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5 ways I avoid burnout

Life can be so exhausting, right?

Between family commitments, work commitments, general life admin, spiralling costs of everything, perimenopause, the state of the world, and general life and house admin, it’s no wonder almost 30% of women say they’re burned out.

I’m going to share my top 5 tips for avoiding burnout – but first, here’s my story.

I burned out hard in April 2021. I’d been expecting to leave my HR business in 2020, with Shine already being in my mind as my calling in life and the path I truly wanted to take.

But we all know what happened in March of 2020… and like many of us, I spent 12 months working insane hours while juggling home-school and trying not to burn out.

Spoiler alert – I burned out. I physically couldn’t work. I took 2 weeks off, and spent them feeling anxious, depressed, and completely broken. It’s hard to describe just how tough it is if you haven’t been there, but I would not wish it on anyone.

I have still never been able to work full time hours since then – my brain will simply stop when it’s had enough – that could be at 11am on a Tuesday, 6pm on a Thursday, or any time in between.

Although it sounds great not to work full time, it’s pretty scary when you have a deadline looming or a bill to pay – or both.

That’s why it’s my mission to help as many women as I can from going down that same route.

Here are the top 5 ways I’ve avoided a repeat of burnout (and the things I wish I knew back then):

1. MAKING time for myself.

Yep, newsflash, no-one is going to give you that time. And it won’t just be there. You have to make it. The only way I have ever managed to do this is by scheduling it in my diary 🤦🏼‍♀️. Workouts, time with friends, time with partner, just general resting, swimming, all the things I love that restore me – they get diarised, or they don’t happen. I have to ask for support in making sure many of them happen too. It’s forever a work in progress, but giving myself at least a 10 minute chill window even on the busiest of days, makes a big difference to my mental health.

2. Firm boundaries

This is as important with myself as with others. Before burnout I would just keep going and going with work until it was done. My only real boundary was not working past 9pm, but even that had begun to slip, and the impact on my sleep and mood was significant I also love to travel, see friends, do things with my family, and have amazing experiences, but I can also very easily over book myself by saying yes to everything. Post-burnout, I am much more boundaried with myself and others, and often take a long time to consider whether an event, holiday or piece of work is really going to nourish me, or be something that I don’t really want to do…

3. Break and breathe

It can be hard to even catch a breath given how busy life is for most of us. I’ve enforced the habit of checking in on myself as often as possible – thinking about my needs, even if it’s just a need to take a few moments of deep breathing. Think about how you are reading this now. Are you relaxed? Is your jaw tense and shoulders high and tight? Are you breathing from the belly, chest, or somewhere else? I often find I am breathing from my chest, and it can be anxious and fast – which leads to more feelings of anxiety for me, so slowing down and taking a deep breaths and stretches is important even when the pressure is on.

4. Small tweaks for big impact

When in the thick of work, childcare, and general life demands, it feels impossible to even think about ways you could make life easier. But I have found that making small tweaks to my life – a cupboard decluttered here, a shopping list added to my online grocery account there – really begin to build up in terms of how you can simplify areas of life that often feel like an ongoing chore.

I’ve been very slowly decluttering for what feels like a lifetime now, and it really makes a difference to head space – just don’t try to do it all at once! I’ve also started to make weekly meal plans each week that I just plan to rotate every few weeks – finding those tiny ways of improving the overall overwhelm are so powerful.

5. Following my passion

I am certain that a huge part of what led me to burnout was not doing a job I really felt I was passionate about. I was earning good money, helping people, there were some aspects like training delivery that I loved, but I had truly fallen out of love with HR, and it showed in my emotional state.

It is MUCH easier said than done, but those nagging feelings of discomfort, unhappiness, and wanting something different for yourself are there for a reason. So the more you can verbalise those and start to plan what you’d like to change, the less likely you are to hit burnout.

I’d love to know if you find these tips useful – reply and let me know what was impactful for you!

​Retreats​

As you can’t have failed to notice, my 2024 retreat dates are now on sale, and places are going fast. If you want to join a group of friendly, lovely, fun women and make 2024 the year you start making your dreams a reality, click the button below:

If you missed it last week, I’m also planning a smaller, local in person retreat evening towards the end of November, which will be a chance for us to gather, rest, and rejuvenate before December starts.

Places will be extremely limited so let me know here if you’re keen to join me and I’ll make sure you have early access.

Big love ❤️

Kirsten xxx

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Kirsten Smith

Coach | Trainer | Retreat Leader

​kirsten@shineontribe.co.uk​

​077 077 077 93​

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Everything Aries Ltd t/as Shine: Coaching, Training, Retreats, a company registered in England and Wales with registered number 09493517 registered office: Allia Future Business Centre, Kings Hedges Rd, Cambridge, CB4 2HY

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