I’ve been coaching a successful speech pathologist for the past few months.
When she hired me, she was feeling very burned out. She wasn’t sleeping much, was getting up at 5 a.m. in the morning to get client paperwork done, answering e-mails at night and on weekends, wasn’t spending as much time with her children as she wanted to, was feeling pulled in multiple directions both personally and professionally.
Last week, I got an e-mail from her sharing some wins she had during the week but this was my favorite line:
I drove to work today with tears in my eyes because I am finally feeling happier and more balanced!
That, of course, made ME get tears in my eyes because this is why I do the work I do. She’s a smart woman with an amazing work ethic, married with two kids, an athlete and volunteer extraordinaire in her community. As a result of our work together, in just a few short months, she has made small changes in her life and her business that have had BIG results.
She’s no longer feeling burned out and I dare say she’s starting to feel REVITALIZED!
But here’s the key thing to remember – most of her life circumstances haven’t changed. She’s still married, still raising two little girls, still has her business, still volunteers, still races in triathlons. Those are the external things.
So what HAS shifted?
Her perspective on everything. The choices she’s making. She’s learning to say NO to things that no longer serve her which creates space to say YES to things that do. She’s asking for help and she’s delegating more. She’s streamlining her business and focusing on attracting more of her perfect customers. She’s looking at her business numbers in a new way. And she’s examining her past beliefs about what she “should” do and instead is choosing more empowering beliefs about how she “chooses” to be.
Burnout has big costs. You can experience physical problems like poor sleep, food cravings, physical pain and sickness. You also encounter mental challenges like brain fog and inability to focus and emotional problems like relationship issues, feelings of anxiety, fear and hopelessness. It’s not a fun place to be because your health suffers, relationships suffer, self-esteem suffers and business suffers.
Revitalization has big benefits. You regain control of your energy and your time. You feel healthier, more alive and more vital. You enjoy your work and your family more and regain your balance. You make choices that support you, your family, your career and all the things that matter to you. It’s a great place to be because you experience happiness, joy and fulfillment on a regular basis.
If you are feeling burned out – or even overwhelmed which is a precursor to burnout – it’s time for you to make some changes.
Are you ready?
Revitalization Action: Take a good, long look at your life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or burned out or even just slightly agitated and annoyed, ask yourself the following:
If I made these five changes, I would be so much happier and more balanced!
- ___________________
- ___________________
- ___________________
- ___________________
- ___________________
Write them down in your journal and make a commitment to start working on them today. You can do it on your own, enlist the help of a friend or consider working with someone like me – a revitalization coach who has experienced burnout and lived to tell about it!
Changing habits is always easier in community– be sure to check out my new coaching group RevitalizeU: 8 weeks to Revitalization! You may just find exactly what you need here. We start on September 30th.
Just say NO to burnout!
Elizabeth