Christene’s passion to help others avoid burn out comes from her own personal experience during her IT career (20 years). Here is what one profile of a Burn Out Candidate looks like: someone who is energetic, ambitious and driven. This profile however does include other factors unique to each individual.

The good news is that we can avoid it if we pay attention to the signs and then act on them, in the moment. However, we need to pay attention and recognize that we are not looking after ourselves (self-awareness); we are not living our own life but living by others rules and/or demands and then we just feel so darned tired or drained all the time. We take everything on; we can’t seem to say “no” to anything or anyone; we don’t sleep well; we don’t eat properly if at all; we constantly feel tense, frustrated and cranky (even angry) or just plain exhausted.

Burn out sneaks up on us slowly, and it can take years to feel the full effect. So if we don’t pay attention to the signs; if we continue to think “we can handle it all ourselves”; then eventually our bodies fail us. We are drained of all our mental and emotional energy.

For me it was lock jaw that scared me into doing something about my situation. Lockjaw, which is also known as TMD(Temporomandibular disorders) or TMJ, “J” (stands for joint) occur as a result of problems with the jaw joint and surrounding facial muscles that control chewing and moving the jaw. So I had major tension in this area as well as throughout my body.

Injury to the jaw, temporomandibular joint, or muscles of the head and neck can cause TMD. Possible causes include:

• Grinding or clenching the teeth, which puts a lot of pressure on the TMJ
• A heavy blow or whiplash
• Dislocation of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket
• Presence of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in the TMJ
• Stress, which can cause a person to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth

My Avoid Burn Out program will help you take control of your life utilizing the tools and exercises created by the Institute of Social and Emotional Intelligence. In addition my “Joy Principles” module will help you put more joy back into your life. The “Joy Principles” are based on Dr. Martin Seligman’s program (world renowned psychologist) called P.E.R.M.A.