Taking Care of Our Own Wellbeing

Burnout is a state of feeling mentally or physically exhausted due to unmanaged and prolonged stress.

With the end of the school year, some of you may be familiar with this feeling. Outlined below are four different ways you can start managing stress, combat burnout, and promote a healthier lifestyle.

1. Take time to reenergize. We spend the whole day devoting our time and energy to external obligations, and in turn, we neglect focusing our time and energy inward. When we continue to neglect our own personal needs for the sake of productivity, we are not successfully managing our stress, and we find ourselves on the path toward burnout.

It is crucial we prioritize time to reenergize. Brainstorm what makes you feel fulfilled and satisfied and take time to do those things without guilt.

2. Set strong and healthy boundaries. Personal boundaries can be translated as our own personal rule book and help us foster autonomy. Without strong boundaries, it is easy to overextend ourselves. When we can set and uphold boundaries, we are able to decide what we will and will not accept into our lives and how far we are willing to extend ourselves to others. To create and uphold boundaries, we must communicate them to the people around us.

3. Audit your time. It is crucial to observe where you spend your time and think of ways you can take back your time. This can look like turning a meeting into an email, delegating tasks to others on a team, or preparing for your day the night before. Further, this can look like taking a step back from a commitment where that time spent could be better spent somewhere else.

4. Look forward to something. Looking forward to something can mean everything to our energy and outlook on life. This can be something as small as your cup of coffee in the morning or as big as a scheduled vacation. When we plan something to look forward to, our brains have an “end date” which makes our workload feel much more manageable. Try to prioritize scheduling daily or weekly rest times to unwind and reset.

It is crucial we begin treating ourselves and our own personal wellbeing with the same purpose and intent that we give toward are obligations and commitments. This isn’t easy and it is not an overnight remedy. But by implementing these tools and recognizing our progress, we can work toward managing burnout and living a healthier lifestyle.