How to Try to Avoid Burnout

For most of us right now, it’s safe to say that we’re all experiencing some kind of burnout. We’re all wearing multiple hats due the circumstances, and it’s taking toll on our productivity, motivation and probably our overall happiness.

If you’re not there currently, you probably have been at one point. Your to-do list is overflowing and you don’t even know where to start, so you literally don’t start at all. Instead, you procrastinate more because you’re feeling so incredibly overwhelmed, so it’s easier to ignore it all together than to get started.

Trust me, I’ve personally been there. So, I totally get it.

We are all so incredibly busy right now, and it’s hard to get caught up. We’re all go, go, go. Most of us are thinking how impossible it is to maintain a job, a relationship, find time to home-school, exercise, maintain friendships, eat healthy, find time for self-care, spend time with our kids, etc. It literally seems impossible. When our plate starts to overflow, we start to push aside certain aspects of our life that we shouldn’t, like self-care and time for our-self. Those things are the first to go. Why is that?

When we get rid of the things that help us maintain our sanity and the things that we enjoy, that’s when the burnout begins to appear.

We’re all guilty of this, and for me, I’ve been more so guilty of this since becoming a mother. Every chance I get where I’m not at my kids beck and call, I’m cleaning, cooking, blogging or working on some project. I do not set aside time for myself besides occasionally fitting in a run here or there.

One thing I have realized is that sometimes I accomplish nothing in an hour because I am trying to do a million things at once because there are literally not enough hours in my day to get done all of the things I need to get done. I don’t have enough hours in my day to run a business, to be a good mother, to be a good wife, to have me time, to have a clean home, to cook a decent meal or to work out. How in the world do people do all of these things and not feel completely exhausted by the end of the day? And by end of the day, I obviously mean by lunchtime.

The first things to go are usually eating well, exercise and self-care because I can’t stop being a wife, or a mother, but I can neglect myself. And let me tell you that this type of mindset is the type of mindset that causes you to feel burnt out.

That all said, here are some steps to take to avoid or overcome burnout. You don’t have to do it all.

Get Organized and Use a Schedule

Now is the perfect time to get organized. Plan out your months and weeks. Outline what you want to accomplish and write out the priorities for each goal into manageable pieces. This will allow you to see the bigger picture that you are now able to break down into daily tasks which will in turn lead to less stress.

Use a schedule to help hold yourself accountable and consistent. Write down specific tasks and assign them to specific days. If you want to have a date night with your spouse, put it on the calendar. If you want to meal prep for the week, put it on the calendar. By scheduling out time for tasks, it not only helps hold you accountable to completing that task, but it holds you accountable to the specific date and time.

Self-Care

We’ve already touched on that fact that self-care is one of the first things to go when burn out starts happening, but it’s so imperative that self-care stays in the mix of our daily routine especially when burn out starts happening. Find what feeds your souls. Find out what makes you feel centered and go do that for a while. For me, it’s fitting in a workout. Running helps me get back to feeling ‘normal’ for a while. Also, listening to one of my favorite podcasts helps, playing with my kids or taking a warm bubble bath all help me to whined down and relax.

Don’t ignore the fact that you need self-care. This is critical to avoid burnout.

Exercise

Typically when I start getting overwhelmed, one of the first things I want to do is workout. It’s a release for me. It helps me focus and release the negative energy I’ve built up. It also helps take my mind off the things I’m temporarily frustrated with or caught up on. Go for a walk or release some energy at the gym. It’s sure to put you in a better mood or state of mind and will help you be in a better state of mind to tackle anything following your workout.

Brain Dump

Oftentimes this is a step most of us miss when dealing with burn out. We have a million things rolling around in our head, yet we never write them all down. I encourage you to take a moment to brain dump. Write everything down. Take a few minutes to literally write everything down that is in your head. From that point, you can then eliminate, delegate and prioritize your to-do list and tasks to your planner. Oftentimes the simple act of putting a plan in place helps you break out of burnout.

Eliminate Draining or Unnecessary Activities

I have a difficult time saying ‘no’ to people. I want to help everyone, but by doing so, I inadvertently take much needed time away from myself, my family and my own personal goals. I’ve realize over the course of time that it’s not always feasible to pare down by own schedule unless I start saying no to helping others by scaling back. I have to be more selfish by saying no and putting myself, my family and my goals first.

Ask for Help

Sometimes it might be hard to ask for help, or at least I tend to find it hard, but sometimes it’s simply that easy. If you have too much on your plate, ask for help. If you need support, I’m sure there are people in your life who love you that would support you through and through if you’d only just ask for help. You are not a burden for asking, and you are not any less amazing for needing help.

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So, there you have it. There are eight tips to help you try and avoid burnout. The biggest takeaway I pray you get out of this is the importance of self-care. Ask for help when you need it. You are not any less amazing for wanting and needing help. Life is incredibly busy, and even more so with the circumstances we’re all currently dealing with, so give yourself a bit of grace as we’re all trying to navigate the new ‘normal’.