Battling Burnout

We're all in these days. Constant stress and the additional stress of the unknown. This is causing many to feel burnt out. Burnout is more than just he regular stresses of family life and work responsibilities. It's the feeling of, "What's the point of even trying?" When you experience burnout, you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. You may also feel like you have nothing more to give or even hopeless or desperate. It happens to everyone at some point in their lives.

Burnout can be difficult to recognize because it looks different for everyone. For some, it look like TOO many Zoom meetings, never-ending deadlines, and 60-hour work weeks. For others, it looks like long days caring for children: making sure meals are prepped and on the tables, homework and laundry is done, and it never stops.

For many, it looks like an endless balancing act of putting in time at your job, while squeezing in time on the side for #school. Or maybe it looks like a combination of all these things - balancing a demanding career while raising well-adjusted children.

Whether it's work, parenting, aging parents, housework, or any of the dozens of responsibilities on your plate, sometimes it can all just feel like too much.

No matter how much we wish we could crawl into bed and avoid responsibilities, the boss will still call, the kids will still be there, and that pile of laundry the dog is about to empty will only get bigger.

As life goes on, there is hope!

Prioritize Rest

Doctors and healthcare professionals tell us to get more sleep, but for many, that's easier said than done. While you might not be able to keep your toddler from waking you up in the middle of the night or stop work emails from coming in afterhours, you can prioritize rest by making a few changes to your nightly routine.

Instead of winding down by watching TV or looking at your phone, choose instead to do something more relaxing that will nourish your nervous system instead of just checking out of your body in front of the boob-tube. Turn off your phone's notifications and instead of scrolling, opt for a walk or a bath. You could journal 3 things you are grateful for from your day or read or meditate to help you slow down and prepare for deeper sleep.

If you're working from home, take a few minutes for even a brief walk before you start winding down for bed. A little quiet time out of the house and in nature could be the balm your brain is looking for.

Don't leave out your children. Set up a diffuser and let them choose a blend of oils and spend some timing reading a book together. I have to say that some of my favorite memories of Anna's childhood was reading Harry Potter together. A little cedarwood essential oils in the diffuser would have been a fabulous addition to the experience!

A really lovely bedtime blend for kids is 2 drops lavender + 2 drops wild orange + 2 drops of roman chamomile in the diffuser ... YUM! I personally LOVE the Dawn Humidifying diffuser for bedrooms during the winter because it adds a light amount of moisture and aroma to a room and then automatically shuts off. Safe and simple!

Watch What You Eat

The simple act of feeding yourself properly can seem burdensome at times. Unfortunately, unhealthy eating only exacerbates the problem of feeling burnt out because your brain and body (which may already be exhausted) aren't getting the fuel and nutrients they need to bounce back.

Instead of treating healthy eating as optional, do some simple meal prep on the weekends to give yourself a head start. I love making soups, gummies, and healthy snacks on the weekends and meal planning and prep has been key to loosing over 50 lbs so far! If you don't have a ton of drive for meal planning or prep, a weekly subscription box could provide inspiration and variety and help you explore recipes you may not have otherwise experienced. Then you can adapt and modify and make your own giving you greater value and flexibility for your palate. The joy of cooking or cooking together can also be a fun activity and break in the day allowing you to transition to the evening and deliberately laying down work for the day.

Yes, this is going to sound like a broken record but you'll ALWAYS feel better if you're properly hydrated. Check out my previous blog articles on home-made and DELICIOUS electrolyte drinks, flavored ice cubes, and simple teas and bone broths to satisfy your thirst with flavor and nutrients. Adding a drop or two of lemon, grapefruit, or spearmint oil to your water is so refreshing and pretty soon you'll prefer it over sugary pop or juices.

Burnout happens to everyone, but it's not inescapable. By intentionally trading some of your regular habits for simple, healthy ones, you'll find you feel refreshed enough to take on another day.

Do you need some help establishing healthy habits? Join in our 21 Day Healthy Habits Challenge starting Jan 30th for inspiration and fun around supporting hydration, activity, and sleep habits.

Until next time, I wish you a beautiful rest and the most delicious dreams.

#rest #burnout #letstalk #overwhelm #lemonoil #spearmintoil #eat #icecubes #stress #kids #read #cope