Avoiding Burnout Through Self Care

86,400.?That’s the number of seconds in a day and we each have the same number allotted to us. Quite a few, actually, when you look at it that way.

When we try to fill each and every second of those days with focused activity, however—a not infrequent mistake seen with passionate business owners and entrepreneurs looking to grow—we can rapidly fall down the slippery slope that leads to overwhelm and burnout. ?

I get it.?We each have pressing responsibilities, both at home and at work.?We all want to excel at the work we love and still be superheroes at home.?We’re mission-driven and the passion that forged the start of our business is often what keeps us pushing through, day after day, week after week as we ride the rollercoaster of life. ?

This constant, unrelieved stress is what Cision detailed in a recent survey in which the plight of the struggling business owner was shown: 65% of entrepreneurs were found to be working longer hours, 60% struggled to take time off, and 54% had given up most hobbies.

According to NASD, the National Ag Safety Database, over 90% of medical conditions are related to stress: ?headaches, fatigue, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease to list a few. ?Unfortunately, our responses are not limited to the physical, either.?In addition, there are mental, emotional, and social responses to constant stress including the inability to focus, poor sleep, lowered productivity, and increased irritability and mood swings.

Something Has Got To Give

The problem is that we cannot keep this demanding yet unrewarding lifestyle forever.?Eventually, something gives, either our business or we do (or both!).?And this past year with a pandemic thrown into the mix has, unfortunately, seen significant increases of both types of collapse.

A key answer is to increase self-care.?By consciously and conscientiously adopting practices that protect our well-being and yes, happiness, we avoid the physical, mental, and emotional effects of burnout.

But wait, you say. This is just adding more stuff to my day and it’s already packed tighter than I can handle.?Again, I hear you.?The answer is held in an old Zen saying, “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour.”?

While I’m not saying you need to meditate, I am saying that the more frantic our days become, the more centered and calm we need to be.?

Fortunately, there are specific strategies we can adopt to bring that calm into our lives without taking valuable time away from our day or feeling even more stressed and overwhelmed.?The framework I like to use is called Listen, Let Go, and Live.

Listen to Your Body

We first get into trouble when we ignore the signals our body gives us when stress levels are high.?One reason this may happen is that those signals may vary in different people.?You may struggle with abdominal pain when faced with a challenging event while your best friend starts snapping at their spouse.?Yet another may find it more and more difficult to concentrate at work.

The initial step to listening to your body’s unique messages is to understand what they are for you.?The easiest way to do this is to keep a journal for a week or two where you’ll keep track of what you eat and drink, your activity, energy levels, pain (or lack thereof), and mood.?Rather than saying a particular food or activity is good or bad, this is to determine exactly what your body thinks is helping or harming it. ?

As we mentioned, the responses can be different, so document it all:?Do you always get a migraine after travel??Do you love pizza but you always feel fuzzy afterward??Start making the connections that will allow you to choose what’s best for you going forward.

Let Go of What Isn’t Serving You

Einstein really had it right—insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

This applies to everything:?food, relationships, work, and even “fun” activities.?Once you’ve looked at the journal and you know what your body does and doesn’t like, it’s time to let go of what it’s been trying to tell you is a problem.

Pick one thing to release at first:?Maybe it is that slice of pizza at the company get-together.?Maybe it’s getting into it with your annoying co-worker.?Or your addiction to binging Netflix.?If it’s not helping you to grow, it’s holding you back.

Live Your Own Version of Thriving?

Now you know what your body wants and you have space for what’s better because you let go.?It’s time to live your own version of self-care.?But what does that mean, exactly?

• Have a massage if that’s what calls you but don’t limit yourself. Maybe rock climbing is what brings you calm.
• Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace.?It’s OK if everything doesn’t get done today.?That’s what tomorrow is for. ?
• Kick perfection to the curb, it doesn’t exist anyway.?Done is better than constantly doing.

Self-Care is What You Make It

Your self-care is completely defined by you and you alone.?Don’t let anyone else try to steer you away from what brings you happiness. ?

Embrace the knowledge that self-care is not optional or selfish.?The statistics prove what happens when we neglect that fact.?Plus, you can’t fill someone else’s cup (what we’re striving to do in our business and at home) from an empty well.

You can absolutely figure out your unique path, climb out of the Wonderland rabbit hole of stress and burnout and really begin to thrive when you Listen, Let Go, and Live. ?

If you’d like to talk about how to start having the energy you need to excel at the work you love and still be a superhero to everyone at home, book your Thrive Breakthrough Call here. ?I’m looking forward to connecting!

Dr. Susan Lovelle, The Thrive Architect

Dr. Susan, The Thrive Architect, teaches exhausted professionals how to flourish by mastering their energy, weight, and hormones.

She’s the creator of Premiere Wellness, a comprehensive holistic health company based in Raleigh, NC, serving clients nationally.?Dr. Susan and her team work virtually and in person through workshops, courses, corporate consulting, and retreats.?

Having been a professional ballet dancer for 17 years and then an award-winning plastic surgeon for over two decades, Dr. Susan knows what it’s like to beat your body and your mind into submission to achieve a certain look or vision.

In fact, the physical, mental, and emotional abuse she heaped on her own body during those years led to the life-threatening health issues she later developed and it was only through a personalized, holistic approach that she healed herself.

Now, Dr. Susan uses that additional expertise in Functional Medicine to help others heal from the inside out, leading to lasting, powerful change. ?

Dr. Susan has been featured on The Doctors, Lifetime TV, The Huffington Post, Forbes, KNOW Women, Good Morning Washington, and Good Day Charlotte.