Burnout. Use it to Propel You.
Yes; you read that correctly.
For more than 20 years now, I’ve been helping working women just like you master all the challenges they face and use them as the launch pad for a better life. What this means for you is that I can help you take the burnout you’re experiencing and use it to fuel more career growth - a promotion, a raise, or other big life improvement. Sound valuable? Stay with me here.
Let’s break this down and give you some constructive tools today to begin your momentum forward.
5 ways to overcome burnout
1. Breathe
It’s important to recognize that burnout is created from extended periods of constant stress. Your body has literally been in fight or flight for too long, with your Adrenal gland constantly firing-off high amounts of Cortisol typically reserved for emergent situations.
So the most important step of dealing with burnout is to get the nervous system calm so that you can identify what is causing you such physical, mental, or emotional stress.
Deep and/or conscious breathwork is one of your best defence mechanisms. A favorite is called “The Fireman’s Breath” because it has been used, I”m told, by these front line workers in extreme conditions. It’s simple and very effective. Breathe in deeply for 4 counts. Hold the breath for 6 counts. Exhale for 8 counts. Repeat as often as needed until you feel a shift in your body, a feeling of more calm and clarity of focus.
For many, burnout can masquerade as depression, so you may think you’re too calm Trying to get more calm may therefore seem counter intuitive. However, your way of coping may be to just become numb. It doesn’t mean that the stress went away. You’re likely just bypassing it.
(An important note: If you suffer from depression or high anxiety, you may require medical assistance. Never hesitate to seek professional support in these situations.)
2. Break it down
As a woman, you may even pride yourself on the ability to take on so much stuff others can’t handle. (It’s part of our intrinsic make-up). The problem is, you’re not designed to be juggling a load as heavy as the one you’re trying to carry. So don’t.
Yes, I know what you’re saying. “You don’t understand Sara. I have to. It’s all on me!”
To which I ask, does it truly need to be?
Break it down means that you take out a piece of paper and list all the things you’re trying to manage right now. Create big circles on a page and categorize your efforts into ‘work’, ‘family’, ‘personal’ and ‘charity/volunteer” (or any other subjects I may have missed. These just tend to be my client’s big areas of time allotment.) List all the things you’re carrying under each of the headings. Walk away and return to your list till you’ve done a complete brain dump. Sometimes, just releasing all that’s in your mind onto a piece of paper not only gives a better perspective of the scope of the problem but also delivers a spark of relief. (A bit like venting. You know how good it feels sometimes just to vent).
3. Release and Receive
Now take a really good look at your list and determine what items should go away until you have more energy, desire, or need to address them. Some questions to ask:
Knowing that we all die with a ‘to do’ list, what could be eliminated for now?
Where can you release the need to control anything that isn’t specifically yours? What on your list is there because of your desire to insert yourself in someone else’s journey? (This tends to be a big epiphany when I do this work with many of my female clients because we tend to be caretakers for the entire world.) Sometimes, it’s important to let others have their experience without our advice or input.
Which items could be given to someone else who could gain confidence, self-esteem, more skills for taking these on? (Note: This is often our children or a care-giver). Can you allow others the pride of managing some pieces for you?
Which of these items won’t be resolved without your asking for help? We ladies tend to have real issues with asking for and receiving help. Do you see asking for help and receiving it as a sign of weakness? Time to end that now! This is where my skills really come into play. To get to your next level in your career and life, you gotta take the pro move and get professional support to see what you can’t because you’re too close to it all. This is the piece that many miss.
Our letting go of control can open a door to a greater understanding of life’s amazing dynamic of flow of resources available to us. We tend to miss out on this remarkable, spiritual rhythm when believing we have to do it all on our own.
4. Prioritize and Permission
Prioritize yourself and you’re feeling your best again. Prioritize yourself because everything in your world is affected by how you are being in all your moments. It’s hard to remember this when we’re in the depths of a spiral. This is where I do the pep talk about putting on your ‘big girl pants’ and (not) pushing through. Exchange the pants for PJs. Your feeling nurtured right now is necessary. It’s no longer an option.
Many folks I’m meeting have let the burnout go too far. They waited too long to get support so now they’re dealing with more extreme circumstances including health issues and relationship struggles. Wherever you are on the spectrum of need, give yourself permission to feel pretty cruddy. Give yourself permission to admit that support is needed. Stop questioning if you can afford it. You can’t afford not to.
5. Ponder the Possibilities
This is the most important part of the equation. In order to get to the next level, the part where you can begin to feel like you’re rising above it all, you need to tap into the field of emerging possibilities.
What you require is the ability to look beyond what you’ve been experiencing and to get hold of something that really makes you FEEL joy, excitement, more aliveness because these energies can literally lift you out of the doldrums. It’s easy to forget how powerful feeling joyful is when you’re too far down in the trenches and feeling alone.
Start small. What is one incremental thing that you could do today to FEEL joy and/or new possbilities in your body? Maybe it’s taking a nap. Maybe it’s declining to participate in yet another meeting. Maybe it’s canceling a call with someone who drains you of all your energy. Maybe it’s taking a long walk in nature or painting. Maybe it’s doing something that helps you feel sensual and beautiful again. Whatever it is, do it. And tomorrow, do another. And the day after, do another. Got it? Good. Keep going!
This joy and possibilities space - this is where the propulsion begins to kick in.
When you begin to experience what you enjoy, you begin to recognize more enjoyable experiences and you awaken your capacity to dream bigger. It’s the launchpad for your new life.
The research
Here’s the big, hidden secret. Women tend to stay in their comfort zone too long. We stop dreaming of what’s possible for us and end up burning out in their careers and relationships without even seeing it coming. This, coupled with their overly-full plates, leads to extreme exhaustion. Not doing new things, stretching ourselves and our capacity, staying in the comfort zone too long, is NOT the right game plan. (This is where working with a coach is really helpful.)
Do this now
If you like what we got started here and truly want to get to that next level in your life, reach out. I want to be your coach. Together, we’ll map out a strategy, with clear action steps, to get you the promotion, new job, or whatever advancement you know you really desire. It’s possible. Dream bigger.
Contact me here