I write this newsletter later than scheduled – seemingly the trend with most targets I set during the month of February. As I sat at my desk with a heated wheat pillow on my neck and shoulders to relax my tense and constricting muscles – I recognized I was already reaching burnout. Burnout – a silent crisis in global health, as Forbes powerfully describes it. I giggled for a moment at the image of myself “managing” (aka surviving) my symptoms whilst frantically racing through my to do list. Realising how asleep I had been to the early warning signs my body was lovingly giving me a week or two before (now not so lovingly communicating) – I recognized the need to pause.
It hadn’t dawned on me that by the second month of the year, burnout would be possible. I had rested and rejuvenated over December and started the year with wild energy and motivation. This was not part of the plan or foreseen future. I began to question whether others felt this too. As I reached out to those around me, I realized I wasn’t alone.
The below are a few of the reasons cited for burnout from these conversations:
- Too fast or big a start in January. All systems go and less of a chance to ease in and find work-life balance.
- The lack of having a break to rest from last year – one full year flowing into the next one.
- Although having had a break and rest over the festive period, not making time for a more “productive pause” to not only recuperate but to also reflect and plan for the new year.
- The external world having expectations despite the reality of our inner world and wants. Therefore following the direction others set, versus plugging in to re-route and follow our own compass.
- Still picking up the fragmented pieces of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These statements point us toward recognising the importance of integrating boundaries, making room for productive pauses, and prioritizing self-care. We are either on the spinning hamster wheel of life or becoming a complacent passenger. Can we instead strive to be the balanced driver of this wheel of life – knowing when to accelerate, leave it in neutral and when to park.
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