Burn out

What exactly is burn out? I think that burn out, much like anxiety and depression, is something which many of us are afraid to admit to as it may portray us as weak or dramatic. For those “type A” personalities that constantly feel the need to be on the go and give 1000% all of the time we are trying to prove ourselves and by admitting to burn out, we are admitting defeat.

Well I am here to say that it does not make you weak or dramatic (though I 1000% have my dramatic moments), it simply makes you human.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with burn out, your mind moves at a million miles to the point your mind and body feel sluggish and exhausted, your eyes literally burn like no amount of sleep is ever enough, you don’t want to talk to or see ANYONE, you feel irritated and emotional for no reason at all (think constant PMS) and everything just seems too bloody hard.

I am someone that either gives something my 150% or I won’t do it at all, whether it be work; training or relationships… I have always been like this… until recently when I hit burn out, or should I say burn out hit me and it hit me HARD.

I honestly felt it coming and people around me saw it coming but I just kept pushing. My mind and my body could no longer keep up with how much I kept trying to take on. I got injured, I got sick and I got real emotional - 3 things which I am not very familiar with and that I don’t cope well with. I was not able to write, to create or to be fully present with those close to me for a while now. It resulted in me having no choice but to slow the f*ck down because I broke the f*ck down.

I wanted to write this piece as a voice to say it is okay to not go 200% all the time, it is okay to take a moment and in fact the only way to truly move forward sometimes is to hit pause. Burn out can be serious, it can push you away from those close to you and from what really matters, much like any mental health issue - it is not something to be ignored.

Despite the face I show - I am still very much “burnt out”. Unfortunately a week off of work, a lot of sunshine and yoga is not enough to undo years of overdoing it. But I am aware and trying and over the next couple of weeks I will post the strategies that I am trying to help me simplify my life and to just “calm the f*ck down”.

Hopefully these strategies will help me get better, help avoid this happening again and maybe even help other people before they get to this point.

Much love,

MDW

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