Real Talk: Opening Up About Burnout

To be honest, this post is like my fifth time trying to get my thoughts out.  I began writing on Monday, then hit a wall.  I picked it back up on Tuesday – hit another wall.  I’m sitting here and was thinking about where to pick it back up – but, what do you know?  I hit another wall.  After being completely scatterbrained and just utterly over trying to get my thoughts together, I threw the post in the trash.

I wanted to talk about Expo East.  I wanted to talk about how much fun it was.  I wanted to talk about how amazing it was to see family and friends.

I also wanted to talk about how exhausted I now am.  Physically.  Mentally.  Just everything.  I planned on sharing my tips for recharging.  But getting those concrete points typed out and making everything flow was just too daunting.   My brain just couldn’t do it.

I do want to share with you guys about my time at Expo East because it was really cool and unlike anything I’ve ever been to.  But right now in this moment, I honestly don’t have the energy.   Social events and traveling typically don’t affect me, but something about everything I’ve had to do over the past couple of weeks has worn me out.

Working in the fitness and wellness industry, you always have to be “on”.  Your entire focus day in and day out is about the wellbeing of others.  Having other people’s well-being in mind and helping others are the main reasons I do what I do and why my coworkers do what they do.  It is super rewarding and I am so thankful for where I am in my career.

However, having to always be “on” can be exhausting at times.  Each day is filled with tons of small-talk.  You cannot show any sign of stress or having a bad day.  Yes – it’s the nature of the job, I know.  9 times out of 10 I don’t think twice about it, but I’m also not a robot.

My physical and mental drainage is in no way about work.  It’s having to be “on” in so many other settings.  The Expo.  The fitness conference I attended in August.  Visiting friends and family.  Being on someone else’s schedule for an extended period of time.

As an introvert, I need alone time to function properly.  It’s just how I am wired.  My friend Paige always makes fun of me because she is the polar opposite and truly doesn’t understand anxiety or the need for alone time.  Her favorite way to recharge is networking haha.  For me, that is the last thing I need to be doing when I want to recharge!

At this moment in time and after some reflection, I’ve been “on” for too long and haven’t been able to wind down, decompress, and recharge.  I really do love what I do: managing, working in the fitness industry, working closely with people, blogging, going to events, visiting family, spending time with friends, everything.  But when those types of things exhaust me to the point where I don’t want to do them, I know prioritizing mental health and relaxation needs to be my main focus.

I know so many people that are almost ashamed of or resist needing downtime, and in several life situations, you can’t take time necessarily when you always need it.  I get that.  Things happen (cough WORK) but it is important to recognize when you truly need to slow down and prioritizing yourself to feel better.  Overall wellness is not just food and exercise; mental health is a huge component.

This probably the most I’ve opened up here on my blog.  Getting my emotions out and in order is never something I’ve been good at doing, but I hope me opening up has either helped you or you find it relatable.  Here is how I plan to recharge over the next few days.

Alone time – fan on, bedroom door closed + either watching Netflix or reading a book (I am almost done with Dark Places and cannot wait to finish it!)

Walking while listening to a podcast – I’ve been listening to this, this, and this

Diffusing essential oils– favorites are lavender and tea tree oil

Going through my skincare routine– love my Beautycounter and Frank & Whit products

 

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, THANK YOU for listening.  There are 500 other topics that relate to things I’ve mentioned in this post, but for the sake of simplicity and my sanity, I’ll just save them for future blog posts.  🙂  But to wrap this up, what I really want you to take away from this is that  1) If things you love to do begin to stress you out, get yourself in check and your mind right by doing things that work for YOU  2) It’s OKAY to not be “on” all the time  and 3) Make time for the self-care practices that will make you feel better.

 

 

Thoughts?  I’d love for you to share <3