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Burn out is very real. Maybe you're doing too much at work, too much at the gym or, too much with your mind. I'm the worst when it comes to burning out, I run myself into the ground and then still think I need to go the gym?! Em, nothing is gonna happen if you miss a day of the gym or even a week. I know I have a 6am train but I still stay up working until 3am. I know nothing bad is going to happen if I just close my laptop and live my life but I still keep it wide open, tapping away. The worst part? I know I'm not the only one. I guess reading things like 'work hard in silence, let success be your noise' and I'll never forget reading someones Instagram that said 'whilst everyone else sleeps, we work', some days, these quotes can be motivating but others? They have the power to make you feel guilty for living and enjoying your life. They make me panic as if I'm not working hard enough. I think we live in such a work-obsessed world nowadays and I am guilty of this. Whilst this may sound like someone being a workaholic (I am), being a workaholic or gymaholic can lead to burn out which is basically exhaustion beyond belief. Today I want to talk about burn out and how to tackle it/ensure you don't end up burning out.
I love my job and I am so grateful for it. I would not change it for the world. However, running your own business and life, in general, can be tough. I always think of people who have babies, I take my hat off to you because I can't even look after myself. My Mum somehow had two babies under the age of 2 and still worked 6 days a week. Let's be honest, an out of office doesn't really exist in life. I'm guilty of putting my out of office on to limit the pressure on myself but then I still sit and reply when I'm meant to be taking time out.
Running a business is the most epic thing but I do struggle with losing control so never really listen to my out of office, even though I need to. I couldn't tell you the last time I sat and read a book or put my laptop down before midnight and I partly blame society but also, partly blame that fire in my belly. Some days, I'm grateful for the fire in my belly, it fills me with inspiration and kicks me but other days, it doesn't let me sleep. I guess I have so many ideas, thoughts and passions and I want to do them all immediately. I want to be in 4 places at once, be able to dash here there and everywhere and there just aren't enough hours in the day and we need to recognise that. It's totally okay to take time off.
Being busy: I never really saw an issue with being incredibly busy until recently. It can really take its toll on you. My brother fell ill two years ago and sadly, still isn't back to where he was. The doctors? Well, when they actually want to listen, they say it's from 'doing too much'. Who knew that doing too much could make you bed bound? For a long time, I didn't believe it. What about athletes? Bodybuilders? But seriously, these experts have a point when they talk about wellbeing and it was only after seeing how ill my brother is, that I started monitoring my own life and seeing how much pressure I put myself under. We all put ourselves under an immense amount of pressure. What's the point in spending so much time making a living that you forget to make a life? Or spend so much time making a living that you burn yourself out and can't actually live your life.
The last two weeks have been pretty tough, whilst it looks as though life is all roses on social media (one of the reasons I have a love-hate relationship with it), I've definitely pushed my body to it's limits and I've definitely learnt from my brother that this is not a good thing to do. I've had a lack of sleep, been looking at a screen for too long, cramming too much into my days and getting myself stressed. I honestly just 'burnt' out last weekend. I just needed to sleep.
Saying no: I've got better at saying no to things and actually, say no to so many things now which is one step in the right direction at least. Never underestimate the power of no. For me, the biggest issue is actually taking time off.
Even though I'm guilty of it, I'm trying to get better at taking time off and putting my wellbeing first. You missed the gym? Big deal. You took a night off work? Good. Here are some tips I'm trying to implement to ensure I'm not burning out/exhausting myself so much. It's a vicious cycle: you become work obsessed and then work so hard that you then become exhausted and therefore, have burnt out. My doctor once signed me off with exhaustion, I just needed to sleep for days because I'd pushed my body beyond its limits.
- Use a Schedule: I've been trying to ensure I have a scheduled night off or day off once a week. For me, weekends are the best for content creation because emails aren't happening but even if I take a Sunday afternoon off it makes me feel better. We feel so guilty for taking time off but a schedule should ensure you are putting downtime into it.
- Schedule In 'You Time': Schedule in that time for you. I know I get stressed if I don't fit the gym in so I ensure I schedule in the gym in now, it's good for my mind. It's tough as no two weeks are the same so now I just play it week by week. Even if the 'you time' is painting your nails before bed, watching your favourite TV show, or running a bath.
- See Family + Friends: One thing I'm really bad at is actually seeing people other than my laptop, I am totally guilty. I'm the girl who always forgets to reply to texts because I'm so busy working away. I know we are all busy, but it's important to see family and friends. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the people I love and it's important not to let work take over so much that you alienate yourself and stop seeing people who make life worth living.
- Tools To Make Your Job Easier: I recently started scheduling tweets and it's revolutionised my life. It means I don't have to be glued to my laptop all day so I'm trying to pre-plan ahead. Have a look if there are any tools you can use to make your job easier. As crazy as it sounds, Mondays used to make me really anxious so I spend parts of Sunday getting Monday jobs done and then I feel less stressed on a Monday, I know it's mad, but it works for me.
- Take A Step Back: Often, your work becomes better when you take a step back from it. It is okay to have a day off, take a step back and chill out. Everyone is entitled to time off and it's so important to realise that. Don't be hard on yourself.
So there we have it, a little discussion about why burn out is bad, why we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves, why it's okay to step back, have a rest and take some time to chill. Life can be so tough, no-one expects you to have it all figured out.
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Lots of love, Em x
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