Emotional exhaustion, physical burnout, feeling stuck and hopeless, feeling angry, annoyed and sick.
These are all symptoms of being burnt out.
But, changing your burnt out state isn't about taking 1 item off your list or excluding anyone in particular from your life.
This doesn't provide long-term relief.
Burnout happens as a result of a poor lifestyle; your work, the various relationships in your life, poor time management skills, procrastination, low self-worth, poor life skills.
As such, you need to take a look at your life in its entirety.
Poor patterns in one area are likely transferred to other areas.
So removing something from your life will likely be replaced by something else that eventually leads to equal amount of stress.
If you're on the verge of burnout, or smack down in the centre of it, it's time to clean out your life from the inside out in order to see real and long-lasting benefits.
Anything else is a band-aid solution that will make you feel like you're on a roller coaster ride.
Here is a process that will offer immediate help as well as long-term maintenance of stress-free living.
#1.
Prioritize and get rid of things on your plate.
This tip works because it offers immediate relief - so you can make plans for long-term change.
We hear about it all the time, yet rarely practice it.
If you're taking on unnecessary activities, stop doing that, it's not doing you any favours.
If you have a tough time deciding how to prioritize invest in a coach to help you out.
You'll never get your energy back up and your life on track unless you know how to adjust your 'to do' list.
#2.
Do some self-development work.
This will help you identify how you sabotage yourself: The need to prove you're good enough, the need to prove you're independent and capable, the need for praise and validation, etc.
All of these motivate you to take on activities and events you otherwise wouldn't.
Over time they add extra stress to your life.
Learn your self-sabotaging patterns, find out the root cause and fix them once and for all.
#3.
Sleep for a minimum of 7 hours.
8 would be ideal but any medical doctor would be proud of a patient who consistently gets 7 hours of sleep per night.
Many women, who play multiple roles, get way less than 7.
If you don't have time for more sleep, read tip 1 again...
and then apply it! You'll notice more time open up instantly.
#4.
Practice regular mind-slowing exercises.
When our bodies are running around and doing several things at once our minds have to work just as quickly.
It's during this time that our thoughts are most likely to slip out of our control and go to the gutter...
the same place where burnout happens.
But, here's the catch when it comes to your mind.
It continues working LONG AFTER your body has gotten into bed and is ready for sleep - your body may slow down but your thoughts won't.
This is why you want to have a regular activity you can depend on to slow down your thoughts.
It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it works best for you.
#5.
Read inspirational material.
A daily dose of positivity will help your mind revert back to the good stuff (instead of staying focused on everything awful).
In the heat of the moment, women forget outer circumstances have a much lower impact on their stress level than does a toxic mindset.
They'll say things like "My boss is unfair," "My grown children don't care for me," or "My so-called friends continually exclude me.
" These circumstances, though they may be real, are not the cause of burn out.
Inspirational material will help you stay positive when dealing with adversity and when it counts the most.