6 Signs You're Fast Approaching Burnout
We all thought 2020 threw us out of kilter… and then came 2021. Between the endless lockdowns, homeschooling and juggling our businesses (that felt like their doors were closed more than they were opened some months) you’d be more than forgiven for just feeling DONE with the year!
But there’s a difference between that feeling of being DONE (that a good holiday could probably fix 😉) and BURNOUT.
Let’s talk about the signs of burnout, and what you can do to try and reverse them.
1.😞You aren’t looking forward to the weekend anymore
If you’re so exhausted that you can’t handle the thought of standing on the soccer field watching your daughter in her big game on a Saturday, you’re probably pushing yourself too hard during the week.
Weekends should be time for family, leisure, rest and recreation. If you don’t have time for at least one of these things in your weekend, be wary. If you start using your weekends to catch up on all the work you didn’t get done during the week, and that turns into you working every weekend—it’s definitely time to check your priorities before you slip rapidly into burnout.
2.🎢You’re riding a rollercoaster of emotions
Do you feel up one minute and down the next? Perhaps you don’t know which version of yourself is going to wake up and get out of bed each morning. If you’re starting to take your emotions out on the people around you with your heightened emotional state, this is a clear sign you are heading towards burnout.
If you are finding yourself snapping at people or feeling guilty for how you are spending your time, these are red flags when it comes to your emotional capacity.
Ask yourself, are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Are you having enough down time? Taking care of these 3 areas could help bring you out of that funk and avoid you slipping into burnout territory.
3.📝Your To-Do List is overflowing
You used to be able to handle your weekly tasks and actions but lately you just don't seem to be getting to the bottom of your list. You haven’t been at “inbox zero” in months and people are pulling you left and right with obligations and events.
If this continues, it’s sure to lead to burnout.
Try re-evaluating your boundaries, delegating tasks to others on your team or asking for help. You will be surprised at how many people will lend a hand, if only you are brave enough to ask.
4.💔Your relationships are suffering
Missed your friend’s birthday party? Not going to be able to make it to your cousin’s wedding? You haven’t spoken to your friend who lives in another state for a couple of months? These are all signs that your relationships may be suffering because of your current state of being.
Making time for connection and relationships is an important part of our social and emotional well being. If you are not making time for this, you will find that it’s not long until you start feeling stretched and resentful.
So pick up the phone, book that coffee date or accept that invitation. You’ll feel better for it and it may just recharge your batteries for longer than the event itself.
5.🛁You have no “Me Time”
When was the last time you took a bath, read a book or went for a facial? If you have no me-time scheduled into your calendar, you may find that this is a slippery slope to burnout.
Taking time for yourself, to invest in your own well-being, to give yourself a chance to stop, reset and re-focus is so important if you want to be able to serve those around you.
We all know the analogy of putting on your own oxygen mask before putting on someone else’s, it’s important that you look after yourself first and foremost before you are expected to care for others.
Start by scheduling 10mins, take that 10mins for yourself and then next week make it 15, until it’s a whole hour. Now don’t roll your eyes at me—you can afford to take an hour to invest in yourself.
Don’t you have books on the shelf, dying to be read? Books that you bought months ago but haven’t picked up yet? Now is the time! (And this blog post might help too.)
6.🩺And finally, you have niggling health problems
Not feeling yourself? Getting sick more often? Pains in the tummy? These are all feelings that we as busy women push through and keep moving past hoping they will go away, but that is unsustainable.
Taking care of yourself, exercising, eating well and getting enough sleep are so important to our overall well being. Listening to your body and taking a break when you start to feel exhausted is so important when it comes to functioning at your best.
When you don't listen to your body, you can hit burnout like a wall, stopping you in your tracks and making it impossible for you to function. Start by taking good care of yourself and looking out for the warning signs.
🤔Think you’re heading towards burnout? Try the 3 R’s:
✅Recognise: Watch out for the warning signs
✅Reverse: Seek support, delegate tasks, reach out for support, set some clear boundaries
✅Resilience: Build your resilience to stress by taking better care of yourself.
And if you need some help with REVERSING the signs of burnout, checkout these 👇 tools.
ONLINE MINI COURSE: 5 Strategies to Help You Run Your Business (and regain control!), with Stacey Morgan.
WEBINAR SEPT 30: 3 Strategies to Take You From Burnout to Brilliant (so you feel lighter and brighter), with Alli Garison.