Burnout is real. The Mayo Clinic talks about signs of job burnout here. But we get it in exercise, too. When we find our workouts end up giving us less overall energy, when we stop making progress, when everything hurts, when we can’t sleep well or recover well, we might be looking at a burnout situation.
Usual disclaimers here: I am not a doctor, physical therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or nutritionist. Those are useful professionals to consult. My specialty is exercise.
The first thing we want to do when we suspect burnout is to stop. Yes, I know this is very very hard. We have real pressures to keep going. There are a couple of ways to address those pressures. One is to be countercultural by remembering that we are valuable intrinsically, not just because of what we do or accomplish. Another is to Jedi mind-trick ourselves by remembering that taking a break now will improve our overall productivity. Maybe we use both?
How long we stop will depend. We need to take a moment or two, while we’re not doing All the Things to take stock of the situation. Here are a few questions to ask:
Am I eating foods that are good for me? In appropriate quantities?
Am I getting enough sleep?
Am I having any fun?
What is important to me?
The answers to those questions might reveal some interesting pathways to get out of the burnout hole. We can’t get anywhere without decent fuel. We require rest. Not everything has to be difficult and painful and unpleasant. Some things that we do might not be in line with what we really want.
We only get one life. Let’s do our best with it.
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