Guest post written by Abby Calabrese
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What are the signs that you’re headed towards burnout? For busy professionals and/or busy moms, it’s easy to just keep running and not realize when burnout is creeping up. It is so important to be in tune with ourselves and understand the signs of when you’re nearing burnout.
Some of the major signs that I’ve noticed whenever burnout creeps up are feeling exhausted all the time, even if you got a good night’s sleep. Also, you might notice that you’re getting sick more often. Illnesses that you might’ve been able to bypass before are now leaving you in bed for multiple days due to a weakened immune system. You might notice that you’re relying heavily on coffee or other caffeinated substances just to get you through the day. For some people, impending burnout means they’re finding it hard to focus and be productive during the day, whether that’s at work or home. You might notice that you’re being too hard on yourself and there’s a lot of self-criticism going on.
You might also see that you’re pulling away from those activities that you know make you feel better. You’re convincing yourself that you don’t have time for some of the self-care hobbies that restore you.
If several of these key signs resonate with you, it is an indication that you’re going to need to lighten or delegate out some of your workload. It’s just not sustainable or healthy when these signs are popping up, month after month.
So now what? We identified some of the key signs that burnout is approaching, but even more importantly, what do we do about it?
A big theme here is going to be boundaries. Learning to get comfortable with saying “no” to tasks or obligations that are not essential. Another one is going to be delegating. I have struggled with this in the past but it is critical to learn how to delegate some of the tasks that don’t necessarily need your personal touch involved. That leads to the next solution for burnout, which is accepting “good enough.” It might not be exactly how you’d handle it, and it might not have your touch on it. Still, if it’s good enough, that’s going to give you back time for self-care and for things that are going to restore you and overall leave you rested, a productive, better version of yourself, and allow you to start enjoying this amazing life you built.
This is going to take action on your part. You are going to have to go through and evaluate the things that are on your plate to see what you can delegate. There will be some tasks that just don’t make the cut. You will narrow down which ones are essential and that will be where you spend your time.
With the freed-up space on your calendar, slide your self-care items in that spot! Schedule it, add it to your calendar, make it part of your day-to-day, and I think you’re going to notice an AMAZING difference.
Abby Calabrese is a widely regarded speaker, expert consultant, and strategist for high-achieving female professionals. Throughout her career, she has flourished in her roles from the finance industry to high-pressure startups, interfacing with Fortune 500 companies, and working alongside a Celebrity TV Personality as the Chief Operating Officer of his investment company. From her insights and experience learned along the way, Abby has developed a proprietary model that helps guide women through creating more sustainable solutions for avoiding burnout and living life on their own terms. This article is a quick sampling of the type of work she does with her clients. Visit her website to learn more.
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