Burnout: What to Look for and How to Cope

Burnout.

Before leaving for vacation, I was feeling overworked, stressed and a tad bit burned out. Gosh, that feels weird to write. And acknowledge. But it’s true. You see, in addition to writing the blog everyday and the book, I write every word of my social media (Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram).  I am also doing more video work (those will be forthcoming) and making plans for the book launch and traveling for speaking engagements. Now, this is NOT a complaint. Not at all because I am really excited about, grateful for and loving what I am doing.

The thing of it is, though, I felt like I was living a daily cliché: one step forward, two steps back. Heaven knows that I know that life can be tricky like that. And I also know that post-FBC, I have a tendency to want to pack things in. However….I also must acknowledge that living this way isn’t healthy, physically or mentally.

Here are some of the signs that I had indicating that I was burning out:

chronic fatigueirritabilityself-criticismlack of motivationnegativityweight gainsleeplessnessI thought I was burned out

Believe it or not (actually, you’ll probably believe it!), I’m choosing to see burnout as a Silver Lining, something that I needed. I am a firm believer that the universe shows us what we need, at the precise time that we need it.  And this is a perfect example.

My #1 priority in my life is my health.  My #2 priority (a very close 2nd!) is my family.  If I don’t have these, then I don’t have anything.

So, what to do?  First things first:

Scale back a bit.  I hope that you will bear with me as I blog 3 days a week instead of 5. I think that this pace will be much more feasible.Unplug more often.  I have been feeling absolutely glued to my computer, my phone and my iPad. A friend of mine has “screen-free Sundays” and I’m thinking about adopting that practice as well.Say “No” more often. Now this is super-challenging for me, especially as I am lining up the upcoming book tour, but it is important. Really important.Prioritize family and friend life. Actually, I have been prioritizing my family.  Life lately has been all work and family.  What I really need to do is add more girlfriend time into my life. I miss my girlfriends. They are such a humongous source of energy, compassion and support in my life.Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Zzzzzzz…..

Have you ever been burned out?  If so, what do you do about it?  Any helpful hints?

 

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