Skipping lunch and other burnout habits.
If you’ve experienced burnout, you know the feeling of total physical, emotional and mental exhaustion – but that’s not all burnout is. It comes with a drop in concentration and productivity, feelings of emptiness, loneliness, depression, and a loss of drive – that inner fire that you know is in you.
It’s lose-lose-lose for you, the people you love, and the work you do. So why do we keep at these toxic habits that grease up the slippery slope to burnout?
Here’s FOUR habits to look out for – and what to do instead.
Habit 1: Not Taking Breaks
“I don’t have time to take lunch” 👀👀👀
If you’re not taking regular breaks, you’re on the way to burnout. It seems small, but it’s just one more way that you’re compromising your needs and not giving your brain and body time to process what’s going on.
It may seem like you’re being more productive by working through, but you’re actually depleting your energy, focus, and productivity.
INSTEAD: Take Breaks!
Even tiny breaks – bonus if they include a little walking, movement, or mindfulness – pull you out of the stress response and hyperactivity we so often occupy in the working world and has long term impacts on your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Habit 2: Not Saying No
How many times have you agreed to take things on that you don’t actually have the time for?
If you always say yes, you’re likely to commit yourself beyond your means. Your work, life, friend, and favour to-do list becomes a weight on your shoulders – and you’ll either not be able to do it all or be resentful of the people you’re doing it for (or both).
INSTEAD: Set boundaries.
Boundaries teach other people how to treat us so we can live happy and healthy lives – and work at our best!
But it can be really hard to set them if we’re not practiced – especially at work. If you need some help here’s a guide to boundaries and here are my tips for setting boundaries at work.
Habit 3: Compromising Sleep
Many of us have such demanding work and life schedules that getting 8 hours of sleep is a “dream” and not a reality. But IS IT THOUGH?
Even Arianna Huffington says that it’s a “complete delusion” that if you get little sleep and take poor care of yourself, you are going to be more productive.
Sleep affects EVERYTHING. Poor sleep will decrease focus and concentration, reduce time spent in vital sleep-state brain function like memory processing, and disrupt your circadian rhythm and hormone release that regulates energy, stress, digestion, immune function and all that good stuff.
INSTEAD: Build a sleep ritual.
A sleep ritual is a routine that sets you up for a restful nights sleep – turn off devices, put on a comforting playlist, drink some sleepy tea – and importantly, make it habit. Learn how to make your sleep ritual here.
Habit 4: Not moving your body
Movement increases serotonin and dopamine levels, boosts metabolism and immune function and reduces stress. In somatic therapy, movement helps work the physical manifestations of stress and trauma out of the body (think of a dog shaking out after a stressful encounter).
Even a short walk is enough to get the blood pumping and feel the effects of movement – but it’s often a habit we chuck out the window when things get busy.
Instead: Find movement that works for you.
What movement makes you feel confident, bold, empowered strong? Or perhaps helps you find a deep state of relaxation? Be it walking, running, weight lifting, dancing, rock climbing, scuba diving, or a silly choreographed tiktok, find what makes you feel good, and build it into your week.
In summary…
Burnout does not have to be a normal occurrence. We show people how we expect to be treated through our behaviours and habits. Building personal resilience is about taking those steps to nurturing yourself wholly.
A little goes a long way – we can all find 15 minutes a day to stop, reflect and do a little more of a thing that nourishes us – and a little less of a thing that’s draining us.
So take a damn break people!