Taking stock to stop the burnout

November is a busy time of year, and it’s been a busy week too with the kids being off for half term and work commitments to juggle as well. I realised I’ve not stopped enough to fill up the tank this week and now feeling it - does this resonate?

We’ve had a great half term - day trips to Scottish sea sides and Lake District mountains (and was stuck at the top in the fog and cried), visiting father in law in a care home on the coast, 3 days coaching and running my wellbeing and burnout masterclass to a group of international executive coaches, a city trip for birthday present shopping (5 family birthdays in the run up to Christmas!) plus Halloween and local activities too. So it’s been all GO!

Next week I’m travelling and trying to fit in work tasks around that so it will be all go there too. 

So:

Where is the self care?

When is the vital stoppage time?

How will I ensure I don’t burn out? 

I thought I would share my thoughts on this - I’ve become quite an expert in prevenative measures:

1 - taking stock

In my week-ahead planning I’m noting the essential jobs that have to be done against those which can be postponed or dropped or delegated. Taking the load off your plate is a great start and I am already feeling less burdened.

2 - taking note of where I am at

I’m tired. And it’s a busy time of year. Which means I need to go steady. By this I mean adapting my approach to the day with the knowledge of my less energetic state, and acknowledge and alter how I go about the day with this in mind. It doesn’t mean stopping - things will still get done - it means approaching the day with a calmer pace and accepting some self compassion.

3 - taking self care seriously 

I’ve done my own burnout masterclass and taken the lessons - I know the red flags that tell me to take care. And so I will make it a priority to bring back into my routine those non-negotiable activities to ensure I don’t burnout. For me, these are walking up the road in the evening - a 20 or 30 minute walk releases the day’s tensions, loosens my shoulders, boosts my breathing, relaxes my body, helps me sleep and fills me up with nature. It’s an easy thing to build in to me day and it’s positive impact is consistently good. Other non-negotiables are not reaching for the glass of wine, doing a daily gratitude practice, and getting to bed on time. 

4 - being mindful of the mind

When I’m tired I notice my mental chatter can go on overdrive and not always in a positive way. I am now so used to observing my mental chatter I actually can have quite a bit of fun with it. Our brains constantly try to connect our past experiences to make sense of the world - firing up memories and meanings in endless combinations. But the thing it, it’s not always correct or true - so we need to be able to a) have awareness of our thoughts and b) correct them to the useful and helpful alternative. We become the thing we tell ourselves. So cultivating a positive mind is an important part of the process.

5 - going lightly

When we’re tired it’s easy to look down and be consumed by the tasks and to do lists. It’s also important to keep everything in perspective , to look up, fill up and remember we are creative, playful beings - to enjoy life. So amongst the ‘things that have to be done’ I will make a commitment to myself to notice the ‘glimmers’ or Small Wonderments as I call them, pause to take note of the wind lifting a leaf, stop to fully enjoy the taste of my coffee, be present with the kids when we are together after work and school, draw when I can, get outside when I can, and bring my attention out of the moment and look up - at the vastness of the universe and our existence on the planet and our role within that, and to remember what we’re here for - to support each other to make positive impact for people and planet and have creativity and fun along the way. 

It feels good to write these things down, journalling can be a massively useful way to process thoughts, emotions and situations, and as a way to unwind the complexities of the mind and of life. Do you journal?

Here’s some ideas then, if you’re feeling your energies stretched or the workload stressful, I hope they’re helpful. In coaching of course we explore your red flags, and your non-negotiables, your commitments to your self, your list of go-to activities to nurture your physical and mental wellbeing. All these things combined will elevate your super powers to become the awesome version of you, to boost your personal leadership and operate from your ‘zone of brilliance’.

Thought experiment: What will you do this week to go lightly, fill up and enjoy life?