Feeling burnt out? Let’s have a chat about some practical steps you can put in place to recharge and reset.

We all have those periods where we wake up feeling amazing, work and life are balanced and we are doing all the things that contribute to making us feel great. Then suddenly life gets a little crazy and we end up trying to do it all and cramming in too much. Next minute that balanced, smashing life feeling has disappeared into a distant memory. 

Quite often we know what we need to do to feel good again but we can’t bring ourselves to do it because we are overwhelmed and crippled by the weight of our agenda. 

If this sounds like you here are some questions to ask yourself:

• When was the last time you were feeling vibrant and full of life?
• What were you doing day to day or week to week that made you feel energised and in flow?
• What was your routine?
• Why was this working well?  

Start with trying to bring one thing in a week that aids you getting back to this space.

Maybe it starts with your morning routine where you take 10 minutes to meditate and gradually build up from here with a morning walk, workout or quick journaling session.

If boundaries have slipped around work hours can you implement a switch off time where emails and laptops are banned until the next day?

Try scheduling your life into chunks so your brain can compartmentalise what happens at what part of the day.

Usually, burn out and exhaustion happen because we have taken on too much and we are burning the wick at both ends. So when you’re back up and running, below are three of my favourite lifestyle hacks to help beat by the burnout for good.

Sleep

I know you’ve heard it all before but I’m here to remind you that sleep is one of the most important factors in keeping us feeling tip top as that’s when all of our restorative processes happen. We know we need to get in between 7 and 9 hours a night but it’s so often the first thing falls off the wagon when we are feeling burnt out and stressed.

Notice your behaviour around bedtime. Can you incorporate a wind down hour before bed to get your rested and relaxed? 

Do Not Disturb Time

If you have hit burn-out you probably haven’t been getting much time for your own headspace or had chance to check in with yourself to register how you are feeling. As a result you cannot respond accordingly to your needs and actively maintain balance. 

>Try scheduling in some Do Not Disturb time<

During this period you completely disconnect from the business of life, your to-do-lists, family and work. Perhaps you go to a yoga class, take a long walk, or to a café and read a book. The key is to leave electronics at home or on flight mode and take time to connect back to yourself. This is key in helping us feel aligned, connected and centred.  

Schedule this time into your diary at the start of the week and make it non-negotiable. Tell partners, parents, kids and pets that during this period you are offline and NOT available. 

Magic hour 

When we feel burnt out our brains are often at the point where we simply can’t handle any more information and you’re exhausted. A great preventative measure is to release the load on your brain in the first place. 

Magic hour is about dedicating the first hour of your week to getting organised. 

What have you got on this week? What tasks are urgent? What can be scheduled for later on? Is there anything you can delegate or delete? I also schedule in any appointments, workouts, social plans and DND time. 

Get as much as possible OUT of your brain and into your calendar. I promise you will feel 10 kilos lighter and it will make you feel in control, organised and on it – even if you’re inherently disorganised like me.

If your schedule is looking super crazy ask yourself honestly what can wait until next week? What can you cancel? Seeing everything laid out like this will enable you to reign in control before burnout hits.

 I love to make this a ritual. I wear a nice outfit, put make up on, and take myself somewhere lovely that makes me feel inspired like a nice cafe or outdoor spot in nature. I order myself anything I want during this period so make it abundant and fun, this will make admin and organisation exciting!