Are You on the Brink of Burnout?
- Dr. Benita Perch
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
It’s all over the news: WHO officially announced burnout is a workplace disease. You might have felt it, but do you know how to cope with it?
It’s all over the news: WHO officially announced burnout is a workplace disease. We’re not surprised: we’re treating an alarming number of professionals suffering from stress, anxiety, insomnia, and ultimate burnout every week. In 2022, “95% of employees in Hong Kong felt at risk of burnout,” according to Mercer’s 2022 Global Talent Trends Study.
Burnout can have dire consequences – your career, home life, mental wellbeing and physical health can all take a hit, so it’s crucial you nip it in the bud.
The challenge: we often don’t realize we’re suffering from burnout until it’s too late.
Could you or someone you know be on the brink of burnout? Here are the nine common signs to look out for.
You feel stressed all the time.
You experience brain fog and forgetfulness.
You can’t sleep at night.
You’re anxious, unable to feel calm, and always ‘switched on’.
You lack enthusiasm at work and your performance is suffering.
You’re less resourceful, less responsive, and more reactive.
You become increasingly irritable and angry.
You fall sick often. Digestive and gut disorders. High levels of stress. Anxiety and depression. Colds and flus. Allergies and intolerances. And more.
Without appropriate intervention, burnout hits. You’re now severely exhausted and depleted.
Do you have Superman or Superwoman Syndrome?
Hong Kong is a hardworking city. We’re often stretched in the office, and trying to do it all in our personal lives - whether that’s supporting our kids’ schoolwork, or busy with a vibrant social life.
Supermen and Superwomen won’t, or can’t slow down. They’re passionate and dedicated, juggling many roles. Professional. Partner. Parent. Child. Sibling. Philanthropist. And more.
These people often find that self care falls to the wayside, especially amidst Hong Kong’s frenetic work culture.
According to a recent study from AXA, 77% of workers in Hong Kong experience one mental health issue, specifically due to their work, and 82% have thought about taking a step back in order to cope. 48% of us have had to take leave owing to our mental health.
The study also revealed that for 63% of us, work cultures that support our health through initiatives or benefits are a key reason for staying in our role.
It’s clear that work culture in Hong Kong needs to change - on both an individual and a corporate level. Without support, Supermen and Superwomen can’t soar for long.
Mental health causes for burnout
Our mental health is directly connected to burnout - and can be both a cause of the condition and a symptom.
Highly demanding work environments that don’t provide employees with the resources they need to achieve their goals are a recipe for anxiety. For some, this pressure can cause low self esteem as employees internalise their lack of output and self-blame, without being able to look externally at the infrastructure of the company.
Toxic interpersonal dynamics can feed mental health conditions - from bullying to unhealthy competition between colleagues.
Micromanaging can remove our autonomy, degrading self belief and stifling creativity. This can lead to lower motivation and at worst, cause anxiety and depression.
Discrimination can take a huge toll on your mental health. You might experience this in the form of being passed over for a promotion, microaggressions, or direct racism, sexism or homophobia.
Perfection, self-criticism and not celebrating the small wins can also contribute to burnout.
That’s not to forget the factors that don’t live in the office. From family to finances, the pressures on mental health are abundant. Having too much on your plate causes burnout.
Physical causes for burnout
Your nutritional profile is a key factor. Low levels of omega 3, B vitamins, vitamins C & D and magnesium can cause burnout. Naturopaths can assess all of your symptoms and refer you for the right tests if nutritional imbalance is suspected. Once confirmed, we can prescribe the right formulas to replenish nutrient levels.
We’re exposed to particularly high levels of pollution in Hong Kong, particularly air pollution, which has been linked to burnout and higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Toxic overload can also affect brain function, your ability to concentrate and energy levels.
Sleep is key for your mental health. If you’re not getting enough, you’re likely to end up burnt out - but the unfortunate fact is that once you’re burnt out, you’re unlikely to get solid sleep. Burnout can cause sleeping problems, making it difficult to drift off and stay asleep throughout the night.
Healing burnout on an individual level
We provide help for burnout on two levels: individual, and in corporate environments.
For individuals, I recommend you start by seeing a naturopath - we create a complete picture of your current health - assessing physical and emotional symptoms, lifestyle factors and genetic predispositions to stress. We can send you for the right tests to confirm root causes.
If needed, we can refer you to psychologists and psychotherapists who provide a protected, confidential space for you to discuss the pressures at work and home - and anything else you might want to discuss that’s affecting your emotional wellbeing.
Healing burnout on a corporate level
We also support workplaces, enabling them to become healthier. We’ve worked with many brands, from Louis Vuitton to Tesco, Lululemon and HSBC.
We help Supermen and Superwomen find balance, offering talks and seminars on a range of subjects, from sleep health and physical wellness to mindfulness and mental health. Our workshops cover a similar range of subjects, including work - life balance.
Executive coaching for managers and leaders - supporting you in developing emotional intelligence as a leader so you can support your team’s development based on them as individuals, rather than using a homogenous style. We also help managers and leaders with resilience to stress, supporting better communication between members of your team and resolving conflict.
Our leadership programmes help leaders navigate change and uncertainty - helping them develop the skills to become an anchor for their team (and themselves) in difficult times. We also help leaders develop their skills for strategy, enabling them to look towards the future, plan and make important decisions.
Our management programmes support managers in optimising their teams, facilitating mediation, and increasing performance.
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