Individuals most prone to burnout are those who work too hard, too long, too intensely and are extremely dedicated to it: perfectionists, caretakers, people with low self esteem or low confidence.

Psychological and physiological responses to a heightened level of training

Psychological Symptoms

Sleep disturbances
Loss of self-confidence
Drowsiness & apathy
Quarrelsome
Irritability
Emotional and motivational imbalance
Excessive tiredness that is prolonged
Lack of appetite
Fatigue
Depression
Anxiety
Anger/hostility
Confusion

Physiological Symptoms

Higher resting heart rate
Higher systolic blood pressure
Delayed return to normal heart rate
Elevated basal metabolic rate
Elevated body temperature
Weight loss
Impeded respiration
Muscle aches
Bowel disorders
Frequent viral illnesses
Increased cortisol levels

Not too much different than eating disorders or exercise addiction

Although there are some differences between burnout, eating disorders and exercise addiction there are numerous similarities. People who are perfectionists, caretakers, people with low self esteem or low confidence also fit in the eating disorders and exercise addiction categories. Many of the physiological and psychological symptoms are the same. Eating disorders and exercise addiction have been considered a form of ‘control’; burnout is a form of control. With burnout an athlete may/may not be experiencing issues around body image; it’s probably less likely than most of the other symptoms. The more/less a person eats, the more they exercise and the more they train the more closely related all of this becomes. With all of these, the mind and body have been repeatedly stressed and has an inability to stop or be in control of the addictive behaviors.

Elite female runners and others prone to these behaviors

For some elite female runners it must be difficult to differentiate between burnout, eating disorders and exercise addiction because for they experience one or more of these. Elite female runners have been known to burnout, unable to find balance when striving for greatness. They are also known to be concerned with their body image; wanting to get down to a low weight in order to be light for running. And the differentiation between burnout and exercise addiction is slight.

There is a lot of pressure on all elite female athletes but very few sports are ‘required’ an athlete to carry a small stature in order to perform better; gymnastics, ballet and ice skating carry that same stigma.  Women athletes tend to be highly competitive, high achieving, and self disciplined individuals and we go to great lengths to excel in the sport. This personality type combined with the expectations of family, friends, team mates, coaches and spectators bring us into the high risk category for developing an eating disorder, exercise addiction & burnout.

If you know someone who is experiencing 3 or more of the above symptoms on a regular basis (more often than not) is probably a good idea (if you can) to talk to them about what’s going on. Burnout? Exercise addiction? ED? It’s challenging for someone who is experiencing one or more of these behaviors to self evaluate. Addiction leaves the brain in a compromised state; lacking food or flooded with food and endorphin’s.