First of all, let's get clear on the signs of burnout.
Are you experiencing these?
- Emotional exhaustion: Fatigue for caring too much for too long.
- Depersonalization: nothing left to give to anyone
- Decreased sense of accomplishment: an unconquerable sense of futility like nothing you do makes any difference
If you answered yes to any of them, then keep reading.
Years ago I was experiencing burn out, but I had no idea.
I knew I was not myself and that I was no longer enjoying the things that I once enjoyed.
Teaching became drudgery and I was going to school trying to plan my day around how to survive without losing it completely. Then, I came home and had to clean, make dinner, play with my own kids, and try to relax enough to get a good night's sleep.
It was miserable and I had no hopes and dreams of becoming the person that I had dreamed of becoming.
Not only that, I was so stressed that I was doing things that were uncharacteristic and were starting to scare me like leaving my car running for almost 2 hours.
I was determined to figure out how to live joyfully without resorting to medications and compromises that felt like I was giving up parts of myself.
Staying strong and staying the course was no longer an option for me. I had to do 2 things to find my joy again.
1. Find Self Compassion
For me self compassion looked like getting realistic with the expectations that I had on myself. I started giving myself time to love myself again. I did the things that brought me joy and peace so that I could really understand what it was that I needed.
2. Seek Support
Once I understood my expectations and what was realistic, I looked for outside support. I understood that I wasn't going to be able to figure it all out myself, which is what I had done all of my life. I delegated and found friends, family, and coaches to support the things that I needed in my life.
These 2 things seem so simple, yet I was used to being self reliant and independent. Finding self compassion and seeking support were 2 things that felt like a foreign language. No one ever modeled this or taught me how to do this.
This quote by the Nagowski sisters says it all!
"When you feel you need more grit, what you need is more help. And when you feel you need more discipline, what you need is more kindness." -Nagoski sisters
If you are ready to build more self compassion, grab my journal 90 Days to Joyful Living here.
And join the community where we provide support and kindness here.
Grab the Free PDF 15 Ways to Build Self compassion here
0 Comments