Regaining and Maintaining Your Energy After Burnout

by Judy Klipin

It is halfway through the year already and it is time to take stock of energy levels. Here is a quick quiz to help you assess if you have – or are approaching – burnout:

Are you beginning to resent your family, friends and/or co-workers because you feel that you look after everyone else and don’t have time to look after yourself?
Is your life a constant rush from one task and activity to the next, with no time or space to be still?
Are you tired of doing everything yourself, with no assistance from those around you?
Are you craving sugar and sweet foods? Eating badly and on the run?
Do you feel that you don’t have enough energy to stand up for yourself and say no to things you don’t want to do – it takes less energy just to go along with things?
Has exercise and fresh air become a distant memory; overlooked in favour of more time at work or supervising homework?
Are your relationships less harmonious and satisfying than you would like them to be?

Burnout affects every area of your life – even those that are not obvious.

In addition to feelings of exhaustion, ennui (a lack of enthusiasm for life) and sometimes depression, burnout affects your relationships, your ability to work effectively, your ability to look after yourself.

Perhaps this issue is top of my mind because I just had another brush with burnout, or possibly it is the fact that every second client I am working with has burnout to varying degrees – adult children are particularly prone to burnout.

Either way, in an attempt to help myself and my clients (and you) to regain and maintain the energy, purpose and joy that goes away when we are over-tired, I have created a tool to tackle burnout. (Well it isn’t so much a tool as an acronym, but as the acronym is the name of a tool, I feel happy to call it one).

Apply these seven steps and I guarantee that you will start to feel on top of your life again very soon:

S = Self. Find and honour yourself through self-care, self-love, self-compassion, becoming self-centred and self-actualised…

P = Peace. We all need quiet time every day; time to rest, relax, meditate, journal, sleep. Preferably in silence…

A =Ask and Accept. You can make your life so much easier when you allow yourself to ask for and to receive help, love, advice, compliments, feedback, and anything else positive that is offered…

N = Nourish. Nourish your body, mind and soul by eating nourishing food, thinking nourishing thoughts and doing nourishing things…

N = No! Overwhelm is caused by having too many things on our plate. Remember that ‘a no to someone else is a yes to me’ and that ‘no is a full sentence’…

E = Exercise. Gentle exercise lets oxygen in and stress out, releases adrenaline and gets the blood flowing. It helps you sleep better and improves your appetite for healthy food.

R = Relationships. Reinvest in your relationships – pay them the time, attention and effort that they (and you) deserve.

The Spanner- A tool to regain and maintain your life force

I am mindfully applying these seven steps and I am happy to say that it is paying off.

Please let me know how they work for you.

Feeling overwhelmed in your life, work or relationships?

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“I have seen various psychologists and therapists but none of them have the skill of Judy in being able to relate to me and the way I think about things.” Emma, Durban
“Judy, you have given me the tools to change and move my life in directions I never knew possible. I am truly grateful for your help.” Anisha, London
“Perception is everything and working with Judy has helped me realise my true potential by changing my outlook of life into more positive ones. I enjoy walking out of a life coaching session feeling like I am in control again, less stressed and more energetic.” P.R.M.
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