Episode 45 - with Dr. Sonia Ashok - Navigating Burnout at Work
Hey friends,
Welcome back! We are so excited to bring to you a hot topic that many of us are feeling and navigating. And no, it's not the C word. It starts with B for burnout.
This week on the podcast, we have my good friend and thought leader, Dr. Sonia Ashok chatting all things burnout, the signs of burnout and how to navigate it in the workplace, your personal lives, and how to create healthy space and boundaries for yourself, especially when dealing with chronic illness. She was one of our featured guest speakers in July for the Radiate From Within Membership where she shared her story and journey with chronic illness and how becoming a certified yoga teacher was part of combatting stress and burnout.
Dr. Sonia Ashok is a Career + Leadership Coach and the founder of Connective Coalition (@connectivecoalition), a community to empower women in the workplace. She is a physician who pivoted into health policy and tech startups. She is a certified yoga teacher and diversity, equity, + inclusion (DEI) specialist. Her passion is to create strong female leaders who will lift up the next generation. She lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and lots of plants.
Some key takeaways from today's episode:
Have you ever had a situation repeat itself, over and over again? The details may change, the people may be different, and even the circumstance. Yet the overall theme is the same? Reaching a point of burnout in our life works the same way. And it creeps up ever so slowly until one day your mind, body, and soul cannot help but crash and burn - the ultimate cry for help.
Burnout doesn't look the same on everyone either. Sometimes burnout visits us in the form of resentment, chronic fatigue, chronic anxiety. It can look like dropping the many plates that we tend to juggle, especially as women and moms.
It can look like wanting to spend most of your days in bed. It can further exacerbate depression and anxiety. It sometimes looks like not wanting to socialize at all with anyone because you are so exhausted after constantly pouring into everyone else around you, be it work, family, friends, children, and more.
There are so many contributing factors to burnout such as work stress, relationship/marital stress and discord, parenthood, to name a few. Now add to that the socio-cultural expectations and other unexpected twists and turns (hello, 2020 anyone?), and you've got a car speeding through life without any handbrakes on. Of course, you're going to burn out. Hard and fast. Makes you think, doesn't it?
Whatever burnout feels like, I see you. I get it because, at one point or the other, we have all been there. Here's the thing though: How much longer will you let this cycle of burnout continue? And what if I told you, just doing 1 thing a day that keeps you sane, nourished, and healthy could end this vicious cycle?
Some tips to beat burnout:
1. Ground yourself. Take a few deep breaths and do a somatic body scan. Notice how you feel, where you feel any stress or tension, and gently release it with each inhale and exhale.
2. Assess the things that bring you joy and the things that make you feel overwhelmed. Where can you use more support? Where can you set some boundaries?
3. Take a mental health day, or apply for short-term medical leave at work so you can reset and assess your next steps without any guilt or pressure. Your health and wellbeing are important, treat it as such.
4. Talk to a professional therapist or counselor if you don't have a supportive family or workplace.
Loved this episode? Share the love on social media & tag us! Tune into Dr. Ashok's masterclass and many others by joining the Radiate From Within Membership. Use code HHNFLPODCAST to save 20% at checkout!
You Might Like
