​Recognizing You Could be on Your Way to a Potential Burnout

If you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout in yourself; remember that it will only get worse if you leave it alone. But if you take steps to get your life back into balance, you can prevent burnout from becoming a full-blown breakdown.

Some tips:

• Start the day with a relaxing ritual.
  Rather than jumping out of bed as soon as you wake up, spend a few minutes doing nothing – just lying there, or meditating, writing in your journal, doing gentle stretches, or reading something that inspires you. Whatever you chose to do that is realistic focus on it. If your children jump into bed with you and wake you up then try to focus on them. Children are grounded and in the moment. 
• Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits. When you eat right, engage in regular physical activity, and get plenty of rest, you have the energy and resilience to deal with life's obstacles and demands. Start with one of them and attempt to follow through 2 -3 days per week. It is better to start than not at all or to set a goal that is bound not to be reached. You will feel so much better if you start slow and have a much better chance of following through. One step at a time gets you to the top of the ladder. 

• ​Set boundaries. Don't overextend yourself. Learn how to say "no" to requests of your time and attention.  If you find this difficult, remind yourself that saying "no" allows you to say "yes" to the things that you truly want to do. I always recommend my clients start by practicing ‘not now’, if “no” is too difficult to start with.
• Take a daily break from technology. Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email.
• Nourish your creative side. Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work.
• Learn how to manage stress. When you are on the road to burnout,  you may feel helpless. But you have a lot more control over stress than you may think. Learning how to manage stress can help you regain your balance.
• Whatever you do reading this article is already a good start. With this you are raising your awareness to the fact that you are able to influence it all and get yourself on a different road.
  
  by Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach focusing on Personal Development, Self-help Author since 2014
  ​Photo credit: Unsplash