Are you at risk of burnout?
I work with many high achieving women executives that always put themselves last on the list and it has damaging effects. Even when they do find time to bump themselves up the list, they feel guilty about doing so, reducing the benefit of their focus, causing more stress and feelings of anxiety.
A survey conducted by Jennifer Moss, a burnout expert said, 55% of employees said that they do not feel that they have been able to balance their home and work life. Some people believe in achieving the ultimate balance and others say embrace your life as it is and just make it work. Is there such a thing as having perfect balance?
What makes your life so complicated? Taking on too much, trying to do it all and not asking for help, saying yes to everything and everyone, thinking you don’t have control, having no or a lack of support, being too stubborn to let go, the list continues… and yes, I am talking your language all of you high achiever, perfectionists out there!
Some of the common signs of burnout can be:
Feeling all the feels, intense feelings with no way to accept and let go.
A lack of motivation, finding it hard to get going in the morning or ever.
Having trouble sleeping, getting to sleep, and staying asleep.
Feeling exhausted all the time, a deep feeling of tiredness, emptiness and hollow.
Increased anxiety, worrying about things that haven’t happened.
So, how do you manage burnout and what can you do to avoid it? The opposite to all the above. Easy, right?
Daily self-care routines do not have to be hours at the day spa, pamper sessions and long lunches, although wouldn’t it be nice! You need to find a way to incorporate small moments in your day for you. It could be as simple as being present, in the moment enjoying your morning drink. Let’s use my morning coffee as an example, take a deep breath, bring yourself into the present. Tap into your senses, smell the coffee, notice the colour, taste and feeling of warmth. This small routine is really grounding and a moment to acknowledge that this is your time, moment, something small for you before you move into the day ahead.
What existing routine do you have, that you can embrace as “ME time”?
There comes a point when you need to address that other areas that will help you manage your energy moving forward, the big-ticket items like mindset, emotional agility, setting boundaries, eating well, getting enough sleep, and having a great exercise routine. Choose one area, set a goal and focus on making a change.
Give yourself permission to pause, reflect on your life, think about what serves you, where you spend your energy and what you can do to improve.