Bouncing back from Burnout
Dear Friends,
I am burnt out.
This exhaustion seems to have snuck up on me from a mysterious place.
Well, that’s not entirely true - it just accumulates and seems to come out of nowhere when I am too busy not taking care of myself. Can you relate?
When I reflect on everything I am doing, this exhaustion makes so much sense. I have a family with two young, busy boys, ages 2 and 6 - a very loud bunch, might I add! My eldest is in school, which requires more than just dropping him off. This is a beautiful process, but I find I am always asking myself how I can help him more. My adorable three year old (lovingly known as a threenager) is taking me to my limits of patience, tapping into my reserve, and leaking me dry. Keep me in your warm thoughts as I navigate living with a 3-foot tall wild animal (albeit a very cute one!).
We also just moved from a very large house into a very small studio, which meant a massive purge and clean out. We are having fun trying on the tiny house idea, but it’s definitely tight! When I’m not with my family, I am spending a lot of time and energy doing what I love - coaching clients, teaching yoga, making speaking engagements, and promoting our magical place, The Remedy.
I am so grateful for how full my life is, but I am So. Tired.
Burnout shows up for me as fatigue, crankiness, panic attacks and an unavoidable feeling that I’ve neglected myself for far too long. In a perfect world, we would never work too much, stay up too late, listen to kids scream in the car, or eat while running out the door, but life happens. When everything piles up and I get to this point, I bust open my “Burn Out Toolbox.” Everyone should have one. The truth is that we all feel this way sometimes - that life is just too much. The items in my toolbox change as needed, but here’s what I’ve been hammering away with recently…
My Top 10 Burn Out Tools:
1. A Trip to the ole NP who specializes in Functional Medicine: I scheduled a consultation with Andrea immediately! As my sister, she can smell burn out on me and is always wonderful about getting me in right away! She did an AAT assessment and gave me some supplements to take, and I got the motivation I needed to avoid eating the foods that trigger me. I am also realizing the importance of eating on a regular schedule, in a seated, relaxed position (yes, I promise it’s possible!). I immediately started feeling better after following her guidance, and I know that I totally take Andrea for granted. Because she is my sister, I can boast that she now has patients flying in from out of town to see her and experience her incredible healing power! How blessed am I!
2. Find the Pillow and Quick: I make sleep my main priority! I have been getting into bed at 9pm sharp, which is quite a feat! I have also been napping with Noah (my little guy) whenever I can - well, first I wrestle him like a wild beast, and then we fall asleep! Sleep is the key to restoration, and as a natural night owl, this takes discipline for me.
3. Go Within: I listen to Guided Meditation daily. If you’re not sure where to start, you can come see Curtis at The Remedy, on Mondays at 7:45pm, to set time and space aside for quieting that chatterbox in your head. Curtis is a wonderful guide! If you can’t make it to us in person, check out my dear friend and colleague Nicola at www.7om.com. She offers wonderful guided meditations that are so healing to my soul.
4. The Healing Vibe of Sound: I also make sure to spend some quality time with Inez of Inez Healing Arts and participate in sound healing. The good news is that she will be facilitating Sound Healing Meditation at The Remedy on October 11th and 25th, at 7pm. I am so grateful to have her at our wellness center. What the heck is sound healing, you ask? Find out more.
5. Sea Salt Baths: every night.
6. Bookworm to the Rescue: I become a bookworm and spend time disconnecting from my phone and computer. I am reading a book right now that I love: Carry on Warrior, The Power of Embracing My Messy Beautiful Life, by Glennon Doyle Melton. Isn’t that fitting! The writer is hilarious and I can’t seem to put it down, which is always the best kind of book.
7. Just Say, “No!” I get really picky about how I spend my time when burn out strikes. Sometimes I even say ‘No’ to things that are hard for me to turn down. I also plan really easy birthday parties at the local pizza parlor! On a side note, I want to say that I think it’s direly important to say, “Yes!” a lot… to dreams, passions, to yourself, inspiration, goals and to things that frighten you (in the good way) - but NOT when you’re burnt out.
8. Meeting on the Mat: I am so grateful for Liz and our Lunchtime Flow class at The Remedy (T/Th 12-1pm). After a session with a client, I slipped in for some time for myself. I absolutely love yoga because it checks off so many things in only 1 hour. I get to break a sweat, focus on my breath, and meditate. I come to the present moment and, voila, all of my problems disappear! I always leave refreshed and replenished, and I can’t say that about all forms of exercise. I love that I can count on yoga!
9. Let it GO! (to the tune of the Frozen soundtrack): I forgive myself for getting so busy that I neglected myself. I forgive myself for buying into the misbelief that I ‘should know better.’ I forgive myself for letting this happen to me again! I let it go and get back on the wagon of slowing down, recharging, and being kind to myself.
10. ASK FOR HELP! When the going gets rough, the truly tough are not afraid to ask for help! Support from friends, family, and neighbors might be exactly what you need to get you through the burn out slump. Here at The Remedy, we want to offer you support throughout every phase of life - the good, the bad, and the crispy.
At the end of the day, the antidote to burnout is filling up your empty well. The goal is to fill the well before it’s bone dry and on fire! Remember that these tools should be included regularly in your life, not just when you are ablaze.
The best part? I feel unbelievably blessed to have most of my toolbox components under one roof. I remember when Andrea and I were agonizing over choosing a name for our beloved wellness center - what in the world are we going to call this place? The Remedy stuck because it is just that! It’s a place to beat the burnout, to return to health, to move past fear and anything holding you back, to share your gifts, to grow and learn, to have fun, be inspired, and join community. It’s the place that will meet you wherever you are. Right now it’s meeting me in burn out mode, and one day soon it will meet me in inspiration. Until then, I’m going back to bed.
Blessings & Gratitude,