photo: Lindsey Lowe Photography

The truth is, I don’t know how to avoid burnout. but we’ll figure it out together.

I think.

I decided on this post instead of something food or drink related because this exact question has been on my mind. But the type of burnout I’m exploring isn’t necessarily the typical physical burnout. You know the type. The burnout where we work too much, say yes too many times causing us not to focus on self-care AT ALL. Surely you know what I’m talking about; we’ve all been there.

Even though that’s a common form of burnout, it’s actually not exactly what I’ve been feeling lately. In my quest to figure out how to avoid burnout, I really mean mental burnout. Sure mental burnout could stem from a form of physical burnout but in my case, that’s not it. No, I don’t have life figured out quite yet but I’ve gotten a handle on saying no when I need to (and proudly doing so). I also try my best to listen to my body when I need to slow down.

But recently (like in the last few days), I’ve felt like my brain is going 100 miles per hour trying to solve a problem that can’t be solved by worrying. Essentially, what my brain is doing, though it feels like it’s on the verge of burnout, is really worrying in the worst form. In all honesty, I really need to revisit this post about life lessons because sometimes I need a reminder to help me not sweat the small things.

How to avoid burnout? Does anyone have the answer?

So as I said, I really have no idea how to avoid burning out. I’m trying to go with the flow and enjoy the process (even though that really makes me nervous). Professionally, the last 11 months have been a roller coaster – some good, some bad. Overall it’s been a huge learning experience but it’s also been really fun. This still doesn’t negate the fact that MY MIND FEELS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BURNOUT SOON. So how do I try to combat this?

RELAX

My husband is always telling me to chill out. I suffer from the disorder that if I’m not actively doing something, I’m failing. So John always tells me to lie down for a bit and rest my brain. Good advice even though I don’t listen all of the time.

PRIORITIZE

We’re often asked about balance. How do we balance X, Y and Z. I’m not sure that I really believe in balance but I do believe in prioritizing. Once I prioritize, I can typically get my brain to relax a bit.

photo: Lindsey Lowe Photography

TAKE ACTION

For me, a lot of the things I stress about are problems that haven’t happened. Instead of spending so much brain power worrying and becoming burned out, I start working. I’m a planner so naturally I’m thinking of ways an event or project can go right or wrong. Instead of stressing, I prioritize and make a plan. I have a fear of the unknown (don’t we all?) and what helps me not burnout from mental exhaustion is making an actionable plan.

How do you avoid burnout?