Prioritizing Self-Care: The Antidote to Burnout
Ok I have a confession. I’m a productivity nerd. I love reading articles on how to be more effective, on how to have proper morning and evening routines, and how to make your life more effortless. It often leads me back to one premise. We have to put ourselves on our to-do list to be more productive.
We have to know that when we do our morning exercise/smoothie/journaling routine, that we are investing in ourselves – making ourselves more capable and valuable. The notion that we can run on empty and try to “do it all” is a belief that no longer serves us and it’s time for it to go. Old school patriarchy thinking results in burnout.
And that is one of the things I ask my clients when we meet, “How do you feel on a daily basis?”, they usually reply, “Oh, pretty good.” So I continue to investigate, asking specific questions about how long they are sleeping each night, how much water they are drinking, how are they exercising, how many veggies did they eat? They always look stunned, having realized that they specifically don’t know how they are doing, and are allowing themselves to slide.
We discuss what their “non-negotiables” are and tweak their daily routines to include these activities. We also address the mindsets that hold them back, and eliminate the arguments in their head about why they can’t prioritize their health and wellbeing.
Then we often start talking about all the things that get in the way of their healthy behaviors. And yes, of course life doesn’t naturally allow the luxury of time and extra sets of hands like a Hindu deity, but we deserve to also take care of ourselves in order to handle all that life stuff. You must define your non-negotiables and work them into your daily life. Wedge them in if you have to, but they need to be in there somewhere between work and family.
And once these new behaviors become part of your routine, it becomes effortless. The idea is to surrender to the routine without exhausting yourself with the argument in your head about what to do and why you don’t want to. In fact, you’ll find that you have even more energy to devote to the things that really matter, you know, your purpose for all this.
Do you want to re-evaluate how you’re taking care of yourself and how that affects the rest of your life? If you’re ready to get real about making the changes in your life that will really make a difference to your health, wealth and happiniess, join me below to start putting yourself on the to-do list again. Seriously, I want you to really enjoy your life, not just get through it, because you are worth it. Stay tuned for my upcoming workshop to help you live your purpose and banish burnout.