The hospice‌ ‌care‌ ‌professionals in Burbank, Ca, ‌ explain burnout as a type of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling overwhelmed with long-term physical, mental, and emotional stress. Many people believe burnout to be something related to a person’s career, but burnout is also prevalent among caregivers. In fact, many people caring for a loved one also end up trying to cope with spiritual burnout themselves.

The Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplain Coordinator at the hospice‌ ‌in‌ ‌Burbank,‌ ‌Ca, has witnessed colleagues and caregivers suffer from burnout. A caregiver is usually a person who can put others first without any hesitation or excuses. Essentially, they are not taking care of their own needs. This is the wrong approach. The reason why the chaplain at hospice‌ ‌care‌ ‌Los‌ ‌Angeles‌ believes that this is not the way to go about taking care of others is a simple one. 

For instance, when you are on a plane, and during the safety demonstration, they always explain that in an emergency you should place the breathing apparatus on yourself first before helping someone else; because you can’t help them if you pass out with a lack of oxygen. However, in our everyday lives, some people never take care of themselves, and they eventually harm themselves beside the people they are trying to care for in the first place. 

What Are The Symptoms Of Burnout?

Many people have days in their lives when they feel stressed and tired, but burnout is more than only one awful day. The nursing staff providing hospice‌ ‌care‌ ‌in Burbank,‌ ‌Ca,‌ say that the symptoms start slowly and accumulate over time. Some symptoms to look out for when coping with spiritual burnout are the following: 

• Lower immunity or frequent illness
• Feeling tired most of the time
• Shifts in sleep habits or appetite
• Taking frustrations out on others
• Using food, alcohol, or drugs to cope
• Muscle or headache pain
• Feeling helpless, defeated, and trapped
• Feeling detached or alone in the world
• Loss of motivation or letting go of responsibilities
• Isolating from others
• An increasingly cynical or negative outlook
• A decreased sense of accomplishment and satisfaction
• A sense of failure and self-doubt

How To Recover From Spiritual Burnout

Hospice‌ ‌care‌ ‌professionals in Burbank,‌ ‌Ca,‌ understand that problems seem unbeatable when you are trying to cope with spiritual burnout. However, there are positive ways you can start your spiritual burnout recovery. 

In essence, to get off the ground running with your spiritual burnout recovery, you have to begin with good self-care. You have to consider what invigorates you, refreshes you, then find a way to do that. Perhaps you only need someone who can come over and stay with your loved one for a few hours, so you can go for a walk in the park, go shopping, or see a close friend. 

Give yourself that moment to do what makes you feel good, and don’t think about that person you are taking care of for that short space of time. And while you are doing that, do not feel bad about it. Many people get consumed over the fact that they are out enjoying themselves for a while, but you have to live your life and take care of yourself at the end of the day. 

It is vital to maintain healthy lifestyle habits. Therefore, be mindful of what you are eating, drinking, how you are sleeping, how your stress levels are. You probably already know about these things and have taught others about them. However, with your mind, time, and heart on others, you have probably neglected yourself in many ways over a span of years. So, as you reflect, what do you need to change in your habits? Are there changes you can make to take care of yourself physically over the last months or years? How can you put your health first more? 

Besides healthier habits, you should learn how to say no. You are not necessarily a more spiritual person if you say yes to everything. Only God can tell you when your time on earth is up, so make the most of it by using your time wisely and doing the things that bring passion to your life. Guilt doesn’t rule your life. Guilt is helpful when you have done something wrong. Experiencing guilt when you feel like you “should” have done something usually results in burnout.

Make Peace With God

Typically, people who are going through spiritual burnout have felt like God has abandoned them. They ask themselves, “Why is God letting this happen to me?” Whenever a person tells this to the chaplain, he tries to make them understand that life is something that happens. It doesn’t happen to you. It’s just happening. However, you have to realize that while this is happening, God is always with you. He’s helping you weather this storm. People think they have done something wrong to cause this, or God is punishing them for something they did. Or they even get angry at God. Nevertheless, God is not afraid or disheartened by your anger. He will be tolerant of your anger and will stay with you and help you get through this. 

When confronted with spiritual burnout, it’s crucial to take the necessary steps to correct it before it hurts you or the people around you. The chaplain advises others not to wait till it gets too overwhelming to do something about it. We usually put off making changes, decisions, or asking for help until it’s too late. It would be best if you didn’t wait till you’re very ill or you have a nervous breakdown or emotional breakdown or have to go into the hospital before you ask for help. 

If you want more information and advice on coping with spiritual burnout, please do not hesitate to contact Faith & Hope Hospice and Palliative Care at (877) 797-1977.