Written by Linda Mitchell, the founder of Living Inspired Coaching.
It’s easy to burnout when you’re a go-getter, rarely stopping to refuel for fear of missing opportunities or falling behind schedule. But what if a healthy pause isn’t just part of the cure but a way to revive your creativity and contentment?
The sooner you recognize the signs of burnout the easier it is to remedy. If you’re fighting fatigue, feeling unmotivated, constantly in motion yet feeling unproductive, it’s important to change things up. Schedule some relaxation, give your left brain a break and engage in some fun, creative or physical activities. Do diverse tasks, switch locations and break out of familiar routines. Take time to just be still, breath, meditate, play or let your imagination soar. If you’re thinking that’s just a waste of time, you’ll be happy to learn otherwise. Most people can conquer burnout using a combination of the following six tips:
Give yourself some grace. Take a break! You’re burned out because you’re a hard worker, motivated and goal oriented. Would you chastise your best friend for taking a breather? A pause is precious and rejuvenating. Intentional downtime, enjoying activities or hobbies you’ve deferred is uplifting and boosts your creativity and joy.
Focus on being versus doing. When constant action doesn’t bring desired results, you can get discouraged, stuck or sullen. Get re-motivated by focusing less on results and more on the joy of the journey. For a change, focus more on the new things you’re discovering rather than on meeting goals. You may feel restless at first but stay the course. Take time to sit in stillness, explore new ideas, walk in nature - stop pushing for answers from outside yourself and tune in to your own inner wisdom. Recognize that meditating, breathing and listening to the still, small voice inside is also a form of productivity! Silence and stillness are healing, restorative and productive.
“Exhaustion is never cured by working harder! ”
Nix the negativity. Beating yourself up is counterproductive. Treat yourself with the same consideration you’d grant a loved one. Positive uplifting thoughts lead to better outcomes. Thoughts are like boomerangs. What you put out, comes right back to you. Negative, disempowering thoughts are defeating and just create more doubt, fear and scarcity. Positive thoughts create excitement and encouragement and plant seeds of possibility. What you focus on expands – choose your thoughts wisely!
Engage your imagination. As Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.” Create time to engage your imagination. Play with new ideas. See where they take you. You may even find a solution to a problem without focusing on it because the imagination is held hostage when you spend too much time in the logical brain pushing for answers, action-steps or results.
Change the mood. It’s a whole different energy when you say, “How can I handle this” versus “I can’t handle this.” Feel the difference between I can’t and how can I? This simple change switches you from victim to victor. Instead of staying stuck, you’ve opened a creative, empowered space in which you can problem solve with greater ease. Speaking of spaces, change your environment. Get outside or work in a new space. Changing perspective and scenery boosts creativity and productivity.
Temporarily pare down the to-do list. Limit yourself to your top three priorities daily, weaving in time for relaxation and reflection. Forced prioritization has many benefits and you’ll get more comfortable holding firm, healthy boundaries by politely saying no. Break goals into bite-sized increments. Things feel more manageable and you’ll stay motivated by celebrating each small success along the way.
Each of these tips help reduce overwhelm and boost confidence. The longer you resist a pause, the longer you’ll feel depleted. Exhaustion is never cured by working harder! Serve up some self-compassion and discover the benefits of a reset. You’ll bounce back faster, feel refreshed and defeat burnout.