Do you feel like you're constantly waking up with little to no energy, chasing the task list, and feeling unproductive or consumed by life chaos most of the time? 

That was me running around acting like I had my sh*t together and feeling completely overwhelmed. I thought to myself, “if I just get this all done and get ahead of it, I won't have to feel like this anymore.” I guess you could say I'm an optimist because I really believed there was light at the end of the task list or tunnel, functioning the way I was, sporadically crossing things off, putting out fires and smiling my way through it. 

And then the inevitable happened... I burned out. I didn't fully comprehend what that feeling was like because I became accustomed to burning the candle at both ends. I didn't know what it was like to go through my day feeling in control, confident about my actions and present with the people around me.

I was in a constant state of “busy-ness”, grind mode or let's face it… stress. I was constantly chasing the task list. A task list was how I stayed organized each day, and crossing off an item would feel so damn satisfying! 

I was the girl who said no repeatedly to social gatherings and coffee with friends, sacrificing relationships to stick to my grind. That was my world for a while. When someone would ask me how I was doing or what was new my response was, “Same old, just grinding.”’ When friends would call me to invite me somewhere, they’d usually start apologetically with “I know you're probably busy” or “Sorry to bother you, cause I know you're busy…” Yikes! I became that friend that was ALWAYS busy. 

I knew I was burned out, because every day felt full of chaos and I came home feeling completely spent. It felt as if I hit the ground running every morning. The thought of setting intentions sounded nice but setting aside time to do that also stressed me out. I was constantly playing catch up and feeling unproductive which led to frustration, impatience, and a lack of balance in my life. I wasn’t clear about my action lists or even why the tasks were important because my priorities were unclear. 

I know some of you can relate to my story. If you are wondering if you are suffering from burnout then you must read this article Burnout by Andrea McGee a Marriage & Family Therapist.   

6 Steps to Live a More Present and Vibrant Life

If you’ve been suffering from symptoms of burnout, here are a few steps you can implement so you can live more presently and vibrantly. 

1.  Write it down:

Grab a pen and a pad of paper and brain dump and get it off your F.O.M. This is a helpful exercise to identify what things are adding to your  experience of burnout. 

• On a piece of  paper write out all the things you are doing that cause you stress, that feel heavy or negative, or make you frustrated. 

2.  Stay Positive:

On another page write out all the things you are doing that bring you joy, happiness and that you are grateful for.

3.  Get Support:

Share this realization with a friend or two that will support you and help you stay on the track to bettering yourself. 

4. Speak Up:

There is power in saying things out loud so sharing some of the positive things you do with your friend will help you create a positive mindset. You’ll also have to get some practicing in saying these things so that you can be successful in the next step. 

5. Create Boundaries:

On your first piece of paper, circle 3 of the frustrations that are causing you the most stress. What are some ways you can either delegate or get help in these areas? If you have a hard time with this step, do this with your support group. They’ll be able to offer you an outsider’s perspective and help you uncover some good solutions. 

5.  Schedule “pausing blocks”:

I was constantly bouncing from one thing to the next, project, task, chore, errand etc. It is important to identify that the way you are doing things isn’t working anymore. I adopted these two practices to help me slow down.

• Before answering a question that might add to my load I S.T.O.P
• Stop what you are doing 
• Take a few deep breaths to help you analyse the situation
• Observe what is happening with your body, emotions and mind 
• Proceed with an intentional choice
• Within my work week I would schedule a Pause block of 30min – 1hr of nothing. During this time I do something that I enjoy with the smallest amount of effort or planning. 

6.  Give yourself grace:

I decided that because I had so many goals, plans, and deadlines, the last thing I needed was to put more pressure on myself to be perfect or to have it all together. I decided right then and there how I wanted to show up in my daily life by focusing on one word or theme to help me navigate my priorities. 

How I came up with my word was completely eye-opening and it really helped me. I thought about how I would want to be remembered. What would I want others to say about me and what lasting memories would I want them to have? 

The word that kept coming to mind was the word “kind”. This word helped me shift how I made my decisions with my time and energy. If I chose to be kind, then I’d have to slow down and take things off my list. 

My hope for you is that you finally get fed up with living a life of burnout and live a life fully inspired by the truest person you were meant to be. A friend once explained to me that it’s one thing to live a life in balance, but it’s another entirely to live a life in harmony with yourself. 

I trust you’ll find these tips useful so that you may live a life of joy, vibrancy and happiness. 

Your Warrior Coach - Randee