Sometimes life just doesn’t go your way. Earlier this month I was feeling good. Things were going the right way I was feeling happier. I was feeling proud of myself and powerful. But things suddenly changed. Now lately, I feel overwhelmed. Days start to blend together. Just walking around on autopilot. How could my good feelings just disappear? Why can’t I just be happy? Just feel so tired and burned out.
Identifying
A friend reached out to me, checking to see how I was doing. I had also reached out to my therapist about this feeling. I was worried that my mind was going down the dark path again. But my friend actually made some sense for me. I was burnt out. With everything I was dealing with in my life and not having enough time for self-care, I had started to shut down. Becoming physically, mentally, and emotionally tired.
Self Care
Self-care is more important than many of us really understand. Taking some time to relax, settle our mind, and recenter is vital to our bodies and mind. Right now, I have a ton of stress at work. Projects that I am personally responsible for and really care about. Ones that are just not going the way they should. Add that to the stress at home. Worry about family and friends. All of this just builds. And without time and focus to get my mind to step away for even a minute, leads to burn out.
Burning out is common for many people. Those that work at hospitals, out in fields, first responders, and other industries that require a human being to push themselves to the edge. This is where self-care is so important. Taking the day off from work. Maybe going for a walk. Doing something that is enjoyable to you. Without this, damage to your body and mind will be lasting.
Burnt Out
Since realizing what I was going through, I still struggle with caring for myself. Finding time to turn off the surrounding worry, stress, thoughts, and feelings are difficult to do. Especially for us that have families that require our time and energy. Jobs that push us to the brink. Or events in our life that never stop coming. It is very easy to succumb to the tired feeling. To drown in the emotions and thoughts that overwhelm us. Suddenly becoming numb to the surrounding world.
Important too
Paying attention to our bodies and minds is vital for survival. Most of us will seek doctors and medicine to take care of physical ailments. But we tend to forget the mental ailments we face daily. Allowing for the damage to set in before we act. When it could be as simple as being alone for 1 hour a day, or meditating to release the strain we hold.
I once told someone that there are times that I just need to cry to release the emotional energy I have built up. Many people do not like to see loved ones cry, so they do whatever they can to stop it. For me though, it is a discharge of hidden feelings. Think of it like this. A water hose is turned on and spraying a lot of water. The energy of the water is powerful. For some hoses, if you were to suddenly bend the hose and cut off the spray, what happens to the powerful water trying to push out. That hose might burst from the pressure. And then you have much more damage and a large mess to clean up.
Tiredly Forward
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Life is full of challenges and struggles. Trying to care for your family, climbing the corporate ladder, getting additional educational knowledge, are full of rewards after all of the stress. Take the time to focus on the most important person in your life, you! An hour a day, one day a week, however you are able to fit the time in, care about you. You will thank yourself later in life.
Enjoy this video.
With great warmth,
