How to Address Your Burnout
Last week I met with my therapist and realized I could finally name my feelings: I was burned out.
I explained my emotional roller coaster to her through tears and she so aptly and with much grace called me out.
I was so relieved. Finally a name for what was going on.
But then the shame hit. The “I should know better” and “how did I miss this?” and “I feel like a hypocrite”.
Once I wrestled through my shame stories (with her help of course. Thank god for therapists), I quickly made some changes to address my burnout:
I got off Instagram.
No more scrolling or stories. No more numbing out with my thumbs. I also had to lean into the trust and faith that Reset could and would still thrive without my active presence on that site. My head had space. I regained clarity.
I changed my schedule.
The idea of two under 3 yrs old at home and me trying to raise them and run the business on my “off days” and work nights was too much. I sent a quick email to daycare and shifted everything around. I immediately could breathe and see hope.
I set boundaries.
Having been in corporate life for a decade before starting Reset, I operate naturally with a sense of urgency. But it’s unnecessary. So is texting my admin outside of her working hours. Or emailing clients at 10pm or returning phone calls within 5 minutes or always being available all the time for everyone. Boundaries allow me to honor myself, my schedule, to adhere to my priorities and my control energy.
I moved my body.
This pregnancy I’ve neglected my fitness routine and the aches and pains have been intense. I scraped together a low impact exercise routine and started committing to it. It’s been a week now and I feel much more powerful, confident and in a lot less pain. Chronic pain sucks and a little accountability and discipline allowed me to finally rise above it.
I leaned into the good.
I have anxiety. I also suffer from occasional depression. When things are good my anxiety kicks it up a notch. Imposter syndrome, waiting for the other shoe to drop, worries of self sabotage all creep in. No, not creep. They BARREL TOWARDS ME. But I have to constantly practice taming my fear/Ego when things are good. So, I listened to some of my favorite authors, meditated and developed a new mantra:
“It’s safe to feel good. It’s natural to thrive. My desires can flow to me easily”.
Recognize your burn out, your stress, your anxiety, your depression. Get help. Get help in finding the words and to finally label your feelings. It’s NOT abnormal to feel this way, it’s far more ubiquitous than you may think. You’re not alone.
And you can feel better.
Hugs today and through the end of the year.
This is an article to reference related to burn out and our age group: https://apple.news/AJtoHWPM8T2mh7qjzU0iO0A
Click here to learn more about stress therapy.
