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have been overworked for the last few years. It’s not on purpose. I’m a therapist who has worked for agencies for the better part of my career so far. Unfortunately, that means I got to tell 10 clients a day for an hour at a time how important it is to engage in self-care while ignoring my own! It’s a crazy conundrum. I talk about self-care in my book; it’s the basis of my formula for overcoming Daddy Issues. One thing I’ve mastered is how to come up with an individual strategy to isolate time spent for everyone else, decrease it, and make sure you carve out time for you. I help women uncover the time they think they don’t have for themselves and this usually involves answering questions about how they know they’re burning the candle from both ends. It’s so sad that we move on autopilot so much that we rarely recognize it. Well, allow me to give a headstart. Here are signs that you’re racing toward burnout.
You’re popping of on people.
Yea, your kids’ breath is annoying. Your coworker you thought you were friends with may be more annoying than usual. Your partner is starting to smell funny. With these agitating powers combined, you are snapping on everyone left and right! It’s no surprise that we can make up reasons to be mad at people so we can misdirect our anger. It’s not fair to those around them, but it happens. If you’re finding your reactions to company a little short, then you’ll need to reevaluate your self-care regime.
Catching ZZZzzz is getting harder and harder
You may believe the opposite, but it’s true. With the amount of responsibility we have and the hats we wear, there are bound to be a separate to-do list per role. I live it! My mind races with things I know “I should be doing”. I think about things I may be forgetting. It’s so painful. Waking up and brain dumping is helpful, but it is even better to get some rest. If this is you, it’s probably a good time to take a look at your sleep hygiene.
You feel it in your bones
Listen to your body! My body definitely tried to tell me to stop stressing over the stupid job I worked myself to the bone for and I passed out right after a session one afternoon. I was rushed to the ER and finally got a nice Crohn's Disease diagnosis (after much testing and prodding). Anxiety lives in our bodies and it manifests physically if we’re not careful. If you feel any shift in the way you normally function, pay attention to that difference. Believe me,if you don’t slow down, your body will slow down for you.
My books have an entire structure for assessing your self-care, drafting a plan, and implementing it. This was a crucial part of addressing my Daddy Issues, but also recognizing when I need to hit the speed bump and reevaluate my priorities. What are your red flags? Comment below about how you recognize when you’ve worked a little harder than planned and how you deal with it.