I share my tips for dealing with burnout.
Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful morning. We have a couple of dates today and head back to school and the *real world* after a glorious winter break. We slept in almost every day, watched a ton of movies, played Tucson tourists, ate takeout, met up with friends and family, and just enjoyed our time together. I barely touched my laptop, but I’m excited to use it again today!
For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about burnout, which is a bit of a triggering topic. Many of us know exactly what burnout feels like and it’s horrible. I imagine myself in full exhaustion mode, and how exhausted and completely drained I felt, and I just want to give my past self a hug.
I was a type A, super anxious kid who spent my childhood until I was 20 running away or fighting. Then I got married, started this wild adventure of military life (we’re almost done!!) and became a mom. It was such a beautiful moment, but it was a difficult moment. I feel like I missed out on a lot of the girls’ baby years because I was dealing with postpartum depression/anxiety and was completely exhausted.
I know this is what led me down the path to mysterious health issues and autoimmune symptoms.
While I’m not *completely* recovered from exhaustion, Now I have no symptoms and feel a million times better. I’m always working in progress and learning as much as I can, but I wanted to share some of the things that helped me in today’s post. As always, this is not medical advice! I’m just sharing my experience, and if you’re dealing with burnout, reach out to someone who can help you on the path to wellness and peace; You deserve to feel amazing <3
How to deal with burnout
Let yourself be a little more Type B
This one was huge for me and has also been the hardest. I just learned that I can’t be everything to everyone all the time. I can’t do everything, I can’t be perfect, I can’t have a perfectly clean house 24/7, wear makeup and look cute all the time, and say yes to a million social activities and children’s events. .
Sometimes now I leave the dishes in the sink until morning, leave the clothes on the chair for another day, go out in public looking like a mess, and say no to events and invitations. I also used to work 24/7, but I stopped answering emails outside of work hours and try to close my computer at a reasonable hour.
The messy house is a stressor for me, so I still try to clean every day, but I’ll set a timer. When it rings, that’s it. Plus, the kids are older now and can help more!
Incorporate things into your day that you enjoy, that are just for you.
This is VERY important. It’s very easy to feel exhausted when your entire day is consumed by tasks for other people. You *have* to take a little time for something you enjoy every day, whether it’s a walk outside, a bath, time on the sauna blanket, reading a book, a phone call with a friend, a juice from your favorite place, anything. That brings you a little joy. Even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes, it’s worth it.
Prepare your future self for success
Try doing small acts of care for your future self, such as taking the time to save leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day, setting aside something to look forward to (like a facial or massage), ordering something you’ll use with regularity before it runs out. , fill your water bottle for the next morning, etc. Sometimes the only person who takes care of you is YOU, so take care of yourself. <3
Outsource where you can
I am a big believer in outsourcing anything that is worthwhile for you and makes your life easier as your budget and life allows. We have a house cleaner who comes every two weeks and saves my life. I would get rid of a lot of things in the budget before I got rid of that lol. Maybe order some healthy meals, like Sakara, get groceries delivered, laundry service, car cleaning, mobile pet grooming, anything that makes your life easier.
Make a list of the things you like to do and a list of the things you HATE doing, and try outsourcing some of them!
One of the biggest components of burnout is feeling like you’re drowning, so find people who can help you feel like you’re stuck in things.
Focus on the basics
The basics are fresh air, exercise, nutritious foods, clean air and water, and stress reduction. Try to do a little of these things each day. I haven’t walked that much during the break and I can feel it. I feel more balanced and energized when I do these things every day.
Functional tests
Functional testing was a game changer for me. When you’re depleted, you’re likely also depleted of nutrients (stress burns up nutrients!) and are dealing with toxicities, which can affect gut health (affects neurotransmitter function, which affects mood! ) and the way we absorb nutrients.
When I did functional lab testing, I was able to see the toll stress has taken on my body and work to replenish it from a fundamental level. If you are interested in testing, please email me at gina@fitnessista.com with the subject TESTING. My new program launches in February and will also include functional testing! To get first access, make sure you’re in my newsletter.
So tell me friends: what has helped you with burnout? Any books or resources you like?
xoxo
gina
More: How to Recover from Mom Burnout
