“Friendly reminder that ‘doing your best’ does not mean working yourself to the point of a mental breakdown” ~ beautywithlily
Overview
Everyone wants to get in on the “hustle culture” but many don’t know how to do it correctly. They assume that in order to succeed there is no time to waste, and zero time for rest. However with this mindset there is only one possible outcome and contrary to popular belief it is not success, it’s burnout. Most people will put more on their plate than they can handle and oftentimes it's things that aren’t even trivial to their success. Why is this? It’s because they can’t say no and they have no boundaries. If this sounds like you, you’re in luck because I am here to tell you that setting boundaries with others and yourself is the key to avoiding burnout.
Knowing the Difference Between Stress and Burnout
Before we can focus on finding a solution, we must first identify the problem. It is not uncommon for people to get stress and burnout confused as some of their signs are similar. For example, both stress and burnout can lead to bad mental health, unhealthy sleep schedules, and increase in risk of illness. However the differences might surprise you. One major difference between stress and burnout is that when you are stressed everything feels like it is too much but when you are experiencing burnout everything feels like it’s not enough. When you are stressed you feel a sense of urgency but when you are burned out you feel helplessness. Other signs of burnout include feeling trapped, poor performance, and mental as well as physical exhaustion. If you are experiencing any of these I recommend talking to someone you can trust so that you can set boundaries that will get you back on track.
Maintaining a Healthy Sleep Schedule
The first of the three areas of life I’ll focus on is sleep schedules. Sleep is our body's way of storing information and repairing any damage that occurs throughout the day. It is one of the most important parts of our day and although many of us enjoy sleep we don’t have a healthy relationship with it. I also struggle with maintaining a healthy sleep schedule but I have found through my personal experience as well as through the internet that going to sleep and waking up at consistent times can enhance our performance. Also from my personal experience I know how easy it is to say that you should have a healthy schedule but how hard it is to actually keep one when you are busy and/or are experiencing burnout. When you are experiencing burnout you won’t want to go to sleep at the proper hour because you’ll feel the need to force yourself to do more than you are capable of at that moment. Instead of sleeping when you should, so that you can complete the task when you’ve been well rested, you’ll want to complete it now, leading to a tendency to overwork yourself. That’s why it’s so important to keep that boundary with yourself when it comes to your sleep.
Making Time for Things You Love and Enjoy
Another common trait of individuals who are experiencing burnout is the tendency to abandon the things you love and enjoy. You may feel like it is not that important that it will not help you succeed so why should you bother on wasting your time. However, it is in the things that we love and enjoy doing that we stay connected with who we truly are. When we do things we love, we feel fulfilled because we are telling ourselves yes by saying no to things that would have taken away from our own happiness. A primary example of this from my own life is my experience with running. I always enjoyed running however, when I became a varsity athlete my love for running slowly withered away because I kept saying yes to running competitively and no to running for the reason I started, enjoyment. Additionally, when I kept saying yes to running competitively I abandoned my other passions such as writing. That’s why it's my advice to you to prioritize the things you love and enjoy doing because when you do everything else in life won’t feel like such a chore.
Spending Time with the Important People in Your Life
Lastly, most people who become “hustlers” or in other words are burned out, tend to forget about making time for the important people in their life. Now I’m not saying make time for everyone, but I am saying you should make time for the people who matter most. When you make time for others you build relationships and establish a strong support system that you can turn to when times get hard. Having others around makes the storms not so lonely and most importantly it gives you a chance to take a moment to enjoy the blessings right in front of you. The smallest things in life often bring the most joy.
Conclusion
Saying no to others and yourself is hard, but is necessary for your own health. Never let anyone tell you that by prioritizing yourself you are being selfish because you aren’t. You are the most important person in your life, and you have the power to say no to things that will not bring you happiness, joy, or success. Saying no to others is saying yes to yourself.
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