One of the stages of burnout is a lack of interest in self-care. In extreme cases, you may lose touch with your inner compass. Be sure to take the time for basic needs, like food, water, exercise, and time with others. If you're working long hours, consider using a tracker to be sure you're getting enough sleep. Taken from: Self-Care and Work-Life Balance: How to Take Care of Yourself
Before the pandemic, one survey found that 67% of Americans put the needs of others before themselves and even felt guilty when they did take time for themselves. But 68% of those respondents wished they spent more time taking care of themselves. Regardless of what’s getting in our way, we need to include self-care in our daily routines. After putting in long hours at work, who wouldn’t want to uphold their work-life balance with some personal time? Self-care and work-life balance go hand in hand. We know that’s way easier said than done. It’s easy to feel like we’re too busy for it.
Think about your past workweek. How does your body feel after finishing work? How much time did you spend at work? How much did you spend at home with your loved ones or doing something you enjoy? When you overlook your self-care because you’re working too much, you’ll face consequences you need to avoid.
An excessive workload and overworking will upset your work-life balance. Of course, you have a lot going on at work, but that doesn’t mean you should shrug off your self-care practices. If a few days are busier than the rest, it’s okay. But constantly working too much leads to chronic stress or burnout. Your motivation will slip away as you drain all your energy and ignore your passions.
Your excessive workload won’t just impact you, either. Your relationships won’t be as strong, and your loved ones will notice when you stop making time for them. Start to improve your listening skills. Listen to your mind and body after each workday. Do the work hours drain you? Sometimes, you’ll have to cancel your plans or skip your workout to rest. And that’s OK. If you don’t, you’ll become physically and mentally exhausted. Take the time to learn your cues, and keep track of when you’re running out of time to practice self-care. That’s when you need it most.
You might marvel at people who seem to have infinite energy to do things. But in fact, you shouldn’t. That’s hard to do when you feel guilty if you aren’t doing anything. Your intrusive thoughts make it difficult to relax because you keep thinking of all the other things you could — or think that you should — accomplish. Perhaps you’re used to a lot of stimulation, or you’re a workaholic. Workaholics feel like they should be working at all times. They have persistent thoughts compelling them to work, even after putting in more hours than necessary.
If you’re a workaholic, it’s time to realize the importance of having downtime. Prioritizing rest over action is nothing to feel ashamed about. Carve out time in your daily routine for nothing but self-care. Block time off in your calendar to remind you how important it is to slow down. You can spend this time meditating, socializing, or doing absolutely nothing. Either way, let yourself enjoy the rest you deserve.
Working on your self-care practices and work-life balance isn’t all sunshine and roses. If something’s bothering you, whether professionally or personally, have the self-advocacy to speak up for yourself. Acknowledging what you’re feeling is a valid form of self-care. Some days you feel down, while other days, you feel on top of the world. You can’t avoid one or the other, so you should learn to accept your feelings for what they are.
Self-care will increase your self-awareness, too. Perhaps one self-care strategy isn’t working with your lifestyle and doesn’t help you feel like your authentic self. Think about why that is, what that tells you, and what other strategy to pursue instead. There’s resilience in self-care and work-life balance. It’ll teach you to believe in your abilities and create change when you meet with any obstacles. And sometimes, those obstacles are how you treat yourself. Remember to be kind.
The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World by: Christine Louise Hohlbaum