Be Nice to Yourself- Burnout is Real
Burnout
If these last few weeks, working for myself, have taught me anything it is that I did not realize how burnt out I really was. I was waking up super early, to be in the city early, working a full day, and then treating myself poorly for:
Not having a spotless house
Not having the energy to cook dinner nightly
Forgetting to pack a lunch
Being uninspired
Feeling mentally and physically exhausted
Letting work take over my entire life
We are so hard on ourselves but I think we need to seriously take a step back and realize that burnout is real. I was so burnt out that I was sleeping through my alarms, and my loving husband who was also trying to wake me. I was so burnt out that the thought of getting up, working, cleaning up, and cooking meals sounded nearly impossible. So I have been trying to get into a better schedule and clearly catch up on my sleep deficit.
Reflection
I think today is the perfect day for this type of reflection, because today I cleaned the entire kitchen and bathroom. That was after having a healthy breakfast, setting a plan for myself for the day, creating a workout plan and caffeinating, because let’s be honest coffee is key. After doing the dishes and then scrubbing the bathroom to within an inch of its life, I took a much needed and well deserved hot shower. After doing so I decided to sit down, just to realize my body felt spent, and that it was somehow after 3PM and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast at 10am.
Now I’m not saying not to have a plan, because a plan keeps our goals in order. What I am saying is to create a plan, but be nice to yourself. If you don’t get to everything on the list today, work on adding it to tomorrow’s list and maybe moving something to a day you know you will have less on your schedule.
My goals are currently to get physically and mentally healthy, kick butt as a freelance writer, start working out, and land a few good jobs. But I have to remember that doing all that while cooking and cleaning is doable, as long as I don’t expect myself to do it all at once. Remember to woosa! Sit down, have a cup of tea or glass of wine (or your favorite beverage), read that book you keep forgetting to start. Believe in yourself. You can do this!
Pinterest - not just for recipes
Now all of this did not happen over night, in fact today marks 4 full weeks that I have been working for myself. So it took FOUR WEEKS to realize I was expecting too much from myself which was making me put myself down, and that all made me get less done. When I need a motivational boost I actually go to Pinterest, shockingly it has more that recipes and make-up tutorials. I have a board labeled “Get Healthy” and within that board are sections that include:
Stress Relief - that includes breathing techniques and some audio sounds that help relax me
PCOS- which contains health tips to control my PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
Tips - that has advice on diet, making exercise fun, mental health, and self-growth
Exercise - which is workouts that I can do, I have to be careful with my hip and back injuries
Food - recipes and foods that feel naughty but are still healthy
Motivation - which contains motivational quotes
I am not one of those people who does affirmations. I always felt silly, especially when they tell you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are enough. I was always too busy laughing to do it, but if this is something you do, I am NOT judging, do what works for you. I will say that the motivational quotes really help me. When I am having a bad mental health day, they happen often as I suffer from depression and anxiety, I open the motivations folder and read through some of them.
Rest
Now don’t get me wrong some days this just annoys me and I call it a day, but that is ok too. Taking care of yourself is still a productive day. Sometimes a mental health day can make the rest of the week/month go a lot smoother. Rest is not something you just do on your day(s) off, take time in each day to rest. Turn the work you off for the day, put the work phone/computer down, turn off all devices, take a bubble bath on a Wednesday. Whatever works for you, remember you should be working to live, not living to work.
What do you do when you need to pick yourself up or get back on track? Let me know in the comments, or email me at Loula.Fedkowskyj@gmail.com.
Quotes
I’m going to share a few of the motivational quotes below because I felt like they were really fun and made sense for me.
Toss your hair in a bun, drink some coffee, put on some gansta rap and handle it.
I’m not a princess, I don’t need saving, I’m a queen, I got this shit!
Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.
Keep going! Because you did not come this far just to come this far.
You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.
It’s your story, honey. Feel free to hit ‘em with a plot twist whenever you want.