The Other Side Of Burnout
When I really think about it, I have been burnt out several times before over this lifetime and have ‘soldiered on’ as they say, to the detriment of my body, my health, my mind, my family, my friendships and my businesses.
That was my belief…
- Downtime is not productive.
- Being productive was vital.
- Hard work was necessary to succeed My life WAS about the next thing I could take action on.
My mind always in overdrive. My body following along obediently.
Around the middle of June this year I was deteriorating again but this time felt different. This time Spirit was saying listen, listen, listen….or you will crash in physical and mental adversity like you have not felt before.
Often the biggest assets in our nature and personality can also be the worst for our health and energy. I HAD to stop. Just BE for a while. Or my body would come crashing down along with many other things I value in life.
Now, I have been heavily criticised in the past for quitting things. For starting something and not following through. I understand that one of the biggest secrets to the success of a business is to be known for something, to stand for something, to be the go to for something, to be valueable in the marketplace and this requires being out there in the marketplace with longevity and regularity. So, this year I made the commitment to myself to be more clear, be more seen on a regular basis, keep showing up for the business commitments and community promises I had made.
For me, the decision to stop was very difficult.
But my body was failing, and Spirit was calling.
I was at that point where I did what I HAD to do to survive, and nothing more.
- I dropped my Youtube channel and weekly/monthly readings.
- I dropped my social media group activities and challenges.
- I stopped having long messenger conversations or phone calls that drained me energetically.
- I stopped doing any work at night or early mornings.
- I backed off from social media big time.
- No more expos.
- No more trying to get speaking gigs.
- No more creating anything!
Ive had to rest, physically, mentally and energetically.
Here is the funny thing about us as humans though. We imagine so many untrue things that affect our everyday actions and thoughts.
When we are tired or in burnout, we do not have the energy to choose differently. So we keep ourselves in the anxiety and stress of those untrue things which keeps us on the merry-go-round of burnout!
About a week ago this fog started to lift for me.
I could determine what was real and what was my overdriven imagination.
Those stressful moments I had in my mind thinking of how many people I was letting down by backing away from social media!
When in truth, it was not an earth shattering number of followers or viewers that I would be letting down and in fact, they would most likely find the answers through another channel in the meantime.
And here is the other truth- the people who like what I produce will not mind the break and will be glad to see me return! (ps. I am so grateful for the people who love what I do, who I am and what I offer xo)
Why are we so hard on ourselves in so many times of our life?
Well, when I was exhausted and in burnout, it was difficult to see the difference between the facts and the made up stuff in my head!
Now, on the other side, while I am still resting and recovering, I see things differently.
I actually understand more completely now that when I am in my zone of genius (thanks Gay Hendricks and the Big Leap!) everything flows. When I am not, it is a constant push and shove. This is where my body could not take anymore.
This information will help you too, if you are in a state of burnout or exhaustion.
Stop doing the push and shove, do more of the flow.
This is not so easy to determine when you are in the middle of exhaustion let me just say but slowly and surely, if you really begin to ask yourself better questions, the truth lights up.
While I am still saying no to many things at the moment, I say yes to what lights me up!
I am slowly getting back a rhythm in business and in life. (Actually, I’ve turned that around to make my life come first 🙂 )
Creating the freedom in life that I desire in the way I desire it.
Understanding that being in flow and loving life is the freedom and love, not the constant full steam ahead engine inside me that is on overdrive to make money, products or streams of income.
The other side of burnout brings clarity. It brings you your personal truth. It allows you to drop the untruths you have been focused on that are not even important, yet consume your life.
The balance now is to feed my body and mind well, create boundaries on my time and energy and stay as often as possible in my zone of genius.
I feel like I have grown up. At 55 have finally matured lol.
Big changes ahead for me but my intention for writing these words for you are to help you get into your flow sooner and more easily.
Take a few moments today to truly look at where your energy, thoughts, time and attention go.
Decide what is true for you and what actually isn’t.
Make a promise to yourself to drop that which is not serving your highest good right now and to not feel bad about it.
Look after you, make YOUR life come first. Anyone who does not understand or like that, is simply acting out some fear you have around it so you can see it and clear it.
I am still recovering but each day feel stronger. I even went out socially this past week twice! AND enjoyed it lol
On the outside you may never have known this was happening and this may be the case for you and your friends too.
If you need rest, stop. If you see your friends not stopping, help them take a break.
There is clarity in the overcoming of exhaustion but it would be far better to gain that clarity in a healthy way.
Look after you.
xo Trish
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