When taking on Too Much becomes TOO MUCH! My Top 5 Anti- Burn Out Tips

11 April 2016

I always believe the best advice comes from those who themselves have been there, so I wanted to share a little advice of my own this week, focussing more on mental health.

I am without a doubt Type A…so Type A in fact, that I could even be considered Type A+ (this should be a thing). I am notorious for wanting everything to be perfect and wanting to do everything myself. I find it difficult to relinquish control and trust in others to do what I need done, and as a result I often feel as if I’ve taken way more than I can handle. So, I also have to check in with myself every so often, and yes,…take my own advice. I am just as much on this journey as you, and therefore I am also learning about work-life balance, and the best ways to manage a healthy lifestyle in the midst of a busy schedule. So when things get a little too crazy, I like to sit myself down and check in to assess where my mind is at, why I’m feeling overwhelmed and what I could possibly do to balance things out a little. I have come to learn how to regulate my Type A tendencies by catching them in their tracks when they begin to fester. Type A traits aren’t all bad – when applied within reason, they can actually be highly beneficial for success, it’s just important not to let those traits to dominate you, and drive you over the edge – because they can – literally! I absolutely love what I do, it is my passion and waking up each morning is such a pleasure, but in this too, it is possible to become too invested, to the point that you can burn out. Even the greatest of passions can fizzle out when you take on too much, or put too much pressure on yourself to do better or be the best or be perfect.

I found the following five tips to really help when things are getting a little too much to bear:

1. If you are feeling overwhelmed and manic, take a few minutes to sit down and breathe. Focus on inhaling and exhaling with deep, big breaths. I like to imagine the stress melting away from my body and onto the ground below me. Focussing on your breathing takes your attention away from the chaos in your mind and allows you to become more present.
2. Once you feel a little calmer, write down the key things that you are worrying about. That way they are no longer in your head, but on a piece of paper in front of you. This helps you to detach from the problem by placing it “outside” of your mind and onto paper.
3. Now that your concerns are on paper, read-through them and allow yourself to open up to possible solutions. Spend a few minutes on each concern you may have, and see if you can come up with 3 possible solutions that will alleviate the pressure for you. This exercise will help you to create a plan, and when we have a plan in place, there are no longer unknowns, and therefore the worry becomes less.
4. One of the biggest causes for high stress and worry is not knowing how you are going to execute something or complete something, especially where tight deadlines are concerned, so having a plan in place with timelines factored in can really help alleviate the pressure. If your problem / task is large, break it up into a series of tasks / mini solutions that will lead you to resolving your overarching problem. When you break up something big, into smaller parts, they become far more approachable, and therefore easier to face or get done.
5. Finally, delegate where possible. Identify who you have available to assist you (family / friends / employees / co-workers), and match their skills to the tasks that need to be completed. Even if you only have one person to assist, that’s still a big help.

Yours in Health Always,

Cara-Lisa

@caralishious

xoxo