How to Avoid Burnout

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Recently, I had a great session with a new client. Like so many of the women I work with, she is a professional Christian woman who is struggling to find “balance,” which we all know really never exists.

A recent career promotion had given her a boost in salary, accolades from her managers and more responsibilities within the organization. But it also brought with it increased stress, meetings after “normal” business hours and a sense of uneasiness about where she was headed. As she began her self-discovery exercises, she realized that her career was negatively impacting her marriage and her relationships with her children, and she said “I used to be fun! Now I’m not.” While she thrived as she moved up the ladder, was it worth it?

Whether your work is in a corporate environment, as an entrepreneur or through community service, this battle over work/life balance is common to most women. As we look at the complete picture—work, relationships, faith, and self-care—and as we try to be all things to all people, we find ourselves totally drained and miserable.

How can you prevent yourself from reaching total burnout? What steps can you begin taking to get your priorities in order without making big sacrifices in your professional advancement? Here are a few golden nuggets from the action plans of a few of my clients.

Learn to draw boundaries between your work and personal life. Don’t be afraid to say no to a late-day meeting, and don’t get caught up in responding to emails that can be postponed until the next day. We have trained others to believe we are rapid-responders who put our careers first, so begin re-training those who make unreasonable demands on your time.

If you work away from home, use your evening commute to prepare for being present when you get there, not returning phone calls or checking messages at stop lights. Keep it quiet and focus on how you can create a sense of calm and happiness in the evening instead of stressing about the work you left behind. This is also a great time to pray! Do some deep breathing exercises to de-stress, and be relaxed instead of anxious when you arrive home.

If you work at home, make sure to set boundaries. This is difficult. It is so easy to get drawn back to your work in the evenings, so be committed to closing the door so you can give your attention to your home, family and activities that are fun and energizing. Get a “closed” sign if you need to! My husband used to call my office the “Hoover,” because it would suck me back in at all times of day. I have learned to let work go in the evenings as much as possible so I can focus on relaxing and enjoying conversation with him.

Look at how you allocate your time each day. We all have the same 24 hours, so how are you using yours? One small adjustment in one area can impact the others. For example, cutting back on your evening work allows you to be more rested and focused for the next day, plus it goes a long way to improve your relationships. Getting more exercise will make you more energetic, which also effects your work. Spending time with God each morning will give you direction, wisdom and peace as you go about your day.

Have some fun! God created you to live an abundant life, not to always be working. The Bible is full of instruction about resting, so consider it a commandment! If I told you that you had one week to do anything you wanted to as long as it would refresh your mind, body and spirit, what would you do? Make a list, then commit to doing one of those things every week, even if you have to schedule it on your calendar.

Susan Tolles is a Certified Christian Life Purpose Coach. To read more about her work of helping women find their life’s purpose, visit http://theflourishinglife.today/.