A year ago, I was burnt out.

It has taken me forever to write this post because it’s a lot to put into words. I burnt myself out last year by trying to do way too much. It didn’t help that I was pregnant at the time (4/5 months) which meant tired all of the time. And, that I was loading myself up with collaboration and partnership posts that had back-to-back deadlines. Plus, I worked a fulltime, 9-5 job that took up a lot of time.

I was exhausting myself all the way out.

And, I know I’m not the only person that does this.

Many people know being burned out is chronic work stress that is not managed well. And, that explains a lot. There is so much on so many people’s plates. A lot of stuff is going on and a lot of things seem to capture attention and interests.

That work stress can be anything — mine was with my 9-5 and my side hustle. I was mentally and physically exhausted to the point where my blog was put on the back burner for months. Updates were only made when a sponsored post was due.

I can admit that I have experienced burnout. It’s nothing to hide either because I know so many people that have dealt with it.

Working until you can’t work no more is not cool, it’s not a move, etc. It’s not healthy and it needs to stop being pushed on people.

Signs that you are burned out:

Negativity towards your job/career

Don’t worry about those harsh thoughts that you are having towards your job — they aren’t permanent.

Negativity towards your job can reflect itself in negative feelings. You might feel like it’s a waste of time or that you could be doing something better. Also, you might feel bad about taking time off but thinking you deserve it. There are so many feelings that you could have all wrapped up in negative thoughts.

Those long hours in the office are affecting you if you are having harsh thoughts.

Yes, you deserve to be in the position that you are. Don’t forget that you deserve time-off and a break every now and then to refresh yourself.

Exhausted

If you’re exhausted, then you probably feel like you don’t want to be at work. Exhaustion can lead to many things like sleepiness and throw your body out of whack. A year ago, I was managing my blog, newsletter, and social media on top of being a social media manager where I was posting content MWFSS, doing analytics, monitoring four Instagram channels, and more. It was a lot and a lot of my full-time job was taking over my off-hours so instead of 40 hour weeks, I had 40-45 hour weeks.

When I’m exhausted, my body aches and my stomach is always cramping up. It’s so weird how our body can react to how we are feeling. I hate it but it’s an indicator that I need to either slow down or sit something out.

Exhaustion is not it. Don’t strive to be underpaid and overworked because that is going to affect your health. You have to do what’s best for you even if that means taking a personal health day to take a nap.

Less Productive/No Motivation

Ding, ding, ding! This was me all last year. I had no motivation to write any blog posts because I was done once I got home from work. I just couldn’t think and my mind just went blank when it came time to write.

At work, I just wasn’t as productive as I could be and I was no longer motivated because I wasn’t happy.

I was working long, stressful hours where no day was ever the same and I was playing many different roles because of third-party agencies. I got lazy and I can admit it. There was nothing in it for me at the time. A foot should have been put down when it came to hours and capacity but I didn’t speak up and I let it drain me.

It’s not ideal to not be productive. You need to be productive and if that means taking care of yourself so that you are, do it.

Irritable

Oh my goodness, this is so true. I would get so irritated at work and it would be the smallest things.

That’s how I knew I was burned out because I don’t get angry easy. It takes a lot to really annoy me and little things would just put me in a bad mood.

If you’re experiencing this, I don’t want to say it’s normal but it’s a telltale sign. If you get mad easily from a simple task of having to fulfill a request then you might just be a bit burned out. It’s something that you can pick up on and make a note of — it’s not okay and you need to step back. I learned that after trying to figure out why I was so angry and I felt normal once I got it.

How Did To Get Through It?

Take a break, you deserve it

At the end of the day, this is how I feel about the matter. I learned that I needed to take a break and that’s how I got through my burnout. No, I didn’t try to pile things on my plate anymore because it wasn’t a good idea.

Just imagine being pregnant (first/early second trimester) and having so much on your plate — it’s not a good plan for anyone, pregnant or not.

I feel like we are part of a society that pushes working and working until you can’t work no more and that’s not cool. To be honest, I don’t think it’s cool to be pushed to your limit and come crashing down. That’s not healthy and it’s not good for you.

You always deserve a break, no matter how much you don’t think you do. The things you do add up and take up more time than you can imagine.

Shift your plate around

Sometimes you have to let people know that they have to wait and can’t be added to your plate.

If you have too much on your plate, you can weight yourself down. There is no reason to be running around with a plate overfull and hopes that it doesn’t topple over. No reason at all to overfill your plate.

If a task can wait or someone else can take it on, pass it around. We have to learn that we can’t do it all. It seems great to be able to do it all but it’s not. It’s not great to drive yourself mad by trying to achieve the ultimate status of do-it-all-er.

Don’t just shrug off burn-out.

It has been classified as a syndrome and you need to take your health seriously. The stigma of sleeping when you die and working 24/7 is played out. You need to take care of yourself and not let anything steal your joy.

Work can wait. Your health can’t.

Health is wealth, that’s what my boyfriend likes to tell me and it’s true. Your health — physical or mental is very important and you need to take care of that.

I took three months off of blogging when I burned out and I felt great. Sure, I was pregnant but that didn’t take away from that fact that I couldn’t think and I had no motivation.

I took time for myself and it’s the best thing that I could have done for myself. It’s probably the best thing that you can do for yourself.

Have you burned out? How could you tell? What are your tips for taking care of yourself mentally and physically?