Burnouts: Are you running empty?
Avoiding and dealing with burnouts
So what?
Are you at the risk of burning out or going through one now? Avoiding and dealing with burnouts will allow you to:
- Start exercising and working out again;
- Fall asleep easier and/or faster;
- Get your physical energy back; and
- Have positivity in your mood and relationships.
Disclaimer
There are many causes of burnouts and unsustainable stress. We are all different. You have a different threshold than I do. Your ability, capability and capacity to handle stress, negativity and difficulties are distinctive and dissimilar in a manner that what you read and hear on dealing with stress and burnouts are unlikely to work for you.
This post will provide you with what we have experienced and options for you to explore in avoiding and dealing with burnouts.
Causes
Below are the causes that we have seen with ourselves and those around us:
- Insufficient rest and breaks;
- Excessive and/or prolonged stress;
- Mismatch between your capacity and workload;
- Unclear and/or unreasonable expectations; and
- Lack of support.
Avoiding burnouts
As we’ve noted above, your experiences and results will vary. Notwithstanding, identifying the early signs of burnouts is critical and is a fundamental skill that we believe is necessary in avoiding burnouts. Telltale signs that are more likely to be present at the onset of burnouts are:
- Feeling physically and/or emotionally exhausted;
- Stomaches, headaches, digestive problems; and
- Lack of concentration and/or motivation.
Dealing with burnouts
If you’ve missed these signs, you will need to deal and manage your burnout. Below are the things that have worked for us which are likely to work for you provided that you find a suitable combination:
- Seek counselling or other forms of support;
- Partake in activities to relax your body and mind;
- Disconnect from social media and day to day demands;
- Sleep; and
- Exercise (keep it light and short).
My experience
Being an avid, dedicated and everyday gym goer, it’s critical for me to identify early signs of burnouts before I experience them. To be honest with you, I’m typically at the cusp of burning out. I avoid having to deal with it by taking regular naps. If naps are lacking and ineffective, I eat a calorie surplus to refill my glycogen storage and repair my parasympathetic nervous system.
What now?
- Learn the skill of identifying signs of being close to a burnout.
- Be prepared to deal with burnouts by developing a plan of attack on dealing with burnouts.
- If you want to read more about dealing with burnouts, check out Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski to help you get started.