I share my tips on dealing with burnout.
Hello friends! I hope you have a wonderful morning. Today we have a few meetings and it’s back to school and the *real world* after a glorious winter break. We slept in almost every day, watched tons of movies, played Tucson tourists, ate takeout, got together with friends and family, and just enjoyed our time together. I’ve barely touched my laptop, but I’m excited to be back on it today!
For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about burnout, which is a bit of a trigger topic. Many of us know exactly what it feels like to burn out, and it’s horrible. I imagine myself in a state of complete burnout and how I felt drained and completely exhausted, and I just want to hug my past self.
I was a type A, super anxious kid, who spent my childhood into my 20s in flight or fight. Then I got married, started this the wild adventure of a soldier’s life (we’re almost done!!) and became a mom. It was such a beautiful time, but it was hard — I feel like I missed out on a lot of baby girl years because I was dealing with postpartum depression/anxiety and I was completely burned out.
I know that’s what led me down the road to mysterious health problems and autoimmune symptoms.
Although I haven’t *completely* recovered from the burnout, I am now symptom free and feel a million times better. I’m always a work in progress and learning as much as I can, but I wanted to share some of the things that helped in today’s post. As always, this is not medical advice! I’m just sharing my experience, and if you’re dealing with burnout, reach out to someone who can help you on your way to wellness and peace; you deserve to feel amazing <3
How to deal with burnout
Allow yourself to be a little more type B
This was a big one for me, and it was also the hardest. I just learned that I can’t be everything to everyone all the time. I can’t do everything, I can’t be perfect, I can’t have a perfectly clean house 24/7, wear makeup and look cute all the time, and say yes to millions of social activities and events for kids.
Sometimes now I’ll leave the dishes in the sink until morning, I’ll leave the laundry on the chair for an extra day, I’ll go out in public looking like a hot mess, and I’ll say no to events and invitations. I also used to work 24/7, but I’ve stopped answering emails after hours and try to shut down my computer at a reasonable time.
A messy house is stressful for me, so I still try to clean every day, but I will set a timer. When it goes off, that’s it. Also, the kids are older now and can help more!
Include things in your day that you enjoy, that are just for you
This is SO important. It’s so easy to feel burnt out when your whole day is filled with tasks for other people. You *must* take some time to do something you enjoy every day, whether it’s a walk outside, a swim, time in the sauna, reading a book, talking on the phone with a friend, a juice from your favorite place, whatever brings you a little joy. Even if it’s just 5-10 minutes, it’s worth it.
Prepare your future for success
Try to do small acts of self-care in the future, like taking time to put away leftovers for lunch the next day, booking something you look forward to (like a facial or massage), ordering something you use regularly before you run out, filling a water bottle for next morning etc. Sometimes YOU are the only person who cares about you, so take care of yourself. <3
Outsource wherever you can
I strongly believe in outsourcing everything that is worthwhile and that would make your life easier as much as your budget and life allow. We have a cleaner who comes every two weeks and saves my life. I’d get rid of a ton of stuff in the budget before I get rid of that lol. Maybe order some healthy meals, like Sakara, get groceries, laundry service, car cleaning, mobile pet care, anything to make your life easier.
Make a list of things you love to do and a list of things you HATE doing and try to outsource some of those!
One of the biggest components of burnout is feeling like you’re drowning, so find people who can help you feel like you’re on top of things.
Focus on the basics
The basics are fresh air, exercise, nutritious food, clean air/water and stress reduction. Try to get a little of these things in every day. I didn’t walk nearly as much during the break and I can feel it. I feel more balanced and energized when I do these things every day.
Functional testing
Functional testing changed the game for me. When you burn out, you’re also likely depleted of nutrients (stress burns nutrients!) and dealing with toxicity, which can affect gut health (affects neurotransmitter function which affects mood!) and how we absorb nutrients.
When I did functional lab testing, I was able to see the toll the stress was taking on my body and work to restore it from a baseline level. If you are interested in testing, please email me at gina@fitnessista.com subject TESTING. My new program starts in February, which will include functional testing! To get first access, make sure you’re on my newsletter.
So tell me, friends: what has helped you with burnout? Do you have any books or resources that you love??
xoxo
Gina
More: how to recover from mom burnout
