Burnout Recovery

In the recent book launch event for Burnout Recovery, someone asked about the connections between burnout and perimenopause.  

Perimenopause is the hormonal rollercoaster that signals that the body is getting ready to stop having periods. It can last up to 10 years prior to the full onset of menopause, and it’s uncomfortable (to understate the fact). Sleep disturbances, hot flashes, mood swings, and acne are scratching the surface of the symptoms that women in their 40s can expect from this second puberty. 

In addition to the physical changes associated with perimenopause there are a number of emotional and psychological overlaps with burnout:

• Anger is right at the surface
• Reduced tolerance for stress
• Neurodivergent symptoms are exacerbated
• Depression and reduced energy due to sleep interruptions
• Brain fog can reduce functioning

Does Perimenopause Accelerate Burnout?

Yes and no. If we look at the burnout cycle, I think perimenopause generates its own form of “Fire Season.” Someone going through these hormonal and psychological shifts might want to take some preventative measures to buffer themselves from additional stress. 

On one hand, the combination of mood and psychological symptoms create a perfect condition for burnout. Brain fog, depression, and fatigue make work harder to do. If the person is also neurodivergent, those more extreme symptoms might also make it harder to achieve at the same levels. With reduced stress tolerance and a feisty temper, a perimenopausal person might express parts of the “fire” stage of burnout much more quickly than their peers.

On the other hand, the perimenopause shifts can reduce people-pleasing tendencies and can make it easier to say “no” to others. In some ways, perimenopausal people are better equipped to stave off burnout. 

This is going to depend on each individual, how perimenopause affects each person, and where in the burnout cycle they already are prior to hormonal changes. My personal experience was that burnout happened about a decade before perimenopause. As a result of burnout recovery steps and tactics, I was well-placed to reduce my stress levels even further when my body began changing the rules. 

Burnout, Perimenopause and the Midlife Crisis

One of the other questions that was asked in the launch was regarding midlife crisis. I’m pretty sure that the soul-searching and pleasure-seeking that happens with typical midlife crisis is often brought on by burnout, but I don’t think they are always one and the same. Midlife crisis does coincide with perimenopause and menopause in terms of the age range of people that it affects. 

The midlife crisis is often brought on by an awareness of mortality. It usually involves a lot of introspection regarding identity and calling. It also requires us to look at what we have achieved and what we have valued up to that point in our lives. Often people feel compelled to express who they truly are (and have always been) as opposed to meting social and familial expectations or obligations. 

In depth psychological terms, the midlife crisis is a transitional point toward what C.G. Jung called “Individuation.” This is a project of self-discovery and self-knowledge that brings one closer to their personal truths. 

The burnout recovery process can be a catalyst for this turning-point or “crisis.” Throwing off external trappings of success and seeking inner sources of joy can be a method of recovery from burnout. Career changes and transitions can also be a response to burnout. However, they don’t have to be. We can make these changes without burnout ourselves out first. 

My belief is that there is significant overlap between the categories of burnout, perimenopause and midlife crisis for a very large number of people, and it’s likely to be difficult to tease one out from the others. 

If we return back to the wildfire metaphor for burnout, we might find that midlife crisis is a route change. Perhaps a river has shifted the flow of its waters to a new area. That can be as a result of the fire and flood of the wildfire, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Other factors  (like deforestation, or agriculture) may have led to erosion patterns changing. 

If the burnout is wildfire, and the midlife crisis is a river changing course, then perhaps we can imagine that perimenopause is the ever-changing gusty wind. It is unpredictable. It can accelerate the wildfire. It can also help contain the fire if it blows in the right direction. 

Play with these images and see if they are fruitful.