HomeAnswersNutritionistburnout syndromeI experienced burnout recently, and could not eat or sleep properly. Please help.

How To Get Rid of Negative Thoughts After a Burnout Period?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At November 16, 2023
Reviewed AtApril 26, 2024

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I experienced burnout two to three months back and now I am trying to recover from that. I started to eat and sleep again but in the last two months, I did not sleep well, and it affected me because I was unable to eat much. I noticed that I had bad and intrusive thoughts during this period. Could this be because of burnout and stress? How do I get back to normal after this period? After an emotional situation about which I stressed myself too much, my heart was beating fast for a month and then it started to beat normally again. I took an EKG, and a few blood tests all of which were fine, except that good cholesterol is a little low at 38 mg/dL.

How do I get back to normal after this period? Because now I have been sleeping and eating well for a few days and I noticed that I do not have too many bad thoughts and I feel a lot better. Though these thoughts are starting to dissipate little by little, I want to recover completely and would like to get rid of these negative thoughts. I am currently taking magnesium and zinc supplements. What can I do? Please help.

Hi,

We will pay close attention to your worries and address all your questions with utmost care.

Yes, the negative thinking or your stressful phase in life could certainly have an impact on your physical health status. I have seen the reports (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity) that you have attached. Your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol that is, the bad cholesterol levels are quite high. Experiencing tachycardia or increased heart rate once in a while is also a symptom of subconscious stress or anxiety. Firstly, I would like to ask you whether you are following any kind of exercise regimen, or meditation, or are you going to the gym or doing any other extracurricular activities?

Secondly, are you working and how is the nature of your job? Is it hectic or is it home-based (work from home)? Based on these answers of yours, I will suggest a suitable diet chart that will not only improve your cardiovascular health but also your neurocognitive health. You should note that stress-related thinking can almost shelve your life by half so try to avoid getting stressed.

It was a pleasure to help you and I look forward to helping you further with your medical needs.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I also have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). My work is fine. I started swimming and going to the gym but started these only two weeks back. My work schedule is from 07:00 to 17:00 or from 08:00 to 17:00. I go to the office. I do not do meditation or other things, but I will start doing yoga.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Glad to have you back.

I have got all the facts in place now. So, your life seems to be pretty normal, and you do not seem to have any work-related or physical stress, right? It has all to do only with your emotional stress, because of which you used to get those negative thought processes earlier. Am I right? Please confirm. Also, thank you for sharing your medical history. I hope you are not taking any other medications apart from the mentioned supplements. If you are on any tablets for other health issues, please let me know.

PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is a very delicate issue for women because you will be experiencing several hormonal swings and unnecessary fluctuations, but your condition is mild, right? I hope you are not taking any medications for that. And do you want me to give you a diet chart or regimen? How exactly do you want me to help you? Please let me know the answers to these questions. Are you 26 years old?

Please feel free to share your feelings and thoughts, and I can certainly be of the best help to you. I am a thorough professional, and I will guide you in the best way possible.

I hope I have resolved your queries. Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I do not have any work stress right now. My work is pretty good. Yes, it is just the negative thoughts that are bothering me right now, as I am free of any stress. I neither take any medications for PCOS nor for anything else. I just take supplements. Yes, I would like to get a diet chart and my age is 26.

I saw someone who took an overdose in the news because his father died, and he was an actor. As I was already bad at sleeping and eating, this news impacted me further. My thoughts are that I do not want to harm myself or others like that guy and this causes me distress since I was not having such thoughts before this stressful period, burnout, or whatever it may be. I understand that sleep also has a big impact on this as well as on eating. As I was not having proper sleep and nutrition, I am sure that these thoughts came back due to lack of sleep and nutrition. They scared me so much because it was the first time, I had such thoughts. I did not have any mental health problems previously. From time to time, I used to be a little emotional or exaggerating but was normal.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Once more, thank you for allowing us to be of service to you. We value the high level of confidence that you have in us.

Certainly, I resonate with every word of yours and I will suggest you certain strategies. I am quite a busy practitioner, and I will be sharing the diet chart shortly. Just remember to follow all my strategies exactly in the same way as mentioned along with the diet. You will definitely see an improvement in your physical and mental state. I will share it shortly.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

How long will it take for my negative thoughts to disappear? I do not want to give them much importance because I know they came from a bad state. Please help.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Glad to have you back.

Yes, it may take quite some time to get over those negative thoughts because usually there will be some trauma associated with any negative feel or loss. I suggest you first focus on the following aspects:

  1. Start deep breathing or relaxation exercises which you can find online easily. You need to do daily at least 15 to 20 minutes of deep breath meditation or techniques like Sudarshan kriya, yogic pranayama, or pratyahara meditation. All these will help you. Oxygenation not only empowers your brain but also helps overcome feelings of loss, distress, negativity, etc.
  2. Secondly, stay self-confident. Remind yourself after these meditative rounds in the morning as you start the day, that you have every right to live a positive and joyful life. So have an optimistic mindset. You can practice affirmative meditations which are available online. These will also definitely work.
  3. Thirdly, I would suggest yoga over the gym for your present state of mind. Yoga will definitely give you the best results along with meditation. If you have other hobbies like painting, flowering, swimming, or any particular favorites that you want to invest your time in, now would be a great time to do it even at the end of a hard-working day.

At least 40 minutes of brisk walking or exercise will help you. Apart from that, two rounds of morning and evening meditation would be just fine for boosting your neuro health, and confidence as well as for eliminating all negative feelings.

I hope this helps you. Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Coming to the diet, I suggest you have the following:

  1. For breakfast, you need to consume nuts or breakfast cereals regularly at least twice or thrice a week.
  2. You can include eggs, and salads, and can even add some protein powder like whey into your smoothie or your morning drink.
  3. I suggest you take almonds, pistachios, or walnuts at least two or three in number per day along with whatever breakfast you have.
  4. Oatmeals and avocado-based preps would be great too.
  5. In between meals, have green tea or black coffee, whichever you prefer. Even any fruit juice that is naturally prepared and without added sugars will do. All these will keep your mind contented and satiated.
  6. For meals usually, whatever you have is completely fine, but try including more green beans, chickpeas, green peas, turmeric, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. These are called legumes and cruciferous veggies. The more you consume legumes and cruciferous vegetables (which you are not allergic to), the more you will notice improvements even in the way you perceive life.

So, you can ask me your doubts anytime, but ensure that you spend at least 20 minutes for meditation and deep breathing, 40 minutes for walking or exercising, and 15 minutes for any recreational hobby or activity apart from the daily work you do. The diet tips that I gave about including nuts, and cereals in your breakfast and including legumes, and cruciferous veggies in your diet will definitely help you in the long run as these help boost your cardio and neuro health. Stay fit and positive.

I wish you good health. Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you so much for sharing the diet chart.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You are most welcome.

Thank you.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Achanta Krishna Swaroop
Dr. Achanta Krishna Swaroop

Dentistry

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