I am sure that I am not the only one that has suffered from the "I can'ts". However lately, I have just been dragging. For a time now it seems like I have not been able to get myself to function as I normally do. I guess that you could say that I have hit burn out. I have experienced this before and I must admit that it was no fun at all.... and it caused me to lose a lot of precious time with my family.
For some people the quickest way to turn around during a burn out is to change pace, change the routine, livin it up or slow it down. This is something that depends on the personal need. The last time that I hit the burn out phase I took some time off from work and honestly just slept. I slept when everyone else was gone, and hung out for several days and did nothing. I even went to the beach and read a book and slept. It was the best thing in the world. However there is not always the option to do that, and I completely understand.
In an effort to help I have done a bit of research on what to do to prevent burn out, so you can keep going in the fast paced life that you have. Here are some tips that I have found.
1. Start the day with a relaxing ritual. I use to jump up and hit the floor running. However now I am learning to slither out of bed and mosey to my friend the coffee pot for a wonderful cup of coffee before starting the craziness known as my life.
2. Adopt healthy eating habits, sleeping habits, and exercise. The exercise has been easy. The military has always been a great help for that, and well that was about it. The eating habits and sleeping habits was something that I think the Army ruined for me, and I am slowly working my way back to the right way of doing thing. I really think that having stable times to eat and sleep make things so much easier, and helps maintain your weight if that is something that you are concerned with. I highly recommend staying away from the fast foods and the grease, even on the busy sports filled days with the kids, I have noticed now that I am slowly cleaning up my eating habits that when I slip up and eat to much greasy food I can feel it, and it really weighs me down. Always make sure you are sleeping. I never realized how important sleep was as a kid. Now... I miss my naps... LOL Getting a decent six to eight hours of sleep a night will help you get through the day and feel rested longer... and it keeps the day from feeling like an eternity away from that wonderful pillow and bed.
3. Set boundaries. This is one that I struggle with a lot. My children are on the go in five thousand directions as once. On top of that I have a business to run and a husband to keep up with. It is hard. Believe me it is hard. One of the hardest things that I am having to learn is to say no. I hate the word, especially when it comes to keeping my children active and busy with sports, but there are just times that you have to say no, and take a moment to catch your breath.
4.Take a daily break from technology. Weird I know, not to mention hard to do. But do you realize just how draining the stress on Facebook and twitter can really be? It is a regular soap box without all the video streaming, and in some cases even that is there. Just take a break. Even it is only for 10 minutes. Set your phone, tablet, and computer down and just walk away. You will not believe how nice it is to just unplug for a while.
5. Nourish the creative side! This is my favorite! Start a blog, pick up the camera, and dust it off, go for a walk, scrapbook all those photos laying around. Anything to bring out the creative side of you. Painting, anything. I am a huge fan of grabbing my camera and heading out for a hike and taking some amazing photos when I can. It has always helped me! My grandmother use to crochet, and now I understand why, it was her way to prevent burn out.. and it can be fun as well. There are so many things that you can do!
6. Learn how to manage your stress. This is a hard one. Especially for me. you may be able to do this alone, but always remember that there are people out there willing to help you figure this out. These people could be family or friends, or you can even look into professional help. Either way it is a good practice to develop.
Burn out can effect every aspect of your life, and if you are trying to run a business, or even if you are not, burn out can destroy your business, or career. I can only hope that these small tips have in some way helped you. I look forward to hearing from you and your ideas and tips on how to prevent burn out.
If you would like more information on the prevention of burn out or the ways to recover from it here is a link for you to read.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/preventing-burnout.htm
Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!
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