When You Burn Out
Last week I had a bit of a burn out. Atlas was doing really well (but requiring a lot of time), work was busy, and I was feeling overwhelmed. I've always got so much on my mind between my part time job and Atlas that sometimes it becomes all too much. I usually don't realise I'm exhausted until I hit full on burn out. This is how it goes down:
Olivia comes home grumpy
Olivia begins to cry about something stupid
Olivia eats a lot of dark chocolate
Olivia goes to sleep
Olivia wakes up still tired, and decides that actually, Olivia needs to have a day off
Olivia takes the day off, feels a bit guilty about it, but actually feels great
All truth. That's how it pans out. It's a brutal experience. *Sorry Tom.*
I'm working on taking things easier, and allowing myself at least one day off a week. It's easier said than done; when you run your own business that you're working really hard to build and improve on, it's always on your mind. Work in progress is better than nothing though, right?
So what do I do when I'm having some time off (or just a bit of a more relaxed day)?
Go for a walk. Theres so many places to go in Cornwall that theres never "no where to go." Getting fresh air does me so much good, and really lets me clear my head.
Read a magazine. I know, I know, this may sound like work because my job is running a magazine... but theres nothing more relaxing than sitting down with a new magazine and getting absorbed by beautiful images and words.
Watch TV. I don't do this a lot, but I make sure to sit down and watch The Great British Bake Off every Wednesday night. I can't watch TV in the day time, because I feel like I'm wasting valuable time to be doing something else (there I go again! work work work) but after dinner in the evenings, it calms me right down.
Work out. Most people will say I'm nuts for finding a work out relaxing, but it's actually one thing I find helps the most. When I had said burn out I mentioned earlier, I has a personal training session booked in for that day. Needless to say I didn't feel like going, but once I was there and we got going, I felt revived. It was probably that session which gave me back my energy!
Bake. There's a reason this blog exists!
Meditation. I have a history of panic attacks (more on that another day), and did a few sessions of hypnotherapy to help me get over them. It was after doing these and noticing how big a difference it made that I began to meditate. I can't say I do it a lot, but when I'm feeling really panicky or stressed and need to calm right down, I find a guided meditation on Youtube, or use the appHeadspace.
Call my mum. Talking to someone about how you're feeling, or what ever it is that's stressing you out is really helpful.
Write. I never used to enjoy writing, and I don't think I'm particularly good at it, but there's something quite therapeutic about it (this isn't a break through by the way, theres a reason people have kept diaries for centuries). This blog stems from that.
What do you do when you need to relax? Let me know if you have any advice for me!
