Burnout-Balance Link

Burnout is a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress—typically due to a life out of balance. Burnout triggers a sense of being overwhelmed from being unable to meet all the constant demands made of you. Burnout leads to lowered energy levels, fatigue and exhaustion, and can push you to be reactive rather than proactive. As your self-confidence and enjoyment in life collapse, so can your health and well-being, to say nothing of your relationships and goals. Those who crash and burn are often those who think they are super-heroes who can and must do everything and do it flawlessly. No such people really exist in the long term—except on paper and in cartoon series. Many think that living in balance means spending the same amount of time on each segment of life that is important to you. Big mistake. Some areas need more time than others, some less. The problem arises when you neglect important areas of life, which if not balanced will negatively influence your ability to be successful and happy: sleep, exercise, good nutrition, fun and play, quality time with family and friends—and with yourself to think and envision.

Twins: Balance & Boundaries

Some have referred to balance as the ultimate goal. That may be pretty close. But balance has a twin: boundaries. Siamese twins. In her book A Life in Balance Dr. Kathleen A. Hall wrote: “We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance.” Evaluate your mental, emotional, physical, sexual, social, financial, educational, spiritual, and romantic boundaries, to name just a few. Are they too tight, too loose, nonexistent, or just right for you and a high-level healthiness lifestyle? Developing and implementing bona fide boundaries can help you keep your life in bona fide balance. Your boundaries are as individual as your brain and your thumbprint, and your daily choices impact everything. Even not making a decision is a decision. This is especially true when it comes to understanding how to age-proof your brain. You can only do what you know. Evaluate what needs to be tweaked and begin making desirable lifestyle changes a little at a time. That way your improvements will be more likely to last!

Find Balance

Thomas Merton said that happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony. Balance. According to Daniel G. Amen MD, author of Magnificent Mind at any Age, a magnificent mind begins with a balanced brain. A state of imbalance can leave your brain fatigued, discouraged, irritated, and screaming for relief. This can put you at increased risk for any number of brain dysfunctions, illnesses, or disease. You and your brain must identify your own priorities and find your own balance.

can be hard to find. Nevertheless, it is a goal worth pursuing. Life is constantly changing so finding balance is somewhat of a moving target. What is right for you now may not be right next week or next month or even next year, because priorities change over time. If you are struggling with ‘where the times goes,’ jot down for a few days what you are spending your time doing. This will help you identify and evaluate whether you’re allocating your time in the most productive or desirable way—based on your personal and professional goals. You may need to re-evaluate those goals. Some may no longer be realistic or even desirable. 

Homeostatsis - or Balance

I keep hearing the words homeostasis in relation to health. Please help me understand what that means.

A synonym for homeostasis is balance. Pure and simple is means balance. Live a balanced life if you want to be healthy. Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, put it this way: “Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw some and paint some, and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” It means you have a handle on the various key elements in your life and do not sense that your brain and your heart are in a tug of war. Typically, you’re motivated, think clearly, and are calmly grounded in reality, enjoying most if not all aspects of your life. Likely you’ve seen the pendulum of a grandfather clock swinging back and forth and back and forth. It can be comforting, almost hypnotic. A pendulum that has stopped swinging means the clock has stopped functioning. An erratic pendulum tends to wobble, swing wildly from side to side, or crash into the glass and stop. Much like a well-running grandfather clock, the brain works best in balance—when everything is working congruently. Think of life as your balance beam—each person has one. 

Nursing Home or Retirement Center

I keep hearing news items about nursing homes where there are lots of infections. I need a place for my parents where they can get meals fixed for them. Is it safe to go into such a place?

 I applaud you for recognizing your parents need some help. Avoiding painting all facilities with the same brush just because some are run better than others. Do your parents need a Nursing Home or just a Retirement Center? Nursing home differ from Retirement Centers. Many residents of Nursing Homes are already compromised with relatively serious underlying medical conditions. They can easily pick up viruses and can become very sick. If your parents primarily need meals prepared for them, then you might consider a Retirement Center.

If you are considering a Retirement Center get the facts: How many cases of infections have they had, if any? What precautions do they have in place? It actually may be safer in terms of exposure during an epidemic or pandemic since even meals are provided with many other amenities that mean your parents would not even have to leave the facility except for perhaps doctor’s appointments. Check it out and make an informed decision. 

Family Health Issues

My family has some pretty serious health issues and I've picked up some bad habits. Is it ever too late to get serious about your health?

I try to avoid saying never. What studies suggest about health and longevity is that the brain and immune system would likely prefer you to be healthy because they do not like to be sick . . . it puts everything out of balance. Health falls slowly—the Immune System tries hard to keep things going. Eventually, however, if the bad habits are linked with serious health issues, the Immune System may fail. Sometimes it may be rebuilt but that takes a lot of time. Some estimate a month for every year of bad habits that suppressed immune system function.

So, my response would be, congratulations in recognizing that health issues can result from bad habits. Start now to build better health habits that research has shown helps support the Immune System—before long you may surprise even yourself. 

Preventable Dementia

 

Recently I heard someone say that some dementia is preventable and some is even reversible. Is that really possible?

 
Studies suggest that this is true. Some dementia is believed due to a lazy brain. What is a lazy brain? Sitting in front of the TV for 12 hours a day, for example. When you watch TV you are passively picturing what another brain created. failing to take time to regularly challenge and stimulate your brain, is another. Reading, playing games, listening to audiobooks, doing crossword or jig saw puzzles require active mental picturing and that keeps the neuron pathways in the brain better able to transmit information, with small spaces or synapses between neurons. If you regularly challenge and stimulate your brain, you may prevent dementia related to lazy brain. And/or you may extend the time before dementia sets in. A lazy brain that starts challenging itself—if caught in time—can often prevent this type of dementia.