8 minute read
The Seriousness of Stress: Mental Health & Battling Burnout
According to the World Health Organisation, 264 million people worldwide live with depression. Each year in England alone, 1 in 4 people experiences a mental health problem. On a weekly basis, 1 in 6 will suffer from ongoing anxiety and/or depression. Indeed, every week 8 in 100 people are newly diagnosed with such, according to Mental Health Resource. And in a person’s lifetime, 1 in 5 of us with have suicidal thoughts, 1 in 14 of us will self-harm, and 1 in 15 of us will actually attempt suicide. Women are more likely to do so than men, but men are three times as likely to succeed. In fact, it is the number one killer of men under the age of 50.
Our minds, then, are critical and are in a precarious position. Nonetheless, only 2.7% of mental health research is funded by public donations, according to MQ. There might have been a spotlight shone on the state of young people’s mental health in recent months, given that 1 in 7 children in 2020 were diagnosed with a mental health condition, but overall the situation and the support system is not ameliorating fast enough. It is better than it was, certainly, and there is an openness to the reality of psychological conditions that did not exist even a decade ago – yet, is it wider public acceptance of mental health problems that is seeing the stats we do today, or is there a source cause in the very way we live our lives in the twenty-first century that is to blame for an increase in those psychologically suffering?
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The world today is a hypercompetitive one: is it any wonder there’s been a tidal wave of anxiety disorders? Biological mental illness aside, mental health disorders are arising more frequently as society looks for coping mechanisms to a way of life evolution surely didn’t mean to bring us to (one only has to look to the lack of synchrony with our circadian rhythms to understand there had to be a fallout at some point). Multiple lockdowns might have afforded us some thinking time, but even that period of isolation wasn’t natural and led to dire loneliness and cave syndrome in some people. Now that we’re back on the treadmill of a bustling life, though, what have we learnt? Or have we gleaned nothing from our WFH sojourn?
- Alain de Botton, The School of Life: An Emotional Education
More happily, selfawareness is a bit of a thing at the moment, and is becoming a frequent practice to fall back upon in order to survive these challenging times. There are signs, after all; certain ticks and tells that our body (and our minds) give us, so that we go, “Oh, right: time for a mental health day”. And this is simply wonderful that we have reached this point of self-understanding, and acceptance. You might not be the sort who considers taking an extra adaptogen or rustling up a superboost smoothie so as to recharge, but self-care can sometimes be solely some extra sleep and a favourite pot of tea in silence. We are all unique – that is the beauty of the human race, its diversity. Of course we don’t all fit the box or suit the same societally dictated schedule; what sane animal ever could (or should)?
Warning Signs of Imminent Burnout
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You've always got a deadline. Life is forever urgent.
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You frequently forget to eat because you’re so busy.
You’re unable to delegate: without you, everything would crumble.
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You don’t have time for rest and relaxation.
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Despite success, you haven’t got the time to celebrate and find no enjoyment in doing so.
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Poor sleep, fast pulse, rapid breathing, disordered thoughts: this is stress.
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You don’t ponder, you react – everything is an assault on you personally.
Cortisol has turned you into a veritable emotional rollercoaster.
Survival mode is all good and well for a brief while, but after a time the nervous system is impacted, and our hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenals become overworked. Continued cortisol release (the stress hormone) leads to the breakdown of muscle protein and release of amino acids into the bloodstream. Its usual purpose is to regulate blood pressure and assist heart function and the immune system when fighting infections and inflammation. When we’re stressed, though, the fight-orflight mode never gets switched off and so, instead of supporting the body, cortisol causes a range of issues, from hypertension and anxiety to depression and chronic fatigue, even infertility and weight gain, as well as insomnia (among other problems).
Stress itself can be a killer. Systematic inflammation is signalled by a constantly sore and stiff body, aches and pains felt in the joints and muscles on a daily basis; that brain fog shrugged off as not enough caffeine after working late nights on a deadline, but which has become a more common occurrence lately, is actually a sign of brain inflammation come from stress and a lack of sleep. And no, it is not a normal part of the ageing process. Inflammation in the body can also raise cholesterol levels and C-reactive protein production, leading to heart problems.
Rebalancing with a Handful of Herbal Remedies
If your nervous system has gone out of balance, take back control and try some of the following for an infusion to reset and restore:
Skullcap
Good for muscle tension relief, skullcap is anti-inflammatory and assists blood flow generally. If you find yourself suffering from tension headaches, this will help you relax. Traditionally used in European and Native American medicine, skullcap is thought beneficial in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, hysteria, and even epilepsy.
Anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, and mildly sedative, passionflower is traditionally used in Latin America for muscle pain and bruising, but also for insomnia. Containing quercetin, its antioxidant properties powerfully protect against free radicals, too.
Otherwise known as the Tree of Eternal Happiness, both the bark and flowers are used – and have been for many centuries – as a calming sedative. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) uses it for people suffering from anxiety and depression, believed to enhance neurotransmitter secretion and regulation.
Passionflower
Nevertheless, remember, as modernday philosopher Alain de Botton has explained, that normalcy is but a myth and – not that any of us want to go there – breakdowns can be an important stepping-stone from one life stage outgrown or ill-fit to an entirely new platform for living, to a point. Breakdowns, he suggests, should not be viewed as “a failure of our growthprocess”, but instead as “assuring evidence of our ongoing search for better understanding and tending to ourselves”. In other words, “it is an attempt to jump-start a process of getting well – properly well – through a stage of falling very ill”. And society as it stands is making too many of us very, very unwell.
Of course, there are things we can do to help ourselves before tumbling into the abyss. Even going to sleep and waking up one hour earlier has been shown to have a marked effect on improving mental health. A recent study in JAMA Psychiatry showed a 23% reduced risk of depression in those who got some shut-eye 60 minutes earlier than usual and who rose earlier the next morning by the same amount of time - the early bird catches the (happiness) worm and all that… Yet, the study didn’t necessarily take into consideration sleep chronotypes.
Sleep chronotypes are sleeping pattern personality types. Unlike women’s magazine personality tests, sleep chronotypes are up to 42% determined by our genetics, according to researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder and at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who analysed the genetic data, prescription records, and medical surveys of approximately 840,000 people. However, over half of our sleep chronotype is determined by lifestyle. This gives hope to night owls, who could do with a shift to an early bird’s habits. Indeed, a previous 2018 study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that, from 32,000 participatory female nurses, those who rose earlier were about 27% less likely to develop depression over the four-year study. In general, it is recommended that children aged 6 to 12 get between 9 and 12 hours sleep per night, while teens aged between 13 and 18 should have roughly 8 to 10 hours, and that those aged between 18 and 64 try to get between 7 and 9 hours sleep every night. Over 65 years of age, between 7 and 8 hours of sleep are thought to be optimal each night. Of course, and here’s the rub, life doesn’t always permit such an even-keel sleep schedule. That’s where napping can be a boon.
A short nap, between 30 minutes and one hour, can offset the negative effects of sleep deprivation, providing an energy boost. It might not correct longterm sleep deprivation itself, but a nap will refresh body and mind enough to lessen any impairments from fatigue. After just 20 minutes, we can enter the slow-wave sleep stage – the deepest and most restorative cycle of our sleep. Such power napping (also referred to as “micro-napping”) has been shown to aid the physical performance of athletes, as well. A full REM sleep cycle, though, would require at least 90 minutes to be set aside for “napping” – not exactly practical. Nevertheless, adequate sleep on a continued basis helps support heart health, the immune system, brain function, and overall general health: in other words, don’t skimp on sleep.
Albizzia
One reason for increased insomnia cases is hyper-stimulation (remember, this is a hyper-competitive world). So it makes perfect sense that more of us our tuning out to white noise and natural soundscapes, whether rain on headphones or strolling through the trees whilst forest-bathing. A non-scheduled alternative to booking another exercise class (even if it is yoga), just being in the present, surrounded by sound entirely non-reminiscent of the hustle and bustle can do wonders for the soul – and, by extension, our disposition for sleep and a stress-free life, thriving rather than simply surviving.
