.

Be mindful of your limitations and make sure that you do not take on too much to handle

Find a balance between schoolwork and relaxation. Some people are genetically more vulnerable to stress as they break the hormones produced by stress down at a slower rate. Stress can be good in small amounts and hormones such as dopamine help you to focus and remember. But taking on too much may lead to anxiety which will impact your performance negatively.

When you are genetically vulnerable to high-stress situations, many preventative measures can be implemented such as nutrient optimization, vagus nerve stimulation (deep breathing or singing), and spending time in nature.

Connection with peers, family, and friends may be stressful at times but it can also be a great way to increase your oxytocin levels. Genetic variants may influence the amount of oxytocin receptors available to send messages to the nervous system. Low oxytocin levels lead to:

• poor self-esteem,
• social anxiety,
• and even depression.

Other ways to increase oxytocin levels are listening to music, massage, and spending time with animals/ pets.

Sleep and rest are some of the most valuable lifestyle habits to avoid burnout. Some people may find it harder to get quality sleep. Many factors including your genetics contribute to reasons for inadequate rest. When you don’t sleep well it will affect your memory and processing speed.

Genetics may impact the ability to remove toxins and reduce inflammation which affects how much sleep may be needed to recover. Other factors such as histamine overload, brain chemical balance, and nutrients such as B vitamins and magnesium may affect sleep quality and quantity.

Get your 3X4 Genetics Test.