Could this be the actual reason why you feel burnt out?

Feeling mentally, physically, emotionally EXHAUSTED?!? According to the Mayo Clinic, you're not alone. About 40% of workers report feeling this way on the job. (see the top 10 professions that are prone to burnout)

Many of you have been telling me how stressed out you've been feeling lately, and that it's really taking a toll on your health, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. 

Let's use Gail, for example, who once owned a very unique gift shop in one of the most expensive areas for real estate in town. Where it was becoming increasingly harder for her to keep up with the high overhead and the demands of a growing business while balancing her health, family, work life,

She was in the habit of saying "I'm so busy, I'm so busy, I'm so busy" anytime someone asked, "how are you?"

Of course, what she really was saying was "I'm so stressed out and overwhelmed by my responsibilities that I'm afraid I may go down with this sinking ship because I can't see any way out and I don't know how or who to ask for help!"  

As a result, she drank, ate and spent too much, moved too little, enjoyed life less often, gained weight, and pushed people away with her aggressive attitude and stressed energy. 

Sound familiar? 

Gail didn't know how to escape this soul sucking situation, and what was once an exciting opportunity to fulfill a long held dream became heavy baggage filled with doubt, fear and resentment.  

This type of situation is a prime environment for limiting beliefs to creep in, like "I'm not good enough, I can't do this, I'll never get out of debt, maybe I'm not meant to be an entrepreneur. Which only leads to more of the same self-sabotaging behaviors. 

Of course I'm sympathetic to Gail's situation. Who wouldn't be. But I'm also a firm believer that we are NOT victims to our situations....but creators over our own life. 

What Gail didn't know was what most of have a hard time seeing when we're "in our own way" .... that the cause of burnout stems from our addiction to stress hormones that elevate when we're caught up in a vicious cycle of "busy work" which then triggers our learned unhealthy habits used for coping with life.

Don't believe you could be addicted to stress? Try stopping your busy work and lifestyle habits for a week (without taking a vacation) and let me know how that works out for you. You'll find that it's not so easy to just quit being stressed. 

Busy work isn't what happens "to us", but comes as a result being oblivious to our unconscious motivations and distracted by things that either scream the loudest for our attention or are relatively easy but doesn't produce our desired result.

(I'm personally guilty of doing this by starting household chores instead of engaging more in my online community...sorry you guys 😏)

Here's the thing, every habit of thinking and doing produces an outcome of some sorts. So the habit of being busy is naturally going to create an overwhelming situation. 

The ANTIDOTE to busy work

• Being more organized reduces stress. Take inventory and look at the big picture of what you want, where you are, and acknowledge the habits that stand in the way of your ideal outcome

 

• Create and focus your attention on a daily, weekly, monthly plan of action for overcoming those habits by replacing them with new healthy productive habits that leads to the big picture vision and also keeps you resilient enough to fulfill the vision. 

 

• Follow that plan by completing the result producing tasks within a deadline BEFORE moving onto "busy work". Finish what you start and stay present when making choices. 

 

• Bring more joy into your life by celebrating the little wins. Claim your awesomeness rather than busy-ness.  

If you're curious about what happened to Gail, you should know that she made the conscious decision to close up shop. But that wasn't a sad ending at all.

In fact, after taking inventory, she realized the thing she loved the most about her shop (hosting small culinary events) could easily be run from home without the excess overhead. This choice freed up the time, energy and money needed to pursue her passion by taking on more skill development classes. She's happier, healthier and spends more quality time with her family. 

So how long will you wait to enjoy your life? Need help with taking inventory? I created this free life balance assessment so you can see what areas of your life are in need of the most attention. 

Let me know what you think in the commnents below! 

To your best life! 
xo - Shawna 

PS - My bf and I now enjoy taking very long walks with our dobie, Loki. This helps us connect with each other, feel good, and keep the dog happy all at once!

PPS - People who took this asssessment also signed up for this free discovery call with me 

Meet Loki! (and pretend I'm not looking disheveled ;p )