Sharing my tips on dealing with burnout.
Hello friends! I hope you have a wonderful morning. We have two dates today, and we’re going back to school and the *real world* after a great winter break. We slept in almost every day, watched tons of movies, played Tucson tourists, ate out, socialized with friends and family, and enjoyed our time together. I’ve barely touched my laptop, but I’m excited to get back to it today!
In today’s article, I wanted to talk a little bit about burnout, which is a pretty interesting topic. Many of us know exactly what it feels like to be overwhelmed, and it’s terrible. I imagine myself in complete exhaustion mode, how completely exhausted and drained I felt, and I just want to embrace my past self.
I was a type A, highly anxious child, spending my childhood until my twenties flying or fighting. Then I got married and began this wild adventure of military life (we were almost there!!) and became a mother. It was a beautiful time, but a difficult time – I feel like I missed out on so many girls’ birth years because I was dealing with postpartum depression/anxiety, and I was completely exhausted.
I know this is what led me down the path toward mysterious health issues and autoimmune symptoms.
Although I haven’t *completely* recovered from the exhaustion, I am now symptom free and feel a million times better. I’m always a work in progress and learning as much as I can, but I wanted to share a few things that helped me in today’s article. As always, this is not medical advice! Just sharing my experience, and if you are dealing with burnout, please reach out to someone who can help you on the path to wellness and peace; You deserve to feel amazing <3
How to deal with burnout
Allow yourself to be a little more Type B
This was a big thing for me, and it was also the hardest. I’ve just learned that I can’t be everything to everyone all the time. I can’t do it all, I can’t be perfect, I can’t have a perfectly clean house 24/7, wear makeup and look cute all the time, and say yes to a million social activities and kids’ events.
Sometimes I’ll leave the dishes in the sink until the morning, leave the laundry on the chair for an extra day, go out in public looking like a mess, and say no to events and invitations. I was also working 24/7. But I’ve stopped answering emails after work hours and try to shut down my computer at a reasonable time.
A messy home is stressful for me. So I’ll still try to cleanse every day, but I’ll set a timer. When it explodes, that’s it. Also, the kids are older now and can help more!
Include things in your day that you enjoy, that are just for you
This is very important. It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed when your entire day is taken up with tasks for other people. You *should* make time for something you enjoy every day, whether that’s walking outside, taking a shower, spending time in a sauna blanket, reading a book, making a phone call with a friend, drinking a smoothie from your favorite place, whatever Which brings you a little joy. Even if it’s just 5-10 minutes, it’s worth it.
Set your future self up for success
Try doing some acts of care for yourself in the future, like taking time to put away leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day, reserving something you’re looking forward to (like a facial or massage), or ordering something you use regularly before you run out. , filling your water bottle the next morning, etc. Sometimes the only person looking out for you is you, so take care of yourself. <3
Outsource where you can
I’m a big believer in outsourcing anything that is worthwhile to you and that will make life easier as your budget and life allow. We have a house cleaner who comes every two weeks and saves my life. I’m going to get rid of a lot of things in the budget before I get rid of that lol. Maybe you order some healthy meals, like Sakara, grocery delivery, laundry service, car cleaning, mobile pet grooming, or anything that makes your life easier.
Make a list of things you love to do, a list of things you hate doing, and try outsourcing some of those things!
One of the biggest components of burnout is feeling like you’re drowning. So find some people who can help you feel like you’re stuck with things.
Focus on the basics
The basics are fresh air, exercise, nutritious food, clean air/water, and stress reduction. Try to get a little of these things every day. I didn’t walk nearly as much during the break and I can feel it. I feel more balanced and energized when I do these things every day.
Functional testing
The career test was a game changer for me. When you feel stressed, you’re also likely to be depleted of nutrients (stress burns nutrients!) and deal with toxins, which can affect gut health (affects neurotransmitter function which affects mood!) and how we absorb nutrients.
When I had functional lab tests, I was able to see the effect stress had on my body and work to rejuvenate it from a basic level. If you are interested in testing, email me at gina@fitnessista.com to test. My new program will launch in February, which will include functional testing as well! To get first access, make sure you’re in my newsletter.
So tell me, friends: what helped you with burnout? Any books or resources you like??
xoxo
Jenna
More: How to recover from mommy burnout