How often do you find yourself wishing for more hours in a day to get everything done? Self-Care easily takes a back seat when we are too busy with our lives. We have been taught that being exceptionally productive and working to the point of exhaustion, is not only the way to success but also highly respected. How to avoid burnout is important to implement in our culture.
Do you notice how often people respond when being asked “How are you?” with wide eyed exasperation: “I’m busy!?” Being busy is widely acceptable, admired and people get it.
Today’s world is so fast paced that we get too busy tackling everyday tasks, parenting, running households and careers and worrying about things out of our control that there’s barely room to take time for ourselves. Most of us have not been taught how vital self-care is for our well-being and it has been slandered as selfish or seen as an unaffordable luxury.
Self-Care is not about being Selfish, It is about Self Preservation.
What is burnout?
Being in a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress is burnout. It occurs when you feel emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and struggle to meet constant demands.
Is your idea of success really about pushing yourself to burnout?
Over extending ourselves until we are depleted, only makes us more easily triggered, frustrated, resentful and critical. We can see how this would potentially spill out into all areas of our lives, negatively impacting our relationships, our patience for parenting, our energy for caregiving, our health, our sex drive and our ability to enjoy life.
You will need to get honest with yourself about what’s important to you and know that you can create the balance that you need. Are you pushing yourself to the point of breakdown to please others or to make a lot of money? Finding the balance between work and play is so important for our health and overall well-being.
When we do not make ourselves a priority, we suffer.
What Else Does Burnout Look Like?
- Exhausted and feeling drained
- Change in appetite
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- More frequent colds and flus
- Headaches
- Digestive issues
- Muscle tension
- Loss of Motivation
- Loss of productivity
- Trouble focusing
- Easily triggered
- Emotionally distant from others
- Self medicating with food, alcohol and drugs
You can choose to turn things around. Making yourself a priority, like you do other people and things in your life, will only serve to change your life for the better!
10 Tips for Better Self-Care and How To Avoid Burnout
1. Get enough sleep
We all have our ideal number of hours that we need for a restful sleep, so make sure you get yours. You may need to adjust your schedule and go to bed a little earlier, or take a nap if needed to make up for lost sleep. Better sleep means a better mood, better productivity and how to avoid burnout.
2. Hydrate
Drink 16 oz. of fresh water first thing in the morning. I like to add a ½ lemon fresh squeezed for extra, natural electrolyte and to nourish the liver. Take in another 16 oz. after your fave latte, (caffeine is dehydrating) followed by at least 4 more cups throughout your day.
3. Eat more healthy foods
Healthy, whole, fresh foods give you energy and strong health.
Add more fruits and veggies into your diet and cut back on caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods. These culprits enhance anxiety and negatively affect our health. The foods we ingest directly impact our energy, our moods, our quality of life and our longevity.
4. Do those little things that make you happy and have some fun
Uplift your spirits with a small something enjoyable that you can fit into your day, like a healthy fruit smoothie, a walk, some flowers to freshen up your office, giving yourself a high five, scheduling a massage or making a lunch date with your bestie. It’s the little things.
5. Set healthy boundaries, it’s okay to say NO
Although it is satisfying to have a full schedule, it is important to know when to say “no” to protect your energy and restore yourself when your feeling worn thin. Give yourself permission to say “no” to those things or persons that drain you.
6. Take mini breaks throughout your day
Taking mini timeouts to breathe deep, stretch and focus on what you’re grateful for in the moment, is a rejuvenating reset and only takes seconds to do. You can practice this while standing in line for lunch, on hold on the phone, or watching your little one in dance class.
When we are caught up in our thoughts of what went on earlier in the day or we are worried about the future, we miss out on our life that is right here, right now. Soak in the present moment and don’t let your life pass you by. You do not want any regrets and you’re working on how to avoid burnout.
7. Move your body.
Find some form of physical movement that you enjoy in order to create physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Physical movement releases fear and helps crush depression.
8. Live your life the way you want to, not what is expected of you.
This is your one life to live, so go ahead and follow your own lead. Step into the driver’s seat as you take control over the choices you make that serve you to be your greatest expression in your own life as others will benefit from being around an authentic you.
9. Be good to yourself
Life is stressful enough without being extra hard on ourselves. Show yourself some compassion, respect and self-love. Look back on your day and give yourself credit for all that you did do and not what you did not get to. You gotta have your back, or life will feel heavier.
10. Ask for Help
You may think you have to do everything yourself, especially when you’re a type A and like things done a certain way, however when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, asking for help is key.
What’s the First Step to Take to Avoid Burnout?
The first step towards a healthier you is to put Self-Care on your daily to-do list. Prioritize it by scheduling it on your calendar as you would your appointments, meetings, and kid’s soccer games.
Self-Care is highly personalized, so find the tips that resonate with you and/or create your own. You will experience greater joy and fulfillment in all areas of your life, as well as create a positive impact on your world when you take time to take care of you.
4 Tips to Help You Schedule “Me” Time and How to Avoid Burnout
Making your needs a priority and addressing them right away will help to maintain the energy, the inspiration and quality of your day that you most desire to have.
Focus on your most pressing needs first.
For example, if you need rest, schedule in mini breaks throughout your day, set an alarm for a 10 min. power nap, or commit to going to bed earlier. If it’s quality time with a loved one, schedule a date night and line up the babysitter. What do you need?
Start small.
Create time in your day for some self-care, even if it’s for 5-15 minutes. Maybe you only have enough time to pause, stretch and breathe deeply for a few minutes and that can get you through to the next thing, or you might take a 10 minute walk or add another 15 minutes to your lunch break.
Small amounts of effort over time really can make a radical difference in your life and is a key on how to avoid burnout.
Keep it simple.
The last thing you want is to bite off more than you can chew and dread your self-care. Choose something short, sweet and enjoyable so you can have self-care success.
Make it enjoyable.
Your self-care routines can be anything you want it to be. We all have different rituals and activities that calm our minds, refresh our energy and feed our spirits so tap into the ones that serve you.
By listening to your inner guidance and being honest with your needs so you can live in alignment with who you are (and not who you think others want you to be), you cannot help but to make better choices for yourself and better impact those around you.
One more thing…
If you want to avoid burnout and figure out the best way to put yourself as a priority and no longer allow for the busy-ness of your life to get in the way of some rejuvenating Me time, you will need a plan.
By booking a FREE clarity call with me, you will get clear about what’s working and not working in your life and get you on the path towards greater balance, whether you choose to work with me or not.
Mucho Love xx
Kristin