Six Steps That Will *Actually* Help Put An End To Your Chronic Burn Out
Six steps that will *actually* help put an end to your chronic burnout, and I promise I’m not going to say things like “self-care” and “bubble baths”.
Before I dive into the six steps, let me first address why you’re (most likely) feeling chronically burnout. If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that my approach to coaching is grounded in Energy Leadership, which is helpful – because burnout most commonly manifests in the form of fatigue, and the lack of energy to do, well, anything.
Many of us were experiencing burnout before the pandemic started in March of 2020. The hustle culture that we all lived in had us racing from work to social functions to the gym to family events, while also trying to strategically squeeze in any other chores or responsibilities we also had like grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, getting gas in the car and posting ‘my life is perfect’ pictures on Instagram… it was a lifestyle that left little time for us to press the reset button and left us constantly feeling like we were behind, imposters, and often, not good enough.
Enter the pandemic, when in the span of days, our world was turned upside down, and basic needs such as food, water shelter, and apparently toilet paper were stripped out from underneath us. We were left in an extreme state of uncertainty, not knowing how long the pandemic would last, what was/wasn’t safe, and scrambling to develop new routines in the absence of the support and systems we previously relied on, and possibly even took for granted, like coworkers, a quiet office, childcare, school, easy access to groceries, and more.
And, while many of those systems have been re-implemented, we’re still feeling burnt out. Why?
There are six main areas of our life that ultimately determine if we’re going to be completely drained, or if we have the energy to maximize our potential for success. And, because visualizations are helpful, I usually refer to the areas as “buckets.” The six buckets are:
Spiritual or Authenticity: This bucket includes the honoring things that make you.... well, you, such as your core values, beliefs, purpose, strengths, talents, and the things that bring you joy.
Mental: Which includes things like mental clarity, your ability to focus, and having the knowledge necessary for the task or situation at hand.
Emotional: Which involves having emotional awareness, acceptance of your emotions, and an understanding of if your emotions are pleasant (energy-boosting) or unpleasant (energy-draining).
Physical: Aka, your body, which includes everything from how well eating, sleeping, and moving, to the general state of your health.
Social: Which includes understanding if you’re an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert, and what the right type and amount of social engagements you need.
Environmental: This bucket includes everything around you, from the weather outside to the technology you’re using, to how much clutter is on your desk or in your house.
And, the beautiful thing is that once you understand these six buckets and what it would take to fill each one for yourself. Here are the six steps that will empower you to put an end to your chronic burnout, reclaim your energy, and unleash your full potential:
Assess the fullness, or emptiness, of each of the above buckets.
Identify the things that are draining each of the above buckets.
Determine which things are in your control and which things are out of your control.
Assess which areas you could secure some quick wins to stop the energetic bleed.
Create a strategy and action plan to reclaim your energy.
Rinse and repeat.
Final note. Depending on how burnt out you are, doing this assessment by yourself can be daunting, and may feel almost impossible. I know what that’s like because I’ve been there. Before I discovered the concepts of energy leadership, I was at my lowest of lows. I felt like I had taken multiple loans on my energy, missed the payments, and was on the brink of filing for bankruptcy.
Working with my coach helped me take a new perspective, and not bite off more than I could chew. Some of the initial things I personally did were keep a gratitude journal to help me realize I wasn’t alone, keep a celebration journal to help me rebuild confidence and faith in myself, and consciously introduce more joy into my life.
If you have a support system already in place, I encourage you to reach out to them. You don’t have to do this alone. If you don’t have a support system, I invite you to consider working with an ICF Certified Coach.
You can learn more about coaching, find additional tools and resources, and schedule a complimentary coaching exploration call to discover how coaching can help you beat burnout and unleash your full potential at conshycoaching.com.
