Stop Treating Yourself Like a Machine & Start Thriving in Life

You are not a machine. If you recognize a tendency to regularly stretch yourself thin and neglect your well-being and quality of life, know that even machines need to power down or shut off at regular intervals in order to function properly and work efficiently. The same goes for you.

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Adopting a long-term hustle and grind, burn the candle at both ends pattern of behavior is toxic and unsustainable. Chronic overwork and “just pushing through” comes at the expense of your physical and mental health, relationships, personal fulfillment, productivity, as well as experiencing successful life outcomes.

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When the spokes are bent or broken, a wheel malfunctions and ultimately ceases to turn. The same applies to you. When you treat yourself like a machine, eventually your wheels will fall off.

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Overworking – Contributing Factors and Uncovering Why

No matter where you learned the detrimental pattern of treating yourself like a machine, be that from societal programming, cultural norms, social media influencers, your work environment, or loved ones who were or are workaholics, neglecting your well-being and thinking that you can go non-stop 24/7 is a fast track to burnout, damaged relationships, the hospital …or worse.?

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If your business or job entails never ending fires to be put out, an insurmountable to-do list, a constantly overbooked calendar, and/or consistently long hours without you being able to shut down, then something is wrong. ?

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Perhaps there is an issue of being under-resourced in your business or at your job, you struggle with effective time management, you use procrastination or busyness as a distraction from something you are trying to avoid, or the environment you are in is an ongoing chaotic mess.

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Whatever the case, there is an underlying reason why you are subjecting and treating yourself in this kind of self-sabotaging and unhealthy manner. Uncovering your unique why is imperative when it comes to you being able to free yourself from this kind of vicious cycle.

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You Are Not Alone. This Problem is Sadly Common

Before you think that no one can understand the amount of responsibility or unique challenges you are faced with in your business or at work, or that what you are dealing with in your industry or as an entrepreneur is normal, or that you don’t have a choice other than to sacrifice your quality of life and well-being, think again!

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I regularly see this problem with clients. Personally I can relate all too well. The “work hard and pay your dues” mentality was drummed into me from an early age, as was being a workaholic. Add to that a former 3-decade executive career where much of my time was spent going in and cleaning up time consuming and often serious regulatory and legal issues. Long days, late nights, and treating myself like a machine was the norm …until I finally made myself a priority.

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Recognizing Key Indicators of This Harmful Pattern

The pattern of consistently overworking may present in a way that is unique to you, yet it is damaging nonetheless. Common examples I see with clients indicating that you are operating in machine mode include:

• Going non-stop daily to the point of exhaustion.
• Not taking breaks during the workday to eat, move your body, or maybe even to pee.
• Being constantly shackled to your computer, email or electronic devices.
• Frequently being the last person in the office.
• Taking your work home nights, weekends and holidays.
• Thinking you are multi-tasking yet not giving anything the attention it deserves.
• Having decreased ability to focus, things slipping through the cracks, or diminished productivity.
• When you finally take time out, getting sick or concluding that you need a vacation from your vacation.

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Harmful Consequences to Your Body and Quality of Life

The harm that you are causing yourself can’t be understated and may include:

• Mental fatigue and physical exhaustion.
• Sleep disturbances like insomnia.
• Emotional overload and challenges with emotional regulation.
• Mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.
• Increased risk of heart disease, obesity and other chronic health issues.
• Being out of commission due to burn out or a heart attack.
• Missing out on important moments in life that you can’t get back.
• Damaging your relationships from neglect or finding yourself alone.

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What You Can Do to Start Restoring a Healthy Balance

You are the only one who can choose to move beyond treating yourself like a machine and start making a positive change in your life. Here are some things I recommend for you to do to begin restoring a healthier balance in your life:

• Reflect upon what you are currently prioritizing and sacrificing, as well as any associated limiting beliefs and assumptions. Using this self-awareness, determine your healthiest and most desired outcomes personally and professionally.
• Create a plan of action that includes scheduling time daily for what you deem to be your most important priorities. Include self-care, time for reflection, exercise, adequate sleep, rest and relaxation, quality time with loved ones, hobbies, and personal development.
• Establish and consistently honor your priorities for the various areas of your life; proactively utilize measures that will help keep you on track and foster positive change.
• Build healthy new activities into your day that will help to replace your habit of overworking. This may include registering for a class, taking up a sport, or even getting a dog that must be let out and walked regularly.
• Determine and stick with a reasonable set time to start and end your workday.
• To minimize the likelihood of being busy for the sake of being busy, focus on doing those 20% of things that yield 80% of results.
• Delegate and/or outsource tasks that are a time suck as well as those outside your area of expertise or interest; identify and minimize unnecessary distractions.
• Set, maintain and communicate boundaries around your availability to respond to emails and phone calls; convey that you don’t check emails or take calls after a certain hour.
• Invest important time and effort in nurturing your personal relationships with loved ones and friends. Doing so allows for crucial connection, emotional support, creating new memories, and the opportunity to celebrate successes.
• Regularly evaluate and adjust your goals for living a healthy and balanced life to ensure alignment with any changing circumstances.
• Above all, seek out support to identify and resolve the root cause issues underlying your pattern of treating your body like a machine and then upgrade your subconscious mind to overcome your unhealthy and deeply-ingrained habit of overworking.

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Bringing It All Together

Overworking and treating your body like a machine is a common issue as much as it is a choice. There are a variety of ways that this pattern presents itself just as there are many significant consequences you’ll likely face by allowing yourself to stay trapped in this detrimental vicious cycle. When you identify why you overwork and choose to make yourself, your health and well-being, and your actual life a top priority, you are then able to take meaningful action to restore greater balance to those areas suffering from neglect. By doing so, you set yourself up for success in your business, career, relationships, and overall quality of life. You deserve this.

Wishing you infinite abundance and healthy balance,

Andrea Choate - Founder, Soul Mechanics Healing

? I support CEO’s, executives, entrepreneurs, and growth-minded individuals to thrive in business, relationships and life via my cutting-edge quantum mindset coaching services. This is unique and highly effective inner work with a specialized focus on upgrading your subconscious mind, re-patterning behavior, regulating emotions, and energetically aligning with your goals and desired life outcomes. To access my next available 1:1 coaching opportunity, contact: [email protected] .

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Special Note: This is original and 100% human created content written exclusively by the author and based upon her specialized expertise and real life experience.