burnout steals joy
It backs you into a corner.
You're left feeling like you're living on a hamster wheel.
You wake up, work, eat dinner, watch tv (maybe take care of the kids) and go to bed.
Only to wake up to do it all again.
You live for the weekend and feel like you have to capitalize on your time outside of work.
I've lived this burnout life in corporate jobs and even as an entrepreneur. My brain is primed for burnout which is why I do what I do.
Because life doesn't have to be that way.
There are four principles I teach when coaching on burnout.
The first is to prioritize your joy.
What makes you giggle? What lights you up? What brings you joy?
How can you create just 5% more of that in your life?
And if you don't know what brings you joy, that's okay. I've been there too.
Sometimes our brains think that prioritizing other people and their joy will make us happy. Sometimes it does for a little while. But overall, that's not sustainable because prioritizing other people makes them responsible for your joy.
I used to think if I could just make Adam happy, I'd be happy. But me trying to control his happiness by putting him before me all the time wasn't good for our relationship. I had to learn that he needed to put himself first and I needed to put myself first too.
Then we could come together and both find joy in each other.
One way to find your joy, especially if it feels hard, is to ask yourself -
if you could do anything in a day - and had absolutely no responsibilities - what would you want to do?
If you had all the time in the world, if you didn’t have to work, what would be fun for you?
These things can be big and small.
They can be micro-moments of joy or big chunks of joy. Both are equally valuable.
Usually, if you’re feeling the burnout right now, big chunks feel hard. Sure, you might like to travel or take a workout class that would light you up, but your brain is saying you don’t have time for that.
So where are the micro-moments? Where can you have 5 minutes of joy?
How can we add in just 5% more joy?
Because a 5% (hell a 1%) change drastically changes the outcome of a straight line. Prioritizing just a little more joy will drastically change your life.
Some of my favorite ideas for myself are:
dancing to one song
scrolling turtle videos on instagram
making out with Adam
savoring getting into a freshly made bed
reading a fun book for 10 minutes (currently the House of Sky and Breath)
eating ice cream - especially Jeni’s Salted Caramel
lighting a candle
putting on Hz music when I’m trying to focus
pulling an oracle or tarot card for myself
hitting the snooze for 5 more minutes
coloring
using my ice roller on my face with peppermint oil
going outside barefoot
See how little these things are?
What little things can you do for yourself? What can you do right now?
When you prioritize your joy, you’re teaching your brain that it can escape the burnout - even just for a moment.
The more you do it, the easier it gets. It becomes a habit.
The hold of burnout diminishes when you bring joy into the picture.
This is what we do in coaching.
Join me for a free consult and we'll dive into how burnout is specifically showing up for you and how to get off the hamster wheel for good.
