If you are like me, you have a major case of FOMO (fear of missing out). You want to be involved in everything to show your dedication, your desire, your commitment and ultimately help further your career – which is great, but there is such thing as burnout – and it is real!
It is so real that the World Health Organization (WHO) now recognizes it as an occupational phenomenon in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. “Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress” according to helpguide.org. It can reduce your productivity and leave you exhausted. Now take all the involvement and mix in the time we spend on social media promoting, posting content, dedicating time to ourselves and our jobs and there is little room to unwind and de-stress.
This study really spoke to me as I went from not being involved in anything beside being a mom and tending to my children and husband's activities; to absolutely craving being involved in things I had a passion for. I became involved in things like; our cities Zoning and Planning, our school’s PTO, our towns Leadership Institute, a nonprofit’s event committee, credit union events, advocacy actions, launching CUltivate, becoming part of Filene i3, while still balancing family life too.
While I was on a high of being so involved, traveling, being busy, and having things going on every day and night I could feel the burnout coming. After I graduated from the Leadership Institute, I was happy to have some of my time back. I was nearing burnout and needed to take a break, regroup, and re-focus to be able to give my all to my other passions.
In a world of always wanting to be a part of the next best thing, you need to leave time for yourself. It can be as simple as turning your phone and all electronics off for a few hours, binge watching your favorite show, or simply scheduling yourself a massage. You can also just do something you enjoy like riding your bike, swimming or taking in a museum or movie. Just make sure you focus on that and only that and disconnect from the electronic devices that we are attached too.
I have found that I crave silence when I’m approaching burnout. One day, I came home for lunch to grab something and I took 20 minutes for myself. I left my phone on the counter, sat on the sofa with the TV off, the radio off, and just enjoyed the silence and taking time to gather my thoughts and not focus on anything in particular. It may sound crazy but it helped me to regain my focus and go in to the second half of the day more focused and energized.
You deserve to feel your best so you can give your best. Everyone needs a break and should make sure to take one, whether it is just a quick 20-minute break each day, or taking a weekend day to yourself once a month. You owe it to yourself; your family and your employer to make sure you are practicing self-care so you can give your best self in all interactions.
CUltivate is people helping people with our mission to spread the word, connect the people, and give an outlet to share your stories. Know someone in the industry we should interview? Drop us a line at CultivateYP@gmail.com #CUltivateTheMovement
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