Feeling overworked, burnt out, or overwhelmed? Here’s what helps me

Have you ever felt like there is not enough time in the day?

Like you’re just running from one thing to the next, trying to fit it all in? You feel overwhelmed, over-worked, and at the end of your rope.

It feels like everyone else is being taken care of, but time for you? Psh, there’s no time for that.

If you’ve ever felt this way, you’ve probably had trouble waking up in the morning, wishing you could stay in bed just a little bit longer (it’s so much easier there). You’ve maybe even thought about how easy it would be to catch a cold, just so you could stay in bed all week without a thing to do.

(Anyone see Bad Mom’s? Can I get an amen? Haha!) 

Yep, unfortunately, these are the typical thoughts of burn-out. No shame.

Good thing is, when you know you’re burnt out, you can make a change.

So, what needs to change?

1. ME time

Well, first of all, you need more “me time,” and yes, there’s time for it. Even if you can only find 15 minutes of quiet before the rest of your house wakes up, or a silent car ride, or sitting outside on your lunch break.

I personally love focusing on what I’m grateful for during this time. Typically, when I feel stressed, overwhelmed, or burnt out it’s because I’m focused on lack.

Lack of time. Lack of expectations being met. Lack of help, etc… 

This never helps me to feel good. What I’ve learned is that focusing on what I don’t have WILL NOT get me more of what I want. And in the meantime, I feel miserable.

Ever heard this saying?

“What you appreciate, appreciates”

Yeah, I’ve found this to be true in my own life. If I focus on what sucks, I get more of what sucks. If I focus on what I’m grateful for, somehow, I find more things to be grateful for, and things begin to look up.

So, for my me-time, I love doing things like:

• going for a morning walk and thinking about what I have to be grateful for
• waking up a little bit earlier than anyone else, pouring a cup of coffee, and journaling through what I’m grateful for
• asking a friend or my hubby to go out and have fun with me (example: I asked Marco the other day to head to the park with me and throw a frisbee around – I needed a good laugh!)
• get a workout in – not because I should – but because I need a mind break, and I need to do something for just ME

Basically, doing anything OTHER THAN waking up and immediately focusing on something like email, slugging away time on social media, or work. Things that have a space for the rest of the day, but don’t really need a place in my morning.

2. Acknowledge yourself

Second, you’ve got to acknowledge that hey, this is TOUGH. You’ve got a lot going on. Don’t pretend like you don’t. Don’t pretend like you should have it all together. Hear yourself. Check-in. What’s going on? What feels heavy? What have you been focusing on? How is that feeling?

3. Ask for help

Ask. for. help. Let your needs be known. Say to someone “hey, I need help. Can you help me with ____?” People can say NO. You’re not burdening anyone by asking for help. You’re not the only person who knows how to do what you’re doing. You can trust someone else. Deligate. Ask for help.

4. Reprioritize

Where have you been spending your time? How have you been spending your time? What is feeling good? What doesn’t feel good? What are your top priorities? What areas of your life deserve the most attention?

Realign yourself with what is important. Shorten your list. Let go of doing EVERYTHING, and focus on the most important things.

Need help with this? We’re spending a whole session on this in Authentically You, because it’s that important in getting more of what you want. We’re letting go of “should’s” and rules across the board, so we can do more of what feels good.

5. One step at a time

Ladies, our minds are bizarre, aren’t they? We can be thinking about one thing and before we know it we’re on another planet thinking about something lightyears away. Our minds just do that.

You know what they also do? They try and predict the future, and when we’re stressed, burnt out, or overworked, our brains scream “catastrophe!”

This will never end. Life is going to be hard always. You’ll never get out of this. You have no control. This is the worst. Freak out! 

And holy moses, this just keeps getting worse.

We need to jump off the hamster wheel, pause, and recognize that all we’re in charge of is this moment. And hey, maybe if we make a change in this moment the whole world WON’T end. If we reprioritize, take a break, have some me-time, a little peace & quiet, or ask for help, things will actually get BETTER.

Now…

I hope this post encourages those of you who can relate. Listen, there will ALWAYS be times in life that are harder than others. We’re not in control of that. That’s life. But how we handle these times, IS up to us.

And girl, I’m preaching to the choir.

Just this week I had to check my priorities, stop checking email all day, and limit my list of what I am giving my time and attention to. The important thing is that I knew to check-in, and I knew a tune-up was needed.

This is exactly what I want to help you with in Authentically You. If you can relate, and you want life to feel less chaotic and more streamlined, then join me. I’d love to have you!

We start THIS coming Monday, and doors are closing on Sunday. So jump in now before the weekend sweeps you away. I would hate for you to forget. See you inside! Join here.

So, which of these will you focus more on? What happens to YOU when you get super overwhelmed or burnt out? Do you shut down? Freak out? I want to hear your thoughts in the comments.