Life can be Overwhelming
Life can feel like a whirlwind, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and disconnected. The constant demands and pressures can take a toll on our mental well-being, leading to a state of burnout. This is especially true if you’re a woman in midlife. So many times we’re expected to take on not only the physical tasks around the home and child-rearing, but also the mental tasks – making the grocery lists, remembering who needs what for school that day – scheduling/keeping up with doctor’s appointments. It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re feeling sandwiched between caring for parents, raising kids AND holding down a full-time job.
I’m not about to tell you that you can do everything perfectly every day. My goal is to help you navigate this time with more grace, compassion and love for yourself and be able to extend that to others. But first, we must understand what burnout is, how we get there, and how we may be able to offer support to ourselves so that we can show up as our best selves and give this time in our life our best shot – at loving others, supporting them and navigating life with authenticity. It starts with us.
Let’s explore the symptoms of burnout, understand its impact on our lives, and discover how mental fitness can be the guiding light in overcoming this exhausting phase.
Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout is not just an everyday fatigue; it runs much deeper, affecting our physical, emotional, and mental states. Recognizing the signs of burnout is crucial in addressing the issue proactively.
Here are some common symptoms to look out for:
1. Exhaustion:
Feeling drained and depleted – both physically and emotionally, even after getting adequate rest.
2. Decreased Performance:
Struggling to concentrate, reduced productivity, and feelings of inefficiency.
3. Emotional Detachment:
Experiencing cynicism, indifference towards work or relationships, and a sense of detachment.
4. Increased Irritability:
Becoming easily irritable, impatient, and having a negative outlook on tasks or interactions.
5. Diminished Satisfaction:
Feeling disillusioned, discouraged, and lacking the motivation and enthusiasm that once fueled us
Burnout not only affects our day-to-day lives but it also takes a toll on our overall mental well-being. Prolonged stress and exhaustion can lead to anxiety, depression, and a sense of hopelessness.
It becomes crucial to address burnout and prioritize our mental fitness to maintain a balanced and fulfilling life.
How Mental Fitness Can Help
When I was recovering from burnout after years of stressful, life-altering experiences – I gained the most traction from the time I spent working on my mental fitness and building new neural pathways.
If you’re “resting”, but silently judging and beating yourself up while you rest – that’s not rest.
You’re not truly resting if you’re judging yourself, unable to accept the truth that you are a human – not a robot – and it’s okay to be tired and require periods of rest to re-charge.
Mental Fitness tackles not only how judgement sabotages us, but the other 9 ways we self-sabotage.
1. Stress Management:
Developing effective stress management techniques is key to preventing and overcoming burnout. Giving your brain a break from the constant survival mode is key.
We’ve all heard that we need to practice more mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, and practicing self-compassion, but who has the time to sit for 30 minutes when they feel stressed? One sure-fire way to make an already overwhelmed person feel more overwhelmed is to tell them they need to meditate for 30 minutes and if they don’t have time for that, they should really meditate for an hour.
Yes, I see you glaring at me…. Mental Fitness teaches you how just a few moments of mindfulness can help you shift into a wise mind. I call it tactical mindfulness and just 3 minutes can make a difference…and don’t try to tell me you can’t find 3 minutes in your day. Try borrowing it from your time spent watching short videos on social media <side eye>. You know what I mean <sly grin>
2. Self-Care and Balance:
Burnout often stems from neglecting self-care routines and failing to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Prioritizing self-care activities, setting boundaries, and allocating time for rest and rejuvenation can play a significant role in preventing burnout. But how do you even KNOW to set boundaries when you’re in survival mode? The tools of mental fitness will give you tools to access those moments of clarity, helping you understand WHEN you need to set a boundary and WHAT that might look like.
If you are constantly trying to catch up, then how on earth can you ever stop to assess what you need?
These small moments of checking in help you make better decisions for YOU – and you know best what you need.
3. Building Resilience:
Burnout can shake our confidence and resilience, making it difficult to bounce back from setbacks.
Mental Fitness helps to break the cycle of spinning in emotions and overwhelm. The negative emotion acts as a signal, which tells us that something is off.
Then you can use the tools you learned in Positive Intelligence and assess how best to proceed – using decision making originating from the part of your brain where your creativity & intuition lives, which leads to decisions that are better aligned with who you am and what you need.
4. Seeking Support:
It’s important to remember that we don’t have to face burnout alone. During burnout, it’s easy to deny what’s happening and try to tie that superhero cape on a bit tighter, just thinking if I had better “big girl panties” and maybe some SPANX…I could achieve this goal, get this thing done – wrestle my way into motivating myself when I am running on empty.
We heal in community. We recognize our own struggles and receive wisdom and support from others. We are communal creatures – even the introverts need a bit of community (within reason). Mental Fitness will give you an understanding of concepts, a community to support you in your journey, which is priceless.
5. Embracing Personal Growth:
Burnout can be a wake-up call, urging us to address underlying issues and rediscover our true passions and purpose.
When we realize how we may have been suppressing our true desires, calling or not making time for the things that truly bring us joy, we can adjust course. Bringing joy, purpose and passion into our lives will help us recover from burnout. Imagine if life was a constant uphill battle and you were NEVER allowed to stop for a water or rest break. That would be insane, right?
Learn from your journey, stop and assess. Do we need some water? How about a snack? Should we take a break for a while? Find some time to laugh and find joy. We weren’t put in this giant spinning rock in space to have a miserable existence every day. Let’s use this experience to learn about ourselves and chart a more sustainable future for ourselves and perhaps inspire others to do the same.
Give Yourself Grace
Burnout is a significant challenge, but it is not insurmountable. By prioritizing Mental Fitness, you can regain control of our life, overcome burnout, and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery.
You are not alone in this. Reach out for the support you deserve and take the first steps towards building a life that excites and fulfills you. Embrace the power of mental fitness and embark on a path toward regaining balance, resilience, and overall well-being. You deserve it.
Learn More about Mental Fitness
One of the most impactful practices I’ve ever adopted is learning about Positive Intelligence and building a regular practice of PQ© reps. I am a PQ© Coach and can take clients through an 8-week process to understand the concepts of Positive Intelligence© and how to do PQ© reps. The methods will help you understand how to shift from a stress-filled Saboteur-led mindset to more of a wise, Sage mindset where you make better decisions and can more easily access insight, intuition, and deeply held wisdom. If you’re interested in that program, I host regular webinars where I talk about these concepts and the program. Register for my next webinar here.
Regardless of your journey and the solutions you choose to help you discern, learn + grow – I wish you well on your journey. May this time bring you insights and wisdom and help you grow into the person you most wish to become.
Want more info? Book a Discovery Call with me.
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DISCLAIMERS:The coach identified here is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach, and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC. PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION
This blog post is not a substitute for professional therapy or counseling. Desiree is not a professionally trained therapist. If you are in need of assistance from a professionally trained therapist or counselor, please seek help. This is simply a guide of what many people experience during a change or shift in their life.
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