Episode 5 - Are you suffering from Boreout? - Camilla Quintana

Are you suffering from Boreout?

Listen on: iTunes │Spotify │Stitcher

We all know what a burnout is, but have you heard of BOREOUT?

It’s a disorder caused by chronic mental underload that leads to a persistent lack of motivation and interest, to frustration, lethargy and in some cases even depression.

I’ve noticed this syndrome in some of my coaching clients and so in this episode of The Empowered Expat Wife Podcast, I’ve taken all the scientific research and made it relevant to expat wives.

A topic close to my heart

This is a topic very close to my heart: first of all, because it isn’t nearly talked about enough, causing affected women to feel like something’s wrong with them. And yet, it is a real condition that can lead to depression (in some literature it has been described as a “soul infarct”), so it must be taken seriously. Since specializing on working with (expat) women presenting Boreout symptoms, I’ve seen incredible results and transformations!

But I’ve also had some encounters with Boreout of my own:

My story

As newly-weds, my husband was relocated to Madrid – a city I knew and loved but where all of our friends were working full time. Meanwhile, I was minimally working from home in the 1st year and was on parental leave with our firstborn the 2nd year.⁣

The days were long. We lived somewhere in the outskirts of the city with not much to do at first glance.

So I started watching a stupid 3-hour long morning show…

I’d drive up to a huge supermarket and spent hours strolling down the aisles. Just to have something to do.

When I went to the park with my baby, I was the only mom there surrounded by nannies in uniforms.

And when my husband came home late, I expected him to fill up my own, empty cup.
⁣
No matter what I’d do to “kill time” it wouldn’t light me up. Because I hadn’t yet figured out the formula of what’s needed to break out of Boreout:

Step 1:

Listen to this Podcast episode in which you’ll learn:

what Boreout is and where it comes from
how you can spot symptoms in yourself and others
the types of expat wives that are most prone to suffer from it
what perpetuates Boreout
what you can do to cope

Listen on: iTunes │Spotify │Stitcher

Step 2:

Overcoming Boreout is something I take very seriously in my 1:1 client sessions. There are two key ingredients in the remedy:

Engage in activities that stimulate your intellect

You can keep very busy and your calendar might be full, but if the activities aren’t intellectually challenging you, if there’s no accomplishment to show at the end of the day and you’re not making making any impact it won’t feel fulfilling to you.

That’s why you’ll need align your weekly activities with what’s truly driving and motivating you:
Find your individual meaning and purpose across borders

This is the fourth of my 4 Pillar Approach to a Fulfilled Life Abroad and I can’t stress its importance enough.

This is obviously highly personal. I believe everyone is here on Earth with a unique purpose and mission. So don’t give in to outside pressure that may try and convince you that:

“All you need to feel fulfilled is _____________ (kids, a job, start a business, more friends, moving back home or somewhere else, etc)”

This may (partly) be true, but noone else can decide that but yourself, after really looking within and uncovering your authentic truth, desires and goals for your life.

Because of its highly individualistic nature, there is no shortcut to uncovering YOURS. It’s a beautiful and gratifying process and I’d love to accompany you on that journey.