Hi everyone~
Happy Tuesday and I hope you are all having a good kick-off to your week. Many of you may already be aware of this, but I am trying to take more initiative to focus on wellbeing this year. Last year, I believe we all were in the same state of mind, dealing with all sorts of emotions and anxiety due to the state of the world. 2020 was the year of constant burnout for me. I felt like I was just not in a happy mindset and I was just going through the motions. I started researching how some of the top CEO’s and hardworking individuals avoid burnout working 24/7, and below are some of the common ways that these hardworking people avoid bad burnouts throughout the year.
Forget Balance; Find Harmony
I found this concept super interesting! The basis of what this means is to stop working in a position that doesn’t bring you any joy and work in a field doing something that brings you excitement every day. It’s said that it’s easier working a 12-15 hour day doing what you love, overworking on a team or in a role for 5 hours doing something you hate. This way, there is so much more harmony and passion in the work you are providing for your company and team. You shouldn’t have to balance your day to day, your job should be something that brings harmony not just to your work, but to your home life as well. I know right now we can’t all just up and quit our jobs in the hopes of finding something better, but at the end of the day if you are not happy with what you are doing, then maybe it’s time to start looking for something different.
Know when to take a step back
I feel like we live in a world where we as individuals just want to keep going and pushing forward in whatever we do. We just don’t know when we always need to take a step back from what we are doing. Burnout is caused when you are constantly going with no breaks and no ends in sight. If you are constantly working yourself into the ground with no sense of how hard you may be pushing your mind and body, then maybe it’s time for you to take a step back and focus on yourself. Take a 3 day weekend and go somewhere or just stay at home and rest! Sometimes you just need a mental break away from all the craziness and honestly, it helps you to better refresh yourself to get back into the swing of things.
Schedule in break time
I know it seems silly to have to schedule a break throughout your day, but honestly, you should! It’s so easy to become engrossed in the work you are doing that suddenly you look up and it’s 4 o’clock and you did not have a break. Just taking 30 minutes out of your day (even if it’s busy) can make all the difference for how you go about the rest of your workday and workweek.
Change your environment
I know that since most places are closed indoors so it can be hard to change your environment and go sit at a coffee shop or go to a library to get some work done. If you are wondering how to change your scenery without having anywhere open for you to go and sit, maybe check out Airbnb’s in your area? The great thing about working remotely is you can work from anywhere as long as you have wifi access! You don’t necessarily have to find the most expensive Airbnb in your area, but if there is a reasonably priced home for you to get away from your space for 1 or 2 days, why not try it and see how you like it?
Nap more often
I used to think that naps were a waste of time. I figured I might as well use the time that I was going to spend napping in a more productive matter. However, I have come to realize if I am tired and need to rest for 30 minutes, wouldn’t that, in turn, make me feel more refreshed and ready to attack all the things I want to do? The best thing you can do for your body is listening to it, and if you are hearing your body tell you that it’s tired and in dire need of some sort of rest, then take 30 minutes or an hour to nap.
Workout
As Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t,” (Legally Blonde). Obviously, the last part of that quote doesn’t apply, but exercising indeed gives you endorphins, which in turn make you happier! Yes working out sometimes can suck beforehand and during, but afterward, you can’t deny that you feel great afterward. Whether you want to lift weights, spin, or practice yoga, moving your body is a great way for you to release any built-up stress and emotions that may come during your week.
Find a hobby
One of the reasons a lot of us experience burnout is because not all of us have a hobby that we do outside of work. So instead of doing a passion project to take our mind off of work and everyday life, we as still thinking of all the responsibilities we have which in turn makes us feel more overwhelmed and stressed. It’s important to have something that we like to do outside of work to give us more joy at the end of a long day or week. Do that paint by number you have been postponing, go out and do a fun photoshoot, cook a fun dinner you have been wanting to try, whatever brings you joy, you should make time to do so!
I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and I hope you learned some interesting tips in the process. I know I did! Burnout is not something to take lightly and if there are things you are able to do to avoid burnout in your life, then why not give them a shot? If you have any additions you would like to share, let me know in the comments how you avoid burnout day to day. We’ll talk again soon!
XX,
Hannah Rose
HANNAH ROSE 