Hey Babes, these days I’ve run across quite a few people going through it. I get it, life is hard right now and adulting requires we push through it. However, we can’t afford to burn out, cause let me tell ya, healing from it can be hard. So, this week I want us to pause and do a self-check. Then I’ve got five tips to prevent burn out and/or heal from it. Just a heads up, this is a two parter! So stay focused on this space next week, y’all!
Burn Out Checklist
- Are you tired all the time?
- Do you feel overwhelmed more than put together?
- Are you struggling with getting ‘all the damn things’ done, much less tracking them?
- Do you have trouble sleeping?
- Are your relationships strained (especially the ones closest to you)?
- Is your body in pain (joints, back)? Do you get frequent tension headaches?
- Do you feel like you want to scream, cry, cuss (maybe all three) when ONE MORE thing is asked of you?
**Disclaimer**: I’m no doctor, so this isn’t an official diagnosis, but if you answered yes to more than one of the above questions there is a good chance you are headed to (or right in the midst) of burn out.
Burn Out?! How’d I Get Here?
Simply put, burn out is described as being excessively overwhelmed or swamped. It is a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. Per our good friends at WebMD:
“Burnout happens when you’re overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life’s incessant demands.”
Are you resonating with this? If you’re already in the midst of this storm, still pay attention cause the following tips can help you get out of it, and the last tip for sure can help! Let’s find out how to prevent, or heal from, burn out, shall we?
Burn Out, Be Gone!
Tip #1: Learn when to say yes, and when to say NO
Stop being a martyr. Yes you. I hear so many times “but I have to do it”. No, you don’t. Will someone else do it better than you? Maybe not. Will someone else do it EXACTLY how you want it done? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean you HAVE to do it. If you got into a terrible car accident right now and were told that you may not live past the next 24 hours, would you get caught up in THAT THING being done exactly right? No, you would not. Use that tool for anything you feel YOU have to do. Cause, you probably don’t.
This also applies to when someone asks you do to something and your heart doesn’t automatically sing, “yes”. If it doesn’t, PRACTICE saying:
Why practice? Cause your knee jerk reaction will be to say yes. Why? Well….
- You are used to saying yes to all the things
- It boosts your self esteem a tiny bit to feel needed/important/wanted/special <- this one is dangerous cause the small boost of importance is tiny compared to the overall damage of being overwhelmed will cause.
Say yes when it aligns with your heart and season of life you are in. Say no when it doesn’t. It really is that simple. The only person who makes it complicated is you. You are the one that assigns importance to anything (a thought, a person, a thing, etc). Assign importance to people, things and places, so YOU are not being overwhelmed or doing things you don’t want to do.
But what about work?
Great question! I am a hard worker. I get joy in my work. Do you? Are you aligned in work that brings you joy? If the answer is no, then that is a whole other issue that needs to be addressed. But if you are doing work that brings you joy, then you will inherently know when to prioritize your work time vs your play time vs your family time, etc.
Your body will tell you when you need to pull back a bit. Listen to it; honor it. Say no to that extra project. Stop offering your assistance when your plate is already full. Also, stop being ok with overtime that really isn’t required but makes you feel important or needed. Finally, stop and listen to your body, to your heart. It will tell you, I promise.
Tip #2: Simplify
I have a confession, I am the queen of making things harder than they need to be. I always add extra steps cause I am all about the DETAILS. Sometimes it works great. More often than not, it isn’t necessary. I also am a SUCKER for the gadgets. Good grief the gadgets. And stuff. We have so much stuff.
Of course, I got a reality check. For six months, while we were building our house on the ranch, we lived in our RV. I was shocked at how LITTLE we needed in that time. Here is the thing, clutter, messes and complications are not just PHYSICALLY distracting, they are emotionally and mentally distracting too. There are studies that show how much STRESS is caused by clutter and disorganization. Clean it out. You can use the KonMari method, or whatever is your own personal jam. Here’s a taste of my process:
- I go through each room, one at a time.
- I pick up an item and ask myself, does this bring me joy? Have I used it in the last year?
- If I answer yes to one or both questions, it stays, if I answer no to both questions, it goes.
Simplifying also applies to the people in our lives. Do we need to spend less time with someone(s)? Are there toxic, heavy people that we need to love from a distance? If yes, give them the boot. Oh yeah, this also applies to projects, jobs and chores. Think more, “How can I outsource it?”, “How can I delegate this?”
What other ways could you simplify? I bet if you took two minutes, in a quiet space, you would think of some things that just aren’t worth having in your space. Give it a try.
Tip #3: Visualize
This is a bit of woowoo stuff, but hear me out. Visualization is truly a powerful tool that is used in many aspects: mental health therapy, business, manifestation and more. Visualization helps your brain (thus your entire body) prepare for something. It helps support decisions you made (or want to make). It has shown to help reduce stress and depressive symptoms.
Visualization is a fun and creative tool to help you get from a to b. Here is how you can use visualization to help with burn out.
- Find a quiet space you will be uninterrupted for at least 5 minutes.
- Close your eyes and breathe. just breathe.
- Imagine how you would feel if you had no needs to fulfill in this moment except to breathe.
- Now imagine if you had space to do things you wanted each day, just for you. what would those things be? how would you feel doing those things?
- Picture how you would look if you felt totally free right now.
- Do this each morning.
Ok friends, I think this is a good point for us to a stick a pin in this first half of our anti-burn out plan. Next week’s two remaining tips really are so important, I want to dedicate the space to really get into it!
What other ways can you elevate yourself in mind and body to prevent (or heal) burn out? In our online yoga teacher training course we give lots of tips and more in depth practices to help with this, check it out!
