Look through the news and you’ll see talk of “The Great Resignation”, a current workforce trend of employees quitting their jobs. There are a variety of reasons cited as to why this is happening, but I’m going to focus on one in particular that I’m seeing with a lot of my clients and friends, which is burnout. The pandemic changed things for many as we juggled a career and the complications of the work environment with instability at home due to schools shutting down and limitations on childcare. Our brains are not naturally wired for all this disruption, so unless we are working actively to maintain our mental health, getting through the day-to-day simply takes more energy. Stretch this out into a prolonged period of uncertainty and change, and we are left exhausted.
So is quitting your job the only way out? Sometimes it feels like it, but it doesn’t have to be. In this three-part series, I’m going to cover ways that we can counteract the burnout right where we are. Leadership as a lifestyle requires physical endurance, mental stamina and the ability to act with speed, but do you prepare your body like an athlete?
We know that athletes put a lot of time and energy into ensuring that their body runs at optimum levels for training and competition. They focus on what fuels their body for energy, getting the optimal amount of sleep, and getting the right amount of recovery to avoid injury. Many of us forget that the demands of leadership can be physical in nature and we too, must prepare our bodies appropriately in order to manage the stress, think on our feet, and handle the sometimes rigorous schedule required in today’s work environment.
Here are a few tips you can implement immediately to prepare yourself for optimal performance in the work environment:
- Daily exercise – Not only does it improve cardiovascular health but the release of serotonin from exercise improves focus and can help you feel more stable, happy and calm. An exercise regimen that mixes resistance, cardio, and mobility exercises improves sleep and mental cognition, as well as keeps your body flexible and strong while counteracting the hours you spend sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time.
- Sleep – A lack of sleep correlates with poor decision making and brain fog, as well as can lead to difficulty regulating your emotions. In addition, irregular bedtimes and wake up times can put people at an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Putting a sleep schedule in place helps reduce these risks and ensures you get the sleep you need to perform at your best.
- Rest and recovery – It’s important to balance stretches of work with rest and recovery both in the short term and the long. Months or even years of prolonged stress followed by a week of vacation only goes so far. Recovery on a daily and weekly basis is also important. Plan recovery time each day in the form of 30 minute breaks immediately following meetings or work you know is going to be stressful or implement time in your schedule to calm your body and mind. Ensure that you are scheduling recovery time on the weekends as well, giving yourself some space from the work. What constitutes recovery is up to you, the key is emptying your mind of work and allowing yourself to be fully present in the moment at hand.
- Fuel your mind and body – Stress can cause spikes in cortisol which can increase appetite and provoke emotional eating behaviors. Planning your food ahead of time and eating with structure can help offset these tendencies and keep your hormones regulated. Eating real food – especially lean proteins, vegetables, fruits and whole grains – while minimizing processed foods will help fuel your body for optimal performance. Taking the time to chew your food for proper digestion also makes a huge difference and most importantly – hydrate your body! Dehydration alone can lead to muscle soreness, brain fog and exhaustion.
The most important piece of advice I can give is to start small. Pick one thing and work on only that until it becomes a daily habit. Celebrate when you get it right and when you don’t, don’t dwell on it or beat yourself up. Accept that it’s part of the journey, look at what obstacles appeared and determine how you will handle them differently the next time, then keep moving forward.
If you are looking for someone to help you through the burnout, I would love to coach you. Sign up for a free consultation here and let’s chat about how you can start feeling better right away.