Fear of Fear
Anxiety and Burnout
Wellness Retreats
Sunday 19th October
Who am I?
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Psychotherapist 15 years of experience
Private practice at the Robert Street Clinic, Ellerslie
Blogger, radio host and commentator
NZ Association of Psychotherapists (NZAP) Council Member, Public Issues spokesperson
Psychotherapy.org.nz, OvercomingSocialAnxiety.com
As seen on …
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Burnout and Anxiety
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What is Anxiety?
Definition: fear response in the absence of a fearful stimuli, or an
actual threat to wellbeing
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Anxiety is an emotional response and is not necessarily “bad”
Fear by its very nature “overgeneralises”
Fear is “aversive”
Fear motivates avoidance behaviours
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Fear of Fear
• Anxiety is a natural state
• Intense anxiety, panic, failure, misery can
cause a fear response to anxiety itself
• This is what we call a “secondary emotion”
• Fear of fear drives avoidance
• It is not based in “reality” or the here and
now
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Burnout and Trauma
• Burnout, from an emotional point of view, creates a trauma
response to work
• It is natural to avoid what has become aversive
• Self employment is no protection
• “Golden handcuffs”
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Psychological Space
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Stop
Breathe
Learn to be with yourself
Danger of “active relaxing”
Generate other interests – but not other “careers”
Re-engage with your life that is already there
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Acceptance and Openness
• What are you denying, or ignoring that led you to burnout?
• What are you avoiding that makes it hard to STOP!
• Future focus, and ambition
• You might already be there …
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Flow
Definition: Flow, also known as Zone, is the mental state of
operation in which a person performing an activity is fully
immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and
enjoyment in the process of the activity
• Flow is incompatible with anxiety
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Mindfulness
“The awareness that emerges through paying
attention on purpose, in the present moment, and
non-judgementally to the unfolding of experience
moment by moment”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn
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Limits and Engagement
• There is meaning in burnout
• Limits and capacity naturally change, day to
day, week to week, and across the lifespan
• Having limits means doing what you are
doing, and being where you are
• “Digital” holidays
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Regular Practice and Goals
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Stop thinking ‘what’s next?’
Start thinking ‘what is’
Plan and schedule regular breaks
Meditate
Create space
Be fully present, with all that you do
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Contact
www.psychotherapy.org.nz
www.overcomingsocialanxiety.com
www.robertstclinic.co.nz
37 Robert Street, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051
Questions?
@kylemacd
Facebook/psychotherapy.org.nz
kylemacd@psychotherapy.org.nz
021 708 68
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