Just Say No! to Burnout
There are many wonderful things about being an adult child (we are loyal, responsible, reliable, good problem-solvers, good in a crisis and self-effacing).
Burnout is not one of them.
Burnout is a state of exhaustion, of overwhelm, of ‘having nothing left to give.’ Burnout leaves us feeling exhausted, even after a good night’s sleep. It wreaks havoc with our moods, our relationships and our appetite. Burnout affects every area of our life: physical, mental, emotional, Spiritual and relational.
We get burned out, not just when we try to do too much, but when we do too much of the wrong thing(s). And I don’t mean the wrong thing morally.
We get burnout when we do too much of things that are wrong for us:
- Doing things to please others at our own expense leads to burnout.
- Saying yes when we mean no (and no when we mean yes) leads to burnout.
- Trying to do everything ourselves rather than asking for help leads to burnout.
- Staying in a job or relationship that we hate because we are scared what people will think if we leave leads to burnout.
Giving more than we have leads to burnout.
Adult children give and give and give. And then, when we have nothing left to give, we give a little bit more.
We need to develop strong and healthy boundaries if we want to prevent and recover from burnout. We need to learn to ask for help. To say no to things that don’t serve us. To stop giving and start receiving.
Because when you feel like you have nothing left to give, you need to stop giving!
My all-new interactive online Burnout Recovery Course (Running on Empty?) starts on 15 September. Sign up now!
Feeling overwhelmed in your life, work or relationships?
- Purchase one of my self-study online courses.
Tags: adult child | adult children and burnout | burnout | giving | healthy boundaries | just say no | nothing left to give | recieve
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