Recover From a Burnout

Confession: As I was truly enjoying the International Day of the Girl celebration at the end of last week, I experienced a total burnout. I had worked the weekend before and was pushing myself to excel as an employee, volunteer, blogger, and friend for two weeks straight. As I was pushing myself to please everyone else, I stopped taking care of myself. I'm sure you've experienced this, too. By the end of last week, I was tired, irritable, and not fun to be around. I was burnt out.

As a New Yorker, I'm surrounded by Type-A overachievers who sacrifice sleep and live on coffee to succeed, so burnout isn't unusual. Still, burnout isn't exclusive to New Yorkers. It happens to 20-somethings everywhere. I started reading 20 Something Manifesto, by Christine Hassler, two nights ago and stumbled across a quote that I think really sums up my last two weeks:

"Being told 'You can do and be anything you want'
has become more of a pressure cooker of expectations
than a motivational quote."

I made a conscious effort to hit the reset button and start taking care of myself again this week. The following list isn't groundbreaking or exhaustive in terms of how to recover from a burnout, but these are tips that are easy to forget. They're some of the things I let slide first when my world turns upside down.

Unplug --  This is hard for me. I'm one of those people who always has my iPhone close at hand. In fact, I can sense something's missing when I accidentally leave my phone at home. However, unplugging refers to more than your phone. Get away from any device with a power switch. Give your eyes a break from staring at a screen. Being constantly connected is exhausting.

Hydrate -- On a busy work day, I'm quickly moving from project to meeting to client call and forget to fill my water cup. I know I should be drinking about eight glasses per day, but I struggle to do that on a less busy day. When I am busy, I catch myself feeling drowsy and immediately realize that I'm getting dehydrated. Keep a water bottle or cup at your desk and keep refilling it.

Sleep -- I've already admitted that my sleep schedule is crazy. (I'm really baring all my bad habits, huh?) It's especially crazy when I'm staying up late to cross tasks off my to-do list. Eight is also a magic number when it comes to sleep. I know I should be getting about eight hours of sleep per night. I get about six. However, since Sunday, I've been benefitting from an extra hour per night.

Prioritize -- It may be impossible to completely clear your to-do list, but you should prioritize it. Maybe a task can be pushed to tomorrow or next week, which will free up time to relax today. Rather than thinking about all you have to do, write down each task. Cross each one off as you complete it. Also, make it a habit to say no to one request each day. It's difficult but worth it.

Exercise -- It's easy to let this one go when you're tired. If you plan to run the morning after a stressful day, you might snooze your alarm. If you've had a long day at work, you probably want to crash on the couch at night. Don't do it. Go to a yoga class, for a run, or on a walk through the park. You'll feel better after you do. Exercising also gives you a chance to unplug.

Read -- As I said, I started reading 20 Something Manifesto this week. I try to read on the subway to and from work, as well as before I go to sleep at night. The book includes personal stories from 20-somethings, followed by insights and suggestions from Hassler. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, start now. Reading gets you out of your own world for a bit.

Unplug / Hydrate / Sleep / Prioritize / Exercise / Read