3 Ways to Prevent Burnout

When we think of burnout or burning out, its as though the internal light within us is dimming or going out. We lose interest in things or activities we once enjoyed, we experience loss of appetite or increase in appetite, we never feel refreshed after a long nights sleep and constantly feel like we are chasing after happiness only for it to always be just out of reach. There are a few things we can do though before burnout happens and ways to prevent it.

The first is exercise, I know, I know- before I lose you hear me out. It doesn't have to mean going to the gym or slugging through a 60 minute cardio session, it can be as much as 10-15 minutes of walking outside, so long as its medium intensity- enough to get those endorphins pumping that is enough. Mini workouts are great, I have tried a lot-let me tell you but some I enjoy are Body Groove- this really funky dance in your kitchen in your barefeet to some catchy tunes type of app, another I like is Walk at Home- you literally just walk in place wherever you are (ok there may be some moves involved but its very basic). I also really like HiiT classes, talk about getting bang for your buck, these tabata exercises get your heart rate up and then gives you a bit of a break in between raring it up again, but a little goes a long way- and bonus the calories keep burning for hours afterwards! Then of course there is the ever infamous Peloton classes- I mean who doesn't like a distracting ride while listening to Cody Rigsby on a ride? Peloton has a variety of class styles and lengths with whatever type of music you are into and is uber motivational- I always leave feeling pumped afterwards. Whatever you chose remember it just has to be for 10-15 minutes to start to feel better.

The second thing that can counteract burnout is eating a balanced diet. Now don't let me lose you here, I am the queen of takeout and charcuterie boards filled with cheese and crackers, but I have to agree that when I eat better I feel better. Makes me wonder why its not more motivating for me on the regular, but I attribute that to my laziness. Things I have found that make life easier are food delivery services like Chef's Plate (I've tried a lot but this one is my fav of them all). I like that they have easy to prepare meals, it saves me from shopping and all ingredients (pretty well) get delivered to my door. I also find simple is better, keeping it to a protein, some cut up veggies or a pre-made salad and microwavable rice (sorry Mom I did say the microwave) help to ensure that making a meal is easy and doesn't take too much time. Bonus if you can incorporate Omega 3 and 6 into your diet with flaxseed oil, walnuts or fish these are natural mood boosters, which I don't know about you but this with this everlasting winter we seem to currently be in, I can use all the help I can get with mood boosters.

Last but certainly not least is a good nights sleep. We all know what it feels like when we wake up refreshed and rejuvenated and I don't know about you but those nights are few and far between for myself when I am feeling burned out. The key is to set yourself up for success, listening to a little meditation music or those new bedtimes stories for adults that have become ever so popular on the Calm app (who doesn't want to listen to Sam Heughan lull you to sleep with his Scottish stories of the Highlands?). I do also find that a bedtime habit helps, don't worry I am not one of those people who are going to tell you to put your phone away an hour before bedtime or to not sleep with it beside you because that would make me a hypocrite, but I do suggest at least turning the nighttime setting on, so that the light isn't quite as harsh. My bedtime routine generally looks something like this: by 9 p.m. my eyes are starting to droop, so I let the pups outside and then ensure everything in the house is powered down and turned off, I walk my weary bones upstairs and wash my face, brush my teeth, and crawl into bed, read a few pages from a book that makes me want to sleep, shut off the lights and curl up and doze off. I have to say I am one of those blessed people that pretty much falls asleep within minutes but it wasn't always that way and sometimes I had to journal before bed, listen to hypnosis, or even count backwards from 100. I am happy to say that having a nighttime routine (and my kids being old enough to sleep through the nights in their own rooms) has made my sleep remarkably better. I do feel it on the nights I stay up later to finish reading a riveting book or watching a show that has me hooked on Netflix, and the next morning I need an extra pick me up of coffee to get me going and feel a bit lethargic being out of routine. My routine keeps me grounded and ultimately I think somedays sane.

Between these 3 (I want to say simple, which they are in theory but not reality) things, they can help prevent burnout. If you are skeptical I dare you to give them a try, give it a good go though, a day won't cut it, it takes 15-21 days to create a habit, so stick with it and let me know if you notice an improvement. If you are anything like me you will do just about anything to feel better when you are encroaching on burnout, because even broccoli (I mean I like the stuff but) tastes better than feeling awful. There's a saying about choosing your hard, and I feel like in this circumstance its suitable to choose between what is easier and what is harder, feeling awful or creating a routine of things that are good for you. I will leave that up to you, but ultimately you have a choice to feel better- that you always get to choose.

With love and light,

Leah