A decade ago, I was the poster child for being burned out. I had all the symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Anger Management Issues
- Irritable
- Mistake prone
- Relationship challenges
- Physical challenges
- Bad Eating Habits
That list isn’t all inclusive, but I had all of the above, and then some. Everyone knew I was burned out, except me. Maybe subconsciously I knew, but on the surface, this Type A personality would have nothing to do with burnout.
I was in my 3rd year of running a medical clinic, which never really got past the “start-up” feel, mostly because we didn’t have a set parameter on when we would “arrive.” Our clinic was supposed to have a new building (which they did get, at least a 1/2 decade after my 369 Days kick off.)
I was in full-on “get er done” mode, and never let up. Not resting or taking a break, my body eventually did break, and it kicked off my year of worst-case scenarios.
I was beyond foolish back then, not prioritizing myself first, and focusing on pleasing others before me. It nearly cost me my life. Never again.
Why did I deny my own burnout?
Common reasons include:
- People pleasing. You are prideful about your accomplishments, and you’ve likely rose through the ranks of employment, and are viewed as an all-star employee. You enjoy that designation, and don’t want to let anyone down, nor lose that view that people have of you
- Adrenaline kicks in: When you’re accomplishing much, you get excited and invigorated (and addicted) to the emotions you feel when you’re accomplishing great things. However you don’t take time to “smell the roses”.
- You ignore the signs. Burnout does not happen overnight. It’s not like you wake up tomorrow and say “oh crap, I’m burned out today.” Burnout creeps up slowly over time, but when it hits, you’ll hit the mat faster than being on the receiving end of a Mike Tyson hook.
Ignoring your build up to burnout will cost you. It could cost you your health, your job, your relationships, you name it.
If you are stressed out and feeling aches and pains in parts of your body you didn’t know you had, you need to reach out to me. I don’t want you to have a year of worst-case scenarios like I did.