Burned Out?
Hey Sunflowers,
This week I’m coming to you with a level of exhaustion that I have gotten way too comfortable with and I realized something… I AM BURNED OUT! I’ve stated this before but we need to become more mindful of operating at a deficit. It’s not healthy for anyone involved. There are three key symptoms I look for when evaluating if I’m actually burned out. Similar to everything else here at The Sunflower Factory, learning the skill of recognizing Burn Out is incredibly valuable for your mental health tool kit. Let’s dive in!
First and foremost, if you ever notice that you are irritable or annoyed for very minuscule reasons or even for no reason at all, it may be due to burnout. Of course there could be other reasons like sleep or nutrition deprivation.
However, I notice that when I’m extremely burned out its very hard for me to not be bothered or irritated by things that wouldn’t otherwise bother me. Irritation coupled with the next two symptoms are always sure signs that it’s time for me to take a mental health break.
If you notice that you are always tired or feeling drained it could be a symptom of burnout. This is usually the result of not getting adequate rest because you have so many things on your mind when you stop physically moving.
Sometimes I find myself waking up tired. If you notice this repeatedly, please understand that mental exhaustion can manifest physically when your body is begging you to rest. I don’t just mean sitting down, I mean unplugging and finding a level of peace that can relieve some of the stress and worries of day to day life.
Lastly, a symptom of burnout is real difficulty focusing and accomplishing task. For me, this looks like picking up my phone often when trying to be productive. It’s bigger than the typical, “I would rather be doing something else” mindset.
It’s more like it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to accomplish this right now. Sometimes when feeling burned out, its best to step back and find peace before trying to continue to operate at a deficit. I can’t say enough how impossible it is to pour from an empty cup. Please Sunflowers, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms step back and evaluate where you are mentally and what needs to be done in order to move forward.
DISCLAIMER: Per usual, all of these “symptoms” are gathered from my personal experiences and your Burn Out may look different from mine. The take away is that it is so important to recognize when you have pushed yourself too far. It’s important to realize when your cup has run empty because that is a tool that can change your mental health journey forever. I hope this was helpful!
forever blooming,
Mikaela Amira
