Stop Letting Burnout Run Your Life

THE THINKER

What if I told you, you don’t need a vacation, you need to rewire the systems in your life? Stress and burnout are running our lives because it’s been packaged up as hustle and passion. And trust me, I'm a victim too!

But this year I changed the game. It's my “let it be” year. Realizing how much stress and burnout affect the body in ways we can’t see, often in ways we don't notice until it's too late, changed me.

Always waiting to the last minute, not getting rest, unbalanced diets, yelling and overreacting, and tracking whatever worldly issues going on, add up. These things put our bodies and mind in a state that is not safe. Stress and burnout are gateway drugs to a bad life.

I’m no expert at this and can only speak from experience. But seeing how stress and burnout has caused me major inflammation problems, I didn’t play around with changing my habits. Sensitive skin has always ran in my family but for some of us its shows up differently. Having skin issues is literally no joke! I’m just a girl trying to live her baddie life. Between managing my diets and stress, I've drastically improved my life. More energy, less drama, clear skin, and clearer mind.

So while these tips I’ll share below may have worked for me, they may not work for you. But the best thing you can do is try!

🖤 just to note: being Black and Brown adds another layer to this topic that I definitely won’t look over. It’s easier for us to get burnt out because so many systems are designed against us. When we take our approach to maintaining a positive life it will look different from others. These tips definitely keep that in mind.

❤️‍🔥 Burnout Tips

• Set energy budgets & boundaries: Give yourself a limit by planning your week around how draining tasks are AND what tasks matter at the moment. I keep a small weekly to-do list on my fridge of only tasks that matter. Don't think about Halloween, think about your dentist closing down this Friday. Don't take calls or invites that will add more stress that week, 911 is available. Let people use other services and resources sometimes. Take back your time. Check out the book: Lazy Genius
• Micro-breaks: Step away for 5 minutes, stretch, or take a walk. Small resets prevent major crash outs, especially while at work. Whether it be WFH or in-person, walk away. I always would sit in the stairwell at work when it was overstimulating. Give yourself small quiet breaks. Fold the laundry in silence, let your mind have space to roam.
• Task stacking: Emails, calls, and admin work can be tedious. don’t sprinkle it throughout your day, group them together. Listen to your audiobook while you shower. combining small tasks has helped me maximize my time and energy and also make them more enjoyable. Catch up with family while you drive, and save your time at home for yourself.
• No-guilt rest: Rest isn’t laziness. It’s system maintenance. Lay down, lounge around, and do nothing a few times a week. Our bodies literally need a break in order to work at the capacity we need. Rest is a body reboot, think of your phone — sometimes it just needs to power down
• Detach for a week: Out of sight out of mind. Give your brain a break. Remove the news and current events from daily routines. This may be controversial and it’s not to keep you unaware, but more so present. Oftentimes negative news can cause stress and tension in our bodies, which as stated we can't always see it. Black and Brown people, please create mini bubbles to live in from time to time.

⚙️ Build Life Systems

• Small & Impactful Routines: Morning routines, meal prep, night routines, and even “default” outfit saves energy for the bigger tasks. Making sure to wash my default clothes for the week helps me so much, especially with working from home. It's easy to get lazy but my routines give me more energy and drive through the day.
• Track & review patterns: At the end of the month, notice where your time, money, and energy really went. Adjust instead of guessing and make new routines, habits, and goals. Check bank statements, social accounts, to-do list, and even emails. Reflect on your daily routines and see what is causing traction and distractions. Taking more time to be accountable has been a game changer for me.
• Prioritize inputs, not outcomes: Focus on showing up consistently. Even when you get thrown off for a week, regrouping and focusing on what you can do to change your habits will give you the results you want. I set small daily goals like 30 minutes of reading which turns into 2 hours sometimes. A small input system can scale into better habits quickly.
• THE FREE WILL SYSTEM: Be human. Be free. We forget we have free will and it honestly needs to be a thought that is never forgotten. Incorporate 1-2 tasks/activities in your week that you do simply because you can. My most expensive hobby is driving. Late drives, taking my favorite routes, clear my mind like none other. I drive wherever I feel, for however long because I can. It doesn't have to be a drive, just utilize your free will 10x more and promise you'll feel so good. Even better if you do it alone.
• Declutter your digital world: Fewer tabs, fewer apps, makes for fewer distractions. It's imperative to clean your digital spaces because we spend so much time in them. Organizing and deleting so many notes in my notepad literally FELT freeing lol. Digital baggage is real. Do this once bi-weekly or after you've completed a task or project.
  ​

🔗 Final Note

Burnout and Stress are amongst the top leading factors in many health conditions. They truly determine the quality of our life. It's challenging staying balanced in this society but it's worth trying. Don't run on willpower instead run on systems.

If you’re ready to run on systems instead of stress, Check out the free digital templates or my 1:1 strategy coaching sessions below to design systems that fit your life + business.

Regroup, readjust, and enjoy September🌿