8 Ways to Overcome Burnout in 2016
In 2014 I was burnt to a crisp.
The year and more specifically my job had sucked me dry. I’m talking mentally numb, emotionally spent, and thoroughly depleted of joy, complete ashes.
Burning out had caused me to lose touch with my very core. For the first time ever, I found myself questioning how able I was, if I could ever find motivation again and even what value I provided. It was a horrible horrible place to be.
As so I started 2015 at a deficit. Still not having recouped, I was off-kilter, raw and exposed. I needed to heal and quickly. At the same time that I was focused on healing, I had to prevent burning out again so that I could start and succeed as an entrepreneur and newly-wed.
It wasn’t a perfect journey. Time and time again I came up against my own tendencies to drive myself toward burnout. But I knew that my business and enjoyment in life depended on me not burning out again.
I’m happy to say that I am ending 2015 in a radically different state than I began it in. I recovered and I am actually thriving. I didn’t even get sick one time this year!
I attribute my success in avoiding burn out in 2015 to my ruthless dedication to the following behaviors.
I committed to learning more about myself. I forced myself to explore and answer the really tough questions. The ones you normally hear and think, oh sure I know the answer, but the truth is that you don’t really. I got really clear about what I valued most, how I worked best, and you know those habits I mentioned – I dug into those too.
I invested in myself. One of the reasons I burnt out in 2014 was because I had become professionally stagnant. I felt like I hadn’t been learning or growing. 2015 was a complete 180, I went through seven trainings, learned how to run a business, how to write a book, etc.
I figured out what was most important to me. I let my values, talents and beliefs drive how I spent my time.
And let go of things that didn’t serve me. I learned how incredibly hard it is for me to let go of something I know that isn’t working. But more importantly I learned that my unwillingness to let go was standing in the way of newer greater opportunities.
I surrounded myself with people who supported me. I opened up my social and professional circles and found friends and colleagues who truly supported me and what I was trying to create.
And spent less time with those who didn’t. There were people in my life that weren’t supportive or didn’t know how to be supportive, and I learned that I couldn’t afford to be around people who weren’t onboard. So I deprioritized them or dumped them.
I was ruthless with self care. I can’t even begin to talk about how important self care is and what a struggle it has been to make it a practice. While there are so many aspects to caring for yourself, the most important for me was learning to understand and manage my energy. Knowing when I needed to meditate, take a nap or go dancing were key to my recovery and prevention.
I got a therapist AND a coach. In 2014 I had all of the tools above at my disposal, but the tools alone didn’t help me avoid burnout because I needed the support and accountability of a non-bias third party. Tough as it was, I started to allow myself to be vulnerable with other people. Having the support and accountability of a coach made all the difference in the world.
2015 marked not only my journey back from burnout, but also a redefining of what it means to live vibrantly. As I reflected on all that I learned, I realized that my experience might be of some help to you.
If you’re heading into 2016 feeling depleted, stuck or burnt out, hopefully a few of the nuggets above will be of help. I’ve been there and I can help. Let’s talk.