Business Building Corner

There are many causes of burnout, but in many cases it stems from work. Anyone who feels overworked and undervalued is at risk for burnout—for example, the hardworking office clerk who hasn’t had a vacation or a raise in two years or the frazzled stay-at-home mom who has to take care of three kids, the housework, and her aging father.

Lifestyle and personality traits also contribute to burnout. What you do in your downtime and how you look at the world can play just as big of a role in causing burnout as work or home demands.

According to helpguide.org, there are distinct differences between feeling stress out and actual burnout.

Stress vs. Burnout
Stress	Burnout
Characterized by overengagement	Characterized by disengagement
Emotions are overreactive	Emotions are blunted
Produces urgency and hyperactivity	Produces helplessness and hopelessness
Loss of energy	Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope
Leads to anxiety disorders	Leads to detachment and depression
Primary damage is physical	Primary damage is emotional
May cause death prematurely	May make life seem not worth living

The chart explains that stress generally involves too many pressures that demand too much both physically and psychologically. Stressed people, however, usually can still imagine that if they get everything under control, they'll feel better.

Burnout, on the other hand, is about feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring—it's the sensation of "not enough." People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. While most people are usually aware of being under a lot of stress, burnout sometimes creeps up without much notice.

Business-builders and people who are self-employed also should look out for burnout. If ignored, burnout can cause numerous health problems. Here are some red flags:

Physical signs and symptoms of burnout
Feeling tired and drained most of the time	Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches
Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot	Change in appetite or sleep habits
Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout
Sense of failure and self-doubt	Loss of motivation
Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated	Increasingly cynical and negative outlook
Detachment, feeling alone in the world	Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment
Behavioral signs and symptoms of burnout
Withdrawing from responsibilities	Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope
Isolating yourself from others	Taking out your frustrations on others
Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done	Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early

For network marketers, it's important to establish boundaries: be supportive of your downline and be a nurturing mentor, but also know when to encourage independence. Don’t forget to balance family life and social life with business building activities. After all, one of the primary advantages of being an IBO is the ability to control your own time.

The best way to prevent burnout is to establish a daily regimen that includes eating food that is high in nutrient density and low in calories, exercising regularly and obtaining enough restful sleep. Keeping the immune system functioning well is important in preventing illness and managing stress.

LPGN IBOs have the perfect tools to establish a healthy daily regimen and lifestyle. Laminine, Laminine OMEGA⁺⁺⁺, DIGESTIVE⁺⁺⁺ and IMMUNE⁺⁺⁺ are powerhouses that support not only physical wellbeing but also mental acuity. Share them daily so others can benefit, too!