Yesterday morning, I had to convince myself to brush my teeth.
You’ll feel so much better once you do it!
You don’t wanna feel dirty the entire day, right?
Think about your dental hygiene.
I must have spent a good twenty minutes trying to psych myself into it. (Don’t even get me started on when it was time to do my skincare.) It was my first day off all week, and I felt heavy enough to morph into the mattress. I would become the mattress.
Signs of burnout are different for everyone. What might be burnout for me, might not be burnout for you. But one of the common signs we all seem to share is irritability. And I should’ve known I was burning out at the start of the week when literally every single thing pissed me off. My brain was like a minefield. The smallest thing would set off an explosion in me until I was steaming by the end of the day.
What had me feeling so burned out?
I worked lots of overtime last week, which may not seem so bad to some, but my job is very physical, very hands-on and very stressful. Even after, my time was occupied with housework and barely any to relax. Sleeping became a chore. Reading—something I usually do to wind down—became difficult. Every time I picked up a book, my mind would wander off the page. I couldn’t even write a single word of my own book without wanting to throw it in the garbage.
Believe it or not, it wasn’t even these things that rose warning sirens in my head! It wasn’t even the overwhelming urge to break down on my most recent shift at work.
It was my first temptation to skip my skincare routine. Silly, I know. I’m sure lots of people have skipped skincare at least once without burnout, but I’m a routine gal, okay? I stick to routines because they make me feel in control. I will be late before I skip my skincare. So, psyching myself to brush my teeth, wash my face or take a shower, were very real signs to me.
Like I said, signs of burnout are different for everyone, so this may not seem concerning to you. Maybe your symptoms of burnout look different to mine. Which is totally fine! But you get what I mean, right. I’m losing control. I’m exhausted.
I am burnt the fuck out.
So, how did I come back?
I had a sick day.
I call it a sick day, but really it was just a very convenient day off where I had absolutely no plans. So, I took advantage of it! Instead of doing all the things that my anxious brain felt like I should be doing (housework, cleaning, writing, job-hunting, etc.), I did absolutely fuckall. I treated myself like I was sick, because in some ways, I was.
I let my body rest. I accepted that I was tired, aching and in need of a recharge.
I stayed home, binged American Horror Story and stayed in bed with my dog. Then, when my sister got home from work, we took our dogs for a walk in the fresh, afternoon air, and I was starting to feel a little better! It’ll take me a few days to get back on my feet, but I know some good old-fashioned socialising will do the trick.
Being burned out isn’t the end of the world if you heed its symptoms. When your body is telling you that you need to rest and take care of yourself, listen to it. Don’t ignore it if something feels wrong! Chuck a sicky at work, call your mum, walk your dog, or cook yourself a meal instead of buying takeout.
The best way to handle burnout is to ask yourself one simple question.
How would you help a friend with burnout?
Whatever your answer is, do that for yourself.
Would you buy them flowers? Go buy the first ones that catch your eye! Would you make them lunch? I hope it warms your belly! Would you take them to the beach? Off you go!
Resting is just as important as all the other things we do in our lives. In fact, it’s vital if we wanna get anywhere. No car can drive without eventually needing to refuel. So, refuel! Take rest where it’s due. The sun will continue to rise, and you can always try again tomorrow. I promise you that.
How do you deal with burnout? Leave a comment below or send me a message. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure you subscribe for more!
