Lost your zest for life?
One day you’re skipping merrily along, whistling a top tune, and progressing your career, and then the next day, you feel like you were hit by a truck and can’t move yourself out of bed.
Too many of us feel the need to prove our worth by overworking. This notion of being a workaholic; of always being busy, is worn like a badge of honour. Our ego thrives on feeling important and ‘good at our job’.
But without work-life balance and taking care of your wellbeing along the way – you’re on the fast track to burnout town.
What are the signs of burnout?
If you’re a high achiever, chances are you’ve experienced the symptoms of burnout at some point in your life. Maybe even from as early as your schooling years.
Burnout is the result of chronic stress; it leads to mental and physical exhaustion, cynicism and detachment from friends, family, and work, and feelings of ineffectiveness and a lack of accomplishment.
If you’re a sufferer of burnout, chances are you’re experiencing one or more symptoms, like;
- Insomnia – you take ages to fall asleep and/or wake up frequently throughout the night.
- Exhaustion – physical and emotional, you lack the energy to get out of bed some mornings!
- Chest pain or short breath – physical symptoms can give your burnout away, with a racing heartbeat, headaches, or dizziness other tell-tale symptoms.
- Loss of appetite – you might be feeling so overwhelmed you forget to eat, or the knot in your stomach is so big you don’t feel like eating.
- Anxiety – you might be feeling on edge constantly, because your mind is consumed by negative thoughts and worries.
What to do when you’re feeling burnt out
If a few of those symptoms resonated with you, then it might be time you stop and take check of your health and lifestyle. Here are a few ways our team likes to destress and focus on our wellbeing in the every day to keep us happy, safe, and energised.
Meditate
Meditation looks different for everyone, so don’t think this means you have to crack out a Bansuri flute and om like a yogi. The goal is ultimate relaxation, so that might be relaxing by the beach with a book, listening to music, going for a walk outside, or sitting down with your eyes closed and meditating with an app. Find what works for you, just make sure you switch off.
Find a hobby
It’s important you create space for a rich personal life outside of your work! Some of our favourite suggestions –
- Paint and Sip (art classes mixed with wine),
- learn something new, like a musical instrument or a new language,
- play a team sport,
- volunteer your time with your favourite charity (see our post on finding happiness),
- Trivia nights – the perfect excuse to get out of the house and catch up with friends.
Unplug
We wrote about this in a previous post, but that’s just showing how important we think it is to unplug from your technology for an hour or two each night. Turn off your TV, phones, laptops, and tablets and chill with a book or your family without distraction.
Aim for more sleep
Sleep is a necessary human function, allowing our brains to recharge and our bodies rest. Too often we compromise a solid night’s sleep to stay up ‘just another hour’ to finish a report or binge another TV episode. But continued lack of sleep (known as sleep deprivation) can be harmful to your physical health. So, aim for 8 hours if you can!
Tune into your body for better self-care
Mindfulness helps with this, but make a conscious effort to check in with your body and make a note of the times you experience physical symptoms of burnout or stress. You might identify some triggers and so find yourself in a position to change your routine, or lifestyle, or work practices to limit your exposure to those trigger events. However, if you are feeling overwhelmed and you need professional help, please, check in with your GP to discuss your concerns and seek qualified advice.