Say goodbye to BURNOUT
The power of saying "no" more
November 18, 2022The power of saying "no" more
November 18, 2022If constant stress has got you completely exhausted, overwhelmed and feeling hopeless you may be headed for burnout.
Do you wake up emotionally and physically wrecked, daydreaming of a time when you can take a break? It’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race, ticking off an endless to-do list, but this constant overload comes at a cost. Learn how you can boost your happiness, energy and motivation through holding your boundaries and saying “no” more.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged periods of excessive stress. It’s common with burnout, to feel overwhelmed, detached, emotionally drained and unable to complete tasks. Motivation and positive feelings deteriorate the longer you are stuck in this mental state and eventually you feel like you have nothing left to give – running on empty.
The negative effects of burnout can leak into every area of your life, having a detrimental effect on work, social life, family life and health. Left unchecked, long-term stress can be very damaging to our lives therefore it’s important to keep an eye out for warning signs and stop burnout in its tracks.
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1. Feeling exhausted all the time
2. Being overwhelmed - like everything is too much
3. Feeling flat and nothing seems to help
4. Difficulty making decisions, low productivity and scattered thinking
5. Emotional numbness, loss of motivation and passion
6. Poor sleep quality
7. Feelings of anxiety
The power of saying “no” more
Don’t fall into the trap of making “recovering from burnout” another task on your list. If you’re experiencing chronic stress it’s easy to make the mistake of adding extra to-do list items like meditation or yoga as a fix. Don’t create more work for yourself. You need to reduce your schedule, reduce the demands on your time and insert as much time as possible for your brain to recharge.
It can be uncomfortable to hold your boundaries by saying “no” to work opportunities, social events or family activities but this is a practice and it will only get easier. Saying “no” more is all about being clear of your boundaries and protective of your time. By cutting things that are not important to you, you prioritise the things that are. There is so much happiness to be found in simple days that are not overloaded. And while that can feel strange and unproductive initially, you are giving yourself the best chance of improving decision making, creativity, positivity, feelings of hope, becoming re-energised and improving the quality of your relationships because you actually have energy to give.
Saying “no” more is the first step to improving quality of life. Because let’s be honest, people aren’t worried about their unopened emails while on their deathbed. Make time for the things and people that matter, make time for your health and make time to do nothing. It does wonders for our brains:
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Already hit burnout? Check out these tips for recovery:
1. Be patient.
Once you have hit burnout it often takes longer than you think to recover. It may have taken months or years of cumulative stress to get to this point so don’t expect to feel better after a week or two.
2. Say “no” more.
The more you pull back from commitments the higher the chance of feeling better sooner and improving your quality of life. Bunker down and rest.
3. Prioritise 7-8 hours+ of sleep per night.
If you’re not banking quality sleep, make this priority number one. If you’re getting broken sleep it’s time to take a look at your routine. Make sure your sleep space is cool and dark, reducing blue light in the hours before bedtime and avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Try to sleep and wake at consistent times each day and exercise during daylight hours to help sleep quality in the long term.
4. Different activities are recharging for different people.
Experiment with activities to discover what you find restorative - it may be an ocean swim, daytime naps, a long bath with scents and candles, a trail run, nature hike or painting for example. Tune into the activities that re-energise you.
5. Don’t fall back.
For the sake of your health and happiness try to avoid dropping in and out of burnout. Keep an eye out for the warning signs and implement more downtime as soon as possible.
