I am a pretty avid fan of all things mental health. I’ve had a “fair bit” of wellness challenges-including burnout. I bring this up because I recently joined Clubhouse (find me @kimberhosen) and a lot of the conversations seem to end up speaking about burnout. I have a feeling I am not the only one who has found the past year significantly more challenging than years past for a myriad of reasons due to Covid, and it has likely compounded those challenges we used to sweep under the carpet.
If anyone is not familiar with burnout it is basically when everything becomes too much, we feel like we suck at everything, we don’t have time for anything and even the simplest tasks we used to do daily become overwhelming. Sometimes it manifests as anger, easily frustrated, crying, wanting to hide, low self confidence, paranoia etc. Burnout is different for everyone, just like most things mental health. I definitely suffered from burnout a few years ago while working as a coordinator in healthcare and it was so very tough. The culture of my workplace wasn’t exactly supportive and there were no boundaries that were upheld. I began to feel like I was drowning and it got to the point that I could not sleep, didn’t find food tasty and cried a whole lot. I was consumed with grief when I had to step away for my own health and leave a position I once loved and had insane pride in.
It took me a few years at doing a much more chill job, doing some soul searching and learning how to have boundaries to discover who I was and what I had to contribute. Burnout is so so hard-if you find yourself approaching the event horizon of such, or are having issues with your mental health, feel free to reach out. I am more than happy to support.
Some quick tips for warding off burnout, or dealing with it:
Practice grounding-sit in a chair or lay on the floor (shivasana) and start with focusing on where your feet are, what is touching the floor, how they feel and what they are connected to-then work your way up your body. Doesn’t have to take forever.
Take micro breaks-take 3-5-10 minute breaks throughout the day. This works great for those of us that are workaholics and have demanding jobs/schedules. do something you love, even if it is just creating a vision board on pinterest.
Boundaries-this one is the most beneficial for me as I grew up never having any! Know what is not ok behavior from others and where you begin, and where you end. What you can give, and what you need from others. Understanding where someone else ends and how to identify emotionally draining people/places/things. The more demanding the situation, the more important it is to cultivate boundaries.
Write lists of what is important, what you love, what gives you joy. Give gratitude for all of them. “I am grateful for…”
Breathing exercises-even simple things like 4 deep breaths in, hold for 4 and 4 out. visualize being in your favorite place in the world while you breathe. Feel your lungs expand/contract
Cultivate kindness for yourself-take moments to appreciate who you are and the gifts you have to share. Everything you have within yourself and everything you are is a tremendous gift to others.
Recognize how far you have come-sometimes we feel like failures and focus on them instead of the accomplishments. Even things like leaving a bad relationship/job/environment or picking ourselves up again after a really bad period is a HUGE accomplishment.
Go stand in nature/trees/sun if and when it is possible. If you live in a warmer climate, try walking on the grass/sand/earth with bare feet. It feels really good.
Have a conversation with your doctor/naturopath/psychologist/counselor/mentor/deeply trusted friend. Medications can absolutely help if it leads to things like anxiety/depression and give you the reprieve you need until you build yourself up again.
KNOW YOUR WORTH-and do not listen to those that make you feel less than.
The opportunity I found through my journey in burnout is it really made me reevaluate what was important, what I wanted and what wasn’t serving me any more. Sometimes we go to the bottom so that we may rise stronger. No failure is a failure, they are only here to push us forward to claim the power within us, the voice that wants to sing and the gifts we have to give.
Find me on Instagram or Clubhouse @kimberhosen (kimberpants in German). I’m also on LinkedIn and will literally do everything I can to help you to grow, thrive and get the support you need.
I am also guest on a podcast episode-https://www.bshaniradio.com/all-in-show.html
Look for my name! (Kimberly Dickinson)
Love you all xo
The One Life Movement 