Scheduling a Breakdown: Avoiding Burnout (Sarah)
We hear it all the time, “Don’t burn yourself out!” It’s become such a norm to hear this phrase in our daily lives. Oftentimes, it is delivered as a cheerful reminder from others and goes on ignored. Instead of setting a boundary, we tend to say, “I’m fine” and agree to another task on our already jam-packed schedule. Has your calendar ever looked like a toddler took their acrylics and painted all over your once-organized, color-coordinated calendar? Instead of moving that meeting to next week, do you find that you schedule it over the weekend to “get it over with” or because you don’t want to impose on the other person’s schedule? We rush into commitments and schedule those meetings for as soon as possible because we live in a peer-pressured, fast paced, and work-based society where the emphasis is on earning income rather than maintaining health and well-being both physically and mentally. This is not to say that society doesn’t emphasize that health and well-being are important; according to the World Health Organization, occupational burn out is in fact, a syndrome. Burn out is a direct result of too much consistent stress in our lives called chronic stress. What our minds tend to do is place the importance of work and income over wellness.
While YouTube has many self-help gurus and mindfulness tips, I’ve come to realize how everyone’s definition of self-care, wellness, or tips to avoiding burnout are different and must be molded to fit the individual. In Fall 2020, I experienced severe burn-out, this was a result of being a perfectionist. To complete my tasks, I would stay awake until 5 in the morning every night, I wasn’t eating a balanced diet, and would sit at the computer for hours to ensure I was finishing everything on time. I placed everything else as more important than my health. Burn out became so severe that I became narcoleptic. I could no longer keep my eyes open and ended up having frequent hospital stays that forced me to get some rest. Since then, I have implemented frequent breaks for meals, exercise, and time to rest my mind. If I do stay awake later than planned, I take a nap during the day to catch up on rest. If I begin to feel overwhelmed or that burn out is creeping up on me; then I adjust my sleep schedule, schedule meetings with breaks in-between, and ensure that I am well because I know if I am not well, I won’t be any help to anyone else.
If you are reading this, then you have probably already reached the first step in realizing that your schedule needs to change. Oftentimes, burn out doesn’t choose mental over physical, it’s a fixed package that impacts both mind and body. You may be noticing that your mind is foggy, your eyes feel heavy, you have frequent stomach aches, you don’t feel joy in things that used to bring you joy, and your muscles ache. This is the moment when it’s helpful to sit down with your calendar and weigh the pros and cons of tasks listed, do you really need to go out for that date night, or can you stay in and chill with some Netflix and popcorn? Does that meeting have to happen that day or can it be adjusted for a different day to allow you time to schedule a break into your day? It’s not easy, scheduling to avoid burnout is a practice that isn’t learned over night. If you have spent thirty years in a constant state of chaos, be understanding with yourself and know that it is okay to not completely alter your schedule overnight. It could take three weeks, or it could even take a year to fully adjust to saying “no,” moving tasks around to clear up extra time, or integrating breaks into your schedule. Sometimes, avoiding burn out while in the early stages can be something as small as going to sleep earlier. If you still have work to do at 9:30pm, realize that there is always tomorrow. Set your alarm for earlier in the morning and get some well-deserved rest! Some other useful tips are setting locks or sleep timers on your devices so that notifications and messages won’t wake you once you finally reach that joyful deep sleep you need. If you feel like you are dragging your feet every day and utterly exhausted, it may be time to evaluate if certain tasks can be split with a co-worker, if meetings can be moved, or if you need to step back from a specific role (it doesn’t have to be long-term). It can be so difficult for us to put ourselves first, but it is a step to creating a healthier lifestyle that you won’t regret later.
Remember, it takes practice to form new habits. As Mel Robbins once said, “Self-worth, self-esteem, self-love, and self-confidence all start within your SELF. That’s why you must make it a daily habit to see, support, and cheer for your SELF.” However, this doesn’t mean that you must struggle alone. Reach out to your support system, whether that is friends, family, a significant other, or a co-worker you trust. If you don’t know who your support system is then reach out to your LAD family! Letters Against Depression volunteers are a judgment-free, loving community that will embrace you through your time of need.