Do you ever feel like you are burning the candle at both ends??? You are not alone. When I feel like I am reaching the point of crashing and burning I have to step back, take a breath and look after myself.
As proactive as I try to be; sometimes I just can’t avoid burning out or coming dangerously close to it. The things that help set me back on track include the following…
1. Reaching out to a friend/family
–I find there is a direct correlation to my level of burnout and the long distance charges on my phone bill. The more exhausted and stressed out I become the more frequently and the the longer I talk to my bestie. Even when we are both at that point we are able to commiserate with each other and provide some much needed advice and reassurance.
2. Exercise
–As much as I really do loathe exercising I know that I feel better and I sleep better afterwards. I don’t mean a full hour long strenuous workout; even ten minutes is enough to get those endorphins flowing and I feel more positive. I feel like I can tackle whatever obstacle I am up against.
3. Sleep/Nap/Rest
–As tempting as it is to stay up all night and mark or write or work I have to consciously tell myself to GO TO SLEEP. I don’t know how I expect myself to be productive or get anything done when I am tired and dragging my butt.
4. Ditch the junk
–Less time with food prep = more time to get other things accomplished; is the mindset I get into when I am reaching the point of burning out. Which means I have to make the the effort to eat healthily when all I really want to do is eat convenience food.
5. Sun/Go outside
–Sometimes the long winters (and therefore winter blues) exacerbate my trajectory toward burnout; but getting out in the yard for a bit with my dog helps me out immensely. We all know the benefits of vitamin D in our lives one of which includes improved brain function