We’ve all become a little too familiar with what burnout is. A quick refresher: it’s the physical, emotional, and mental repercussions of complete exhaustion, usually from excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout is different from the normal levels of day-to-day stress. Burnout can make us completely overwhelmed and emotionally unable to meet the constant demands of our daily lives. It will lead us to experience feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, resentment and cynicism. If you have been feeling this sensation or have in the past, try these strategies to help improve things.
Embrace boundaries
Embracing boundaries will help you proactively protect your time and energy. If you are experiencing burnout, you cannot overextend yourself. Learning how to say no is a skill that takes practice. The first step is to stop the auto-yes. Saying yes to things you don’t really care to do or don’t have the capacity for can be the result of lifelong conditioning. You owe nobody an immediate yes, or even a delayed yes. A pause and then a simple “I’d like to think about it” or “I’ll let you know by the end of the week” will create space for you to consider and then consciously decide. Buying yourself some time interrupts the ingrained “auto-yes” pattern, so you can respond based on your true feelings rather than react to please the other person.
Build mental breaks into your day
These mental breaks don’t need to be that long. Make yourself a cup of tea and allow yourself 15 minutes to do nothing. A lot of us have been conditioned by hustle culture to always be on the go, but that isn’t for the best. Here are some other things you can do on your break:
- Stretch for 5 minutes
- Take a dance break
- Read a book or your favorite magazine
- Take yourself out for an ice cream or another treat
- Go on a walk, or just outside for a breather
Don’t over-schedule
Do you have every part of your life scheduled? It’s not that helpful. It is a one-way ticket to cognitive fatigue and burnout. Build in enough time to do the tasks that require a lot of mental focus, and then build in 15 or 20 minutes after to have a break. Real self-care is the remedy to burnout so make sure that it is on the top of your list every day.
Help others
Though it may seem counterintuitive to help others if you are already experiencing burnout, small, manageable acts of kindness can help us get out of our own heads. It is amazing how making a practice of giving to others can renew our own sense of well-being. It can be as simple as taking the time to write a note of gratitude to a teacher, neighbor or a friend. Truly helping those in need is a win-win.
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