Looking for activities to beat burnout? Try chiropractic care

During my burnout recovery, I tried everything from meditation, anti-burnout diets, supplements, more exercise, less exercise, sleep hygiene, dream logs, new rituals, yoga, cold water swimming, socialising less, socialising more and a multitude of different morning routines. Not everything has stuck but one thing that has is my regular visit to Naomi at Life and Light Chiropractic.

A visit to a chiropractor may not be the first thing you think about if you are feeling overwhelmed but I want to share with you why it could be part of your solution. If you are looking for activities to beat burnout then this could be it!

Me with Naomi at Life and Light Chiropractic

Reduces Cortisol

Managing your cortisol levels is a critical part of preventing burnout. Cortisol is a stress hormone released when we are are in "fight or flight" mode for an extended period of time, so if you are feeling overwhelmed chances are your cortisol levels are stuck on maximum flow rate. This can result in a variety of negative symptoms including digestive issues, weakened immune system, hormone imbalance, muscle tension, headaches, migraines and many more.

If you read my blog you will see that I used to be somewhat of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to work, and I had to seek out ways to reverse this harmful habit.

Chiropractic adjustments can support your body to reduce cortisol by aligning your spine and enabling your brain and body to communicate effectively. This allows your brain to signal to your body to move out of flight or flight mode and start reducing those cortisol levels.

Supports sleep

Managing burnout is all about balancing your every day microstressors with your ability to cope with them. We can significantly improve our resilience to burnout through ensuring we get the basics right and that includes sleep. I know from experience the havoc stress and burnout can play with your sleep patterns, so any help you can get is always going to be an effective use of time and energy.

If you have had a chiropractic adjustment I am sure you can attest to that lovely relaxed feeling you have on your way home. I always come away feeling content and sometimes ready for a nap. Chiropractic adjustments can support sleep through enhancing blood flow and reducing muscle tension, helping the body relax more fully at bedtime.

Relieves physical symptoms

Burnout often causes chronic muscle tightness, especially around the neck, shoulders, and back. These are areas prone to tension from prolonged sitting and poor posture so if you are burning out from sitting at a computer all day, this can result in a double whammy. The tricky thing with burnout is the symptoms are wide and varied and its easy to dismiss a physical symptom as unrelated or temporary.

Chiropractic adjustments relieve tension, improve circulation, and reduce pain, helping your body physically relax and recover. You may still need to address the route cause of your burnout, but thats a lot easier to do if your body is in alignment and pain free.

Balances hormones

Cortisol isn't the only hormone which chiropractic care can help balance. Burnout often results in your hormones going haywire as your body prioritises the production of cortisol over other hormones including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. This "cortisol stealing" can result in serious hormone imbalances causing a multitude of negative side effects.

An aligned spine not only enables your brain to signal to your adrenal gland to reduce coritisol, it improves communication to your other parts of your body responsible for producing other hormones, enabling effective production and balance.

Improves Confidence in your body and mind

Burnout has many consequences but for me one of the most unnerving was a complete loss of confidence in my ability to regulate and manage my own stress levels. Every day tasks I once handled with ease became a challenge and the constant questioning of my own decisions and ability was exhausting. I felt like I had broken myself and it was hard to see how I would ever get back to the "old me"

Chiropractic care is all about enabling your body to heal itself. Your chiropractor is doing the adjustments but its your body that's making the change. After each adjustment I imagined the little healing messages travelling freely throughout my body and as I started to feel better this provided me with a well needed confidence boost that I could be well again.

Provides a fresh start

I am always telling anyone who will listen that preventing burnout requires regular check ins, check ins with your body, your emotions, your soul and whether your actions and choices are aligning with your core values. Its all too easy to get carried away with what other people need and forget about ourselves. My monthly adjustment feels like one of those check-ins. An adjustment clears the way for a fresh start and sometimes I feel like I am floating out of there as light as a feather, ready for whatever the universe has in store for me next.

So if you are looking for activities to beat burnout, try a visit to a chiropractor!

www.balancingbluebells.co.uk.

Mairi Joyce

3 August 2025