Month: April 2019

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Burn out

My last post was about burn out so let’s talk about it. 

Burn out sucks. For those of us who haven’t heard of it, it’s when you are physically/emotionally exhausted. You don’t feel fulfilled by what you’re doing and you don’t feel like you have an identity anymore. I wasn’t Katie. I wasn’t my fun happy self. I was just chugging away, trying to keep going.

I have some ways to prevent burn out that have worked really well for me, but at the end of the day, we all need to take breaks. I have a really demanding job and since July, I had only taken off 1 week. Seriously. That’s it. 

Here are some things we can do to prevent burn out if we can’t take regular breaks:

-Do something that is enjoyable for you that isn’t work, and try to do something every day. For me, it’s working out and crafting. As much as I want to say “cleaning my apartment” is my fun thing for the day, it doesn’t count. It has to be something you don’t have to do and something that brings you joy.

-Take small breaks. Working 24 hours straight isn’t healthy. Some of us have to do it for work, but sometimes even taking 15 minutes for yourself every few hours can make a big difference.

-Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. It’s even harder when you’re emotionally AND physically exhausted.

-Be present and be mindful. Stay present. It makes whatever you do more rewarding. Be mindful of where your head is. If you’re thinking only negative thoughts, it’ll affect you more. Train your brain to be more positive.