The subject of burnout is popping right now. I'm seeing it within our community especially for women writing to meet a deadline, but I'm sure it can help all of you not writing a dissertation too. We are all juggling multiple competing priorities in life. 

Burnout first technically coined by Herbert Freudenberger in 1975.

He defined "Burnout" was defined by three components:

1. Emotional Exhaustion - the fatigue that comes from caring too much, for too long;
2. Depersonalization - the depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion; and
3. Decreased sense of accomplishment - an unconquerable sense of futility: feeling that nothing you do makes any difference

I wanted to bring in a few different perspectives on burnout from books that I have read, to the teachings of other thought leaders, because I’ve done so much research on burnout. So much of the coaching I’ve done is around burnout and overwhelm. 

Burnout or Overwhelm?

For those of you who are in overwhelm (and not actually burn out)… What do you have to believe in order to plan and do more? 

Solution to BURNOUT

1. Pay attention to your thoughts… be aware of what you’re thinking. Your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings inspire you to do or not do things. Your thoughts drive the actions you take. I teach a WHOLE module on this inside our Breakthrough program. 

What are your thoughts that are causing you to feel BURNOUT RIGHT NOW?

So how can you think about your to-do list in a way that feels BETTER and gives you some relief, but is also a “doable” thought… meaning you BELIEVE IT. 

So one you do this first, then you can move on to the strategies below as part of the actions you are going to take. 

2.  Let go of how you think it should be. That thinking is not useful. "Shoulding" thoughts over yourself in general is only going to cause you to feel like crap.

3. Be okay with B- Work… take imperfect action with a focus on growth and normalize failing. Embrace “good enough”. You aren’t going to get an A on your dissertation, and most of you won’t win an award. 

4. Celebrate wins… ALL of them. Instead of looking at the mountain in front of you, take time to tie off and enjoy the view from how far you’ve come. 

5. Find the good stuff… you are transforming into another version of yourself right now as you are growing and evolving. You are taking action and failing on purpose.

6. Disconnect from technology - Take a break from screen time and spend some time looking out the window... connect with your breathing and daydream.

7. Connected to a community - Join our Pod Squad private group and connect with other amazing women with big dreams!

8. Future Pace -  imagine yourself already having achieved everything you want in life. Place yourself as already having achieved it. Tap into that feeling now and take action as your future self. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Dr. Tangie and Success Exhaustion
• Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski 

Join the 'Get Out of Your Damn Way' pod squad here ==> https://www.facebook.com/groups/getoutofyourdamnwaypodsquad

Hang out with Me and my friend Natalie Roush as we discuss the inner critic. 
We go deep, discussing 

• Where and when each of our inner critics emerged, 
• How we have healed the inner critic, 
• What we've been able to accomplish so far,
• What the inner critic has cost us, and 
• What we will create with the inner critic sitting in the 5-point harness in the back seat. 

Join the 'Get Out of Your Damn Way' pod squad here ==> https://www.facebook.com/groups/getoutofyourdamnwaypodsquad

Connect with Natalie here ==> https://natalieroushcoaching.com/

For anyone sober-curious, I thought I would share some of the ways my life has improved over the past year.

1. I didn't realize it at the time, but not only was I numbing myself from feeling stress and anxiety, but I was numbing myself from being able to experience joy and elation. I didn't know what it was like to feel all the good feels because my baseline was numb.

2. I've up-leveled my entire life. I couldn't imagine getting up at 4:00 am every day to be at the gym by 5:00 am long term. I've been doing it for an entire year now. And not waking up with a hangover is such a gift.. anything is possible.

3. I'm in the best shape and health of my life. Even though I'm not where I would like to be with my weight, I'm stronger than I have ever been and reaching physical milestones I didn't think were possible.

4. I've released 20 pounds and counting without 'dieting'. I watch what I eat, and choose foods that fuel me. Alcohol used to be a trigger for me to binge-eat crap. It lowered my inhibitions and left me feeling constantly bloated.

5. I feel like I won the time lottery. I have so much time to do new things. I'm painting, reading, writing, and more present than I've ever been. Alcohol prevented me from being present. For me, it also frequently exacerbated the voice of my inner mean girl, which would pull me out of any situation and into my head.

6. Improved self awareness... this has been both a blessing and a curse. I see a lot more of who I am now. I see some things that I didn't see before that I get to work on.

7. Sleep is more nourishing.. I'm not tossing and turning all night. I wake up feeling well rested with a clear mind.

8. No more acid reflux... went from taking prescription strength Prilosec twice a day to it being completely gone!

9. My skin looks more hydrated. I used to have flaky, dry, splotchy skin.

Here are some of the things I'm still working through... the tough parts of sobriety.

1. With my anxiety, I tend to be socially awkward. Alcohol made it easier for me to interact in social situations. I'm working through this but it is a challenge. I'm finally at a point where I can sit at a bar and not want a drink. Yay for mocktails!

2. I've never been a "sweets" person until I stopped drinking alcohol. Since I quit drinking, I have a sweet tooth at night that has taken me by surprise. I've been finding healthier snacks without sugar to help curb the cravings.

I feel like I've cracked it. My life doesn't revolve around alcohol any longer.

I can look in the mirror and feel so proud of myself.

My whole life, until last year, I'd been a drinker.

I thought it was just who I was and that it would be impossible to change.

I feel like anything is possible now.

2023 is the year I say yes to anything that scares the hell out of me. I'm participating in adventure races, physical competitions, writing a book, and going through Master Coach Certification with The Life Coach School all while doing what I love and helping some of the most inspiring women I've ever met finish their dissertations and achieve their dreams. I’m going to do a separate podcast episode on THAT… that 2023 is the year I say yes to anything that scares the HELL out of me.

I'm just getting started...

If you want some help or are sober curious, please join our private community the Get out of your damn way pod squad… I built a business around making women feel better… through creating self-confidence, through doing scary ass things, and through setting and accomplishing big goals. Come hang out with me! https://www.facebook.com/groups/getoutofyourdamnwaypodsquad