Tips & Tricks for Preventing Burnout
How do we prevent Physical, Mental & Emotional burnout?
A few weeks back, I posted a photo on Instagram with a detailed caption about how up and down my moods and productivity have been lately. I have the ability to “go-go-go,” work long hours, hit my fitness goals and make time for friends and family for a few weeks straight, and then a week comes where I completely crash, my productivity dies out, and I feel just “blah” - sad, emotional, tired and unmotivated.
It is as if my system went into overdrive and suddenly crashed, and I’m unable to simply reboot as I can my laptop when it has been overused. It takes days, sometimes weeks, to recover.
What I learned - in the many conversations I had in the Instagram photo comments, DMs and phone conversations following my post - was that I’ve been maintaining balance in almost all areas of my life except it two vital aspects: my mental and emotional states. And this imbalance ultimately lead to a hard physical burnout.
But, Why?
The pressure to keep on moving, progressing, and achieving is very real nowadays. Competition and comparison is endless and constantly in your face as social media populates every single phone screen. (We all know this to be true.)
And if you’re anything like anxiety-ridden ol’ me, the pressure comes to a breaking point: physically, mentally and emotionally. It is during this breaking point that the wheels fall off the tracks and progress comes to a complete halt (the complete opposite of what I’m going for) and my mental and emotional states take the hardest beating.
It is very easy to get caught up in the momentum of everyday life, and though this momentum may seem beneficial at the time, without a proper balance of progression and stillness: time to reflect, think, and decompress, even the strongest, most motivated person is bound to crash and stagnate his/her progress.
How to Prevent the Crash
I’m very fortunate to have a community of incredibly mindful friends who kindly provided their own tips and tricks for preventing burnout - physical burnout, but primarily mental & emotional (all are inevitably intertwined).
I’ve listed their suggestions, many of which I’ve already tested out and am thrilled to say they work, as well as some of my own tricks that I’m trying to incorporate more frequently into my everyday routine.
My hope is that you incorporate one or two of these tricks into your own everyday routine so that you can continue on hustling and pursuing your goals - in work, fitness or whatever they may be - without burning out or finding yourself in a low energy, low productivity week.
Listen to your body. Okay - I’m listing this first and foremost because I am a true believer that our bodies tell us when we need to slow it down; however, many of us (me: “Guilty as charged.”) neglect to listen to our bodies.
When I competed in athletics, I was completely tuned into the needs of my body. I had to be. My running performance, and at that time, my happiness, depended on it. I was never someone who was afraid of taking a rest day or two because I knew it was what my body needed.
Today, I’ll reluctantly admit, I don’t listen to my body as much as I used to. I know it is because physical performance/athletics is no longer my number one priority, but, that is really just an excuse. I know for certain that when I take care of myself and give myself rest when my body calls for it, I end up feeling better, gaining more clarity/focus throughout the day and my mood increases exponentially.
I encourage you to take the time to learn the signals of your body. A great first step, and my own diet/relationship with my body changed significantly when I started doing this, is to pay attention to how you feel after eating a nutrient-dense meal - one with lots of veggies - compared to how you feel after eating a carb-heavy dinner - a burger and fries or cheesy pasta, perhaps. Do you feel energized? Sluggish? Bloated? Woozy? What you consume directly affects how you feel. Pay attention to how your body reacts to certain foods. This will help you learn what kinds of signs your body sends you.
Your stress levels contribute to how your body feels. When you’re constantly on the go, moving from one thing to the next without a break in between, you’re creating a high-stress environment internally. Stress can be a good thing in small quantities, but when you’re constantly working in a state of stress, you’re setting your body up for failure - mentally, emotionally, and physically.
The next time you’re having a hectic day, take a few minutes to pause and tune into how you’re feeling. Is your body tense? Shoulders tight and body aching? How are your energy levels - balanced, or are you having highs and lows throughout the day? Are you clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth? If you’re a nail biter - are your nails still in tact or have you chewed them down to non-existence? Our bodies show certain signs of stress. Pay attention to the signs, and take a break - whether it be a full day or just a 30 minute cat nap - to relax and give your body the rest it needs.
Reflect on the Positives of Life. I generally consider myself a positive person, but I sure do have my off moments. And, I don’t know about you, but when I’m on the go and in a state of stress, I tend to forget how amazing life is.
In a high stress state, it is easier to notice negatives or obstacles standing in the way - whether that be comparisons, competition, personal setbacks or fears, etc. And when the burnout finally comes, I’ve noticed that my down mood is only exacerbated by the negative thoughts I’ve compiled. Not to mention, my burnout or crash comes more quickly when I’m in a negative mental state.
A simple trick to combat the Negative Nancy’s and prevent negativity from leading to or heightening burnout is to pause each day - whether it be first thing in the morning, a set time during the workday or at night before bed - to reflect on the positives in your own life.
Sometimes this is difficult to do - and not just the act of pausing or stopping what you’re doing, but switching the negative mindset into a positive one. But doing so completely resets your mood, mindset and motivation for doing what you are doing that day.
Positive thoughts, or considering what you are grateful for in life, leads to positive emotions, happiness and serenity, and, my favorite, smiling :). The action of smiling releases endorphins and improves one’s mood almost instantly. (My personal experience with this: I had a coach in high school who convinced us to smile a big, cheesy smile right before the gun went off to start a race. We looked silly, but it truly did ease the nerves and improve our moods!)
List 1-3 things you are grateful for in life, that day, etc. and make sure each bring a smile to your face. I guarantee your mood will improve, you’ll feel much more centered and focused, and grounding yourself in this way will prevent the inevitable burnout that a negative stress state will bring.
Meditate. Similar to pausing and reflecting on the positives in life, mediation is a great way to press pause on the stress of the day.
Take a moment each day to sit in silence and clear your mind. For me, this is way easier said than done because my mind moves 100mph, but I’ve learned of simple, free apps that provide guided meditations to help the everyday individual unwind. Check out Headspace, for instance - it pings you at a specific time each day (you choose the time) and guides you through a 5 minute - 30 minute meditation session.
Pausing for 5 - 10 minutes each day to clear your mind, slow your heart rate and find peace in the chaos of the day can open up the doors to SO much: to an enlightened idea, a moment of complete clarity and creative genius, or even just a reset on your mind-body. Meditation is proven to improve self-awareness - allowing you the time you need to connect with your physical, mental and emotional states to see how you are truly feeling.
For me, personally, meditation has helped calmed my anxiety. As mentioned, I am an extremely anxious person and I can easily get caught up in my anxiety. Taking a few minutes each afternoon to put my phone and laptop away, turn the TV off and just sit and center myself (usually with some candles and flowers nearby) has helped me realize how quickly my heart is racing throughout the day, how tense my jaw is (I now know I clench my jaw while working), and how stressed my mind is feeling. Meditating allows me a few minutes to reboot and adjust my approach to the rest of the day so that it is productive and filled with less stress. I highly recommend giving it a try.
These are just a few tricks I’ve learned overtime and from others that have helped me tremendously. I encourage you to give them a try and let me know what works best for you.
Do you have your own tips/tricks for preventing burnout? Comment below! We could all use some variety in our self-care arsenal. :)
xoxo, Rach