It’s no secret that burnout is everywhere and becoming more and more common. Especially in London. Here are my top tips on how to avoid burning out
Balance your blood sugar levels everyday
By eating protein at every meal and snack it will help to keep your blood glucose on an even keel and provide you with sustainable energy throughout the day and avoid those mid afternoon slumps.
SLEEP!
Probably the most important thing. You need to be getting at least 8 hours a night to function properly. The hours of sleep you get between 10pm and midnight and 7am and 9am are the most refreshing. If you miss out on sleep and start to make it less of a priority it is a stress on the adrenals glands and will eventually catch you out.
Productive rest
This is something I encourage my clients to do everyday: For 10 mins in the morning or in the evening take yourself away and lie down to do some deep breathing and switch off your mind. Our minds are constantly busy and naturally tend to overthink. By taking 10 each day and just breathing out slowly it actually lowers the stress hormone cortisol.
Meditation
Honestly if you haven't started doing this yet I really encourage you! The best thing mediation does is reduce anxiety. So if you are in a state of overwhelm then you need to start doing it now! It really helps to centre you and focus your mind to a more relaxed, positive state. Download the apps Headspace and Calm to get you started.
Have you time
I spoke to a chap the other day and he told me he didn’t have time to see his friends. I warned him there and then that you have to have you time, have fun and see your friends. Life is not all about work! We have to remember that we are humans, not robots, and that we need to laugh and draw the line. Make sure you set boundaries. This helped me massively. Whether it’s no work after 6pm, yoga on Saturday mornings, catching up with a friend on Friday nights, even a hot bath each night before bed - anything that works for you.
Saying no
Are you the type of person who say yes to everything? Same here. Well I used to be. This got me really sick. Not being able to say no means you are trying to be everything to everyone which is SO tiring and energy consuming. You have to remember that you are the priority and your health is of upmost importance. The more you say yes the more energy is consumed and the more you are heading towards burnout! So don’t be afraid of saying no to a few things from now on.
Eliminate or reduce toxic relationships
I really believe that you are who you surround yourself with. Conversely if you surround yourself with people that make you laugh and lift you and encourage you it will positively affect the way you feel and the amount of energy you have.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Who is draining you at the moment?
- How can you surround yourself with people that lift you more?
- Who would it be?
- How can you reach out to them? Would it be a phone call? A coffee? A dinner?
- Try these steps. You’ll be amazed at the difference this can make to your life.
