Are you burnt out?

Do you wake up in the morning and immediately want to crawl back into bed? Do you find that you have a short fuse, one that is much shorter than you’d like? Do you have a desire to “do more” or “do better” but don’t have the energy to do so? Yes? This might be burn-out. It is a normal part of so many people’s lives, and it shouldn’t be. Living in a state of burn out can lead to adrenal fatigue, and subsequently hormonal problems. Those could include thyroid dysfunction, estrogen and progesterone imbalances, endometriosis, etc.  

I remember early in my nursing career when I was so excited to be able to serve my patients and was even more excited for that professional level paycheck, that I worked all the overtime possible. If I got that call at 5 am where the hospital was looking for help, I said yes. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes that call came in at midnight, or 2 am, and I would still say yes. It usually meant I’d lose sleep, lose time with my family and friends, and lose any idea of a routine that I could possibly hold. It was exhausting, however, initially I didn’t realize it. I didn’t realize that it was more than just physically wearing on my body, but it was wearing on my spirit as well. The nurse that would once take the time to listen and educate my patients was now just going through the motions. I didn’t have the energy or desire to spend that time with them. I also didn’t realize that my workplace began to EXPECT me to work overtime and give of my time in that way. It all hit me one time when my parents were in town (they lived 5 hours away) and work called for me to come in from 7 pm-3 am. I told them “not tonight, my parents are visiting.” The response I got was something to the effect of, “but we haven’t called anyone else because we KNEW you would say yes.” At that moment I realized three things, 1. they had come to expect me to work the overtime, instead of appreciating it, 2. my workplace didn’t respect my family time, and 3. they were willing to use guilt to convince me to come in. Neither of those things made me feel good. I began to say “no” more often after that. Learning to respect my own time, energy, and sleep. What I soon realized is that my patient care improved. My friendships and relationships improved. My mood improved. I wasn’t as exhausted. All of these things lead to a domino effect that created more happiness in my life. I was burnt out before and as soon as I started to honor my body, I became a better version of myself, not just for me, but for all those that I served as well.  

It is not an easy transition, especially when so many people expect this out of you. But take a step back and look at your life for a minute. We all know there are only 24 hours in a day. We get to choose how we spend those hours and we chose how we show up in the world. If you look at how you showed up the last 2 weeks, are you pleased with it? Were you everything you wanted to be for your kids, your spouse, your pets, your employer, your friends, your faith, yourself? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I bet you answer no to at least 2 of those things. It’s not because you’re a terrible person. It’s not because you're a failure. You can stop that negative self-talk right now. It is because you are over-extended and burnt out. Before you say “yes” to the next obligation that comes your way, I want you to truly consider your goals for a minute. Will this “yes” cause you to lose sleep or offer less time to another area of your life that you are committed to? Is that okay with you? Your priorities need to come before anyone else’s priorities. Just like in my example from work, my priority that evening was my family. Work’s priority was filling their staff. I could not adopt their priority that day without giving up mine, and I was not willing to do that.  

Spend some time in reflection today. Think about what your priorities are. Then tell me honestly, are you willing to half-ass them? Are you willing to bring less than your best to the party? Are you willing to just go through the motions? Are you willing to be a “bad” parent, spouse, friend, and employee? Are you doing any of these things currently?  

Yes? 

Then it is time to start matching your daily activities with your priorities. It may be time to release some of those responsibilities. It may be time to rearrange some scheduling. It may be time to MAKE time for yourself so you can refill your cup and get off this hamster wheel for a minute. I promise you, the time you take for you is worth it. You know why? Because when you take that hour for you, you show up at 100% instead of not taking that hour and being 50% all day. Your kids will thank you. Your spouse will thank you. You, will thank you. Say no. Take the time. Honor your priorities.  Honor yourself. You're worth it! 

If you'd like to take that time in an Energy Healing session to help you feel lighter and relieve that pressure you've been putting on yourself, you can schedule one here.