While it certainly should be common knowledge that overworking ourselves is an excellent means to achieve burnout, I’m not entirely certain it is. Or, perhaps I should acknowledge how most of us are aware of the implications of pushing our bodies and minds too far, yet we tend to ignore this ideology when it comes to us, specifically.
I think it is far easier to observe someone else dangerously toeing the line of burnout than it is to admit we ourselves are guilty of the same thing.
Burnout is real, and for anyone who has ever experienced it, I would wager you can attest to how positively miserable it is. And, despite how shitty being burnt out is, shockingly, there is a relatively simple way to avoid it – listening to our bodies.
I know. It seems too good to be true. But, it is the truth, and our bodies tend to notify us and send us signs and messages when we are pushing them too hard.
I saw an Instagram reel recently in which a woman was chatting about how she recently put herself into a burnt-out state. Not intentionally, as she explains, but, this woman looked to be maybe in her 30s at the latest; she posted the video to educate others about how serious stress and burnout are, and she ended up giving herself a heart attack and now has a permanent stint in her chest. She states how she knew she was doing too much, both mentally and physically, but chose to overlook the signs her body was showing her in order to be more productive.
Obviously, her productivity has tremendously ceased since her scare, and her video reminded me of just how important it is to listen to our bodies. They have a way of communicating to us when something is wrong, or about to be very wrong, and it would benefit us to actually listen to them.
Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
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