About a month ago, I had to be very honest with myself. I was not feeling like myself, I was constantly unmotivated at work. I ignored it at first, but then decided to actually sit down & take note of what my body/mind was trying to tell me.
I said to myself – “Set your ego aside. Let go of the fear. Release the need to please & impress everyone. Be truthful about how you’re feeling.”
What came up was:
- I was causing myself to be overworked. I was volunteer taking my laptop home every night and working until 10pm.
- I would have nightmares about work and wake up tense.
- I was emotionally eating
- I was constantly stressed
- I had migraines
- My muscles were tense
- I was not feeling fulfilled in anyway
- I was canceling plans because I felt so exhausted
‘There are two options here’ I told myself ‘Do I risk burnout or do I set limits with myself and work?’ I decided to set mindful limits to ensure that I was keeping my mind and body healthy.
Before I get into what I did, I want to put out a PSA on burnout. Burnout is real, so much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) now acknowledges it as a medical condition. If you feel yourself burning out, please know it is preventable!
It’s okay to ask for support, slow down, and take time for reflection and self-care. In fact, these things are essential & most employers support it!
Constantly working more & doing more just leads to exhaustion. Take one step at a time and remember that balance is essential. You do not have to sacrifice your well being for a job. There should be no fear is setting limits:
- STAYING LATE: Only staying late in the office one day a week, instead of four
- HIGH EXPECTATIONS: Work on letting go of the expectation you can do everything
- HAVE MORE FUN: Make fun plans for after work. I scheduled dinner dates, happy hours & yoga classes with friends
- SAY NO
- DELEGATE: Any extra work that you’re taking on & is not ‘yours’ – delegate it to the right person. You do not need to take everything on.
- TAKE BREAKS: sit in the lounge, go on a walk, make a nice coffee
- SLOW DOWN: take a minute to just breathe during the day
- ASK FOR SUPPORT
Great post! These tips are really important, thank you for sharing your experience!
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Glad you took this conversation seriously! It’s so easy to keep on the loop… xx
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