Beat Burnout: Overcome Exhaustion, Minimize Stress, and Take Back Your Life in 30 Days: 30 Day Expert Series

By Tony Wrighton

Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and struggling to keep up with the demands of daily life?

 

From a bestselling non-fiction author published in 12 languages, this meticulously researched program helps you break free from the debilitating grip of burnout, tackle stress, and restore balance - all without resorting to intravenous caffeine!

Unlock the secret to overcoming burnout and reclaiming your life with this groundbreaking guide from the acclaimed 30 Day Expert Series

This essential guide offers:

The symptoms of burnout and how they affect every aspect of your life (hint: it's not just about work).

An in-depth exploration of the widespread impact of burnout - you're not alone on this journey.

A week-by-week roadmap to releasing stress and finding rest… without needing a double espresso every hour.

Meticulous scientific references paired with good stories and a sprinkle of irreverent humor to lighten your recovery journey.

The ultimate resource for prioritizing your well-being in the face of the constant demands of a hectic world.

By the end of these 30 days, you'll have the tools and strategies needed to beat burnout, restore your energy, and ultimately, get your life back.

Don't let burnout control your life any longer - empower yourself to take charge, rediscover your energy, and start living again with the expert guidance of this transformative book. Get ready to beat burnout and make "exhausted" a thing of the past.

About the Author:

Tony Wrighton is a TV presenter, journalist, and the author of six books published in 12 languages. He's also the host of the popular and long-running health and wellness podcast Zestology. Tony is a leading authority in the field of personal development and wellness. In addition to his work as an author and presenter, Tony is a sought-after speaker and trainer, sharing his insights and expertise on burnout, stress management, personal growth at conferences and events worldwide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Wrighton
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223728153

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Curious about whether this book applies to you? How about we begin with a quiz – do any of these sound familiar? Check the boxes that apply to you.

You’re wired

You’re tired

You stress easily

You get anxious

You’re exhausted

Your work is suffering

Your health is not great

You have symptoms

You are not living your best life

You feel like sh!t*

(*Not a technical term but you know what I mean)

If you said yes to at least one, then this book will probably help you. If you answered three or more, well, you’d definitely better keep reading. Because burnout is serious. It can end up messing with every aspect of your life.

Burnout is a combination of being exhausted, tired, wired, stressed, anxious, and ill.

The stats on burnout are through the roof. Let’s start with the workplace. Half of all workers describe themselves as burnt out. Among millennials that figure rises to almost 60%. Moreover, 70% of people check their work emails outside office hours, making them 84% more likely to work after hours. (1)

The three official traits of burnout, according to the WHO, are:

feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job

reduced professional efficacy (2)

So as well as being exhausted and stressed, we become more negative and less effective at our jobs. Great.

But burnout isn't just about work anymore. It creeps into every aspect of our lives – from families and friendships to digital overload. Why? Because we are always on. We're constantly plugged in and available, leading to us becoming wired, hypervigilant, and eventually… burnt out. That's why this book is needed now. Our non-stop lifestyles have become so overstimulated that burnout becomes almost inevitable. Life shouldn’t be like this.

It is no longer possible for us to simply switch off and allow ourselves to take a break. In today’s achievement-orientated society, it is looked upon negatively to be idle for any period of time. (3)

– Norbert Huge

In this book, we'll take a deep dive into all aspects of burnout, including the specific and ever-increasing issues around digital overwhelm. By the end of these 30 days it’ll hopefully be obvious that, if you get no time to be idle, your body simply can’t recharge.

Burnout sufferers range from serious or chronic cases who are housebound, to huge numbers who just feel burnt out from the daily grind. They’re tired because of work, social life, parenting, studies, and the never-ending scroll. They feel stuck in a cycle of being wired and tired. To start to change and heal, we have to confront our 24/7 culture and make necessary changes to prioritize our well-being.

My Crash and Burn: A Personal Account of Burnout

You can do anything, but not everything

– David Allen

I was your classic 30-something Londoner; working like crazy, always on the go, partying hard, barely sleeping. You could say I was the definition of Type A – I was wired and frazzled, and I never took a moment to slow down. My apartment was in the heart of the city and there was no such thing as taking a break, day or night.

And then I got ill. The illness was the tipping point, but all the signs had been there.

I’d been on holiday and caught what I thought was an innocuous virus. I’d actually had to fly home early because I felt so poorly, but I certainly wasn’t about to let a little bug ruin the big party.

So I thought…

I quickly shook it off, and threw myself back into my work once again, unaware that my problems had only just started. I didn’t realize how that seemingly harmless virus was going to change my life.

Initially, the downturn was subtle. I just couldn’t quite get my old mojo back. My job felt like a burden. I labored through the day – which was very unlike me.

Then a new fatigue hit me, along with unpleasant headaches. How was I supposed to show up and present myself to the world when I felt depleted and anxious about my symptoms? Eventually, I reluctantly asked for a day off. One day turned into a week, then a month, and eventually three months off work and in bed.

Those long months were some of the worst of my life. One evening, I hit close to rock bottom. I had been lying in bed staring at the ceiling, feeling sorry for myself. My body ached all over and I had an intense pressure on my forehead. I was agitated and worried about the future. I love walking and dearly wanted to have the energy to go for a quick stroll around the block, but I couldn’t even manage that. I decided to make a pledge to myself. If I ever got back to some half-decent level of health, I’d do something useful. I’d use my journalism and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) skills to start investigating the topic of burnout and energy.

(If you aren’t familiar with NLP, it is a set of techniques and theories that provide effective tools for change. I started training in it two decades ago, eventually writing books about it that have been published in 12 languages.)

I could see from some high-level journalistic research (okay, a lot of googling) that I wasn’t the only person suffering like this. The sheer number of people going through different forms of burnout surprised me. I wanted to find the common traits of burnout, and clearly present the most successful ways to prevent it. This became a mission, and it has been ever since.

After a grueling three months, I started to find some commonalities among people who’d recovered. For the first time in a long while I felt a twinge of something like excitement. Applying them to my own life was tough, but I did see signs of improvement, and tentatively thought about returning to work.

My TV presenting gig at the time was at Sky Sports in the UK. The producers there were compassionate and accommodating, which was a relief. They allowed me to ease back in with shorter, less demanding shifts. Though these were still challenging and left me