There are so many pros to the digital age that we live in these days. One being that many of us can work from anywhere at any time we like. Another being that for those of us who have a business or want to start a side hustle, it has never been easier to reach new audiences thanks to easy access to website creation tools and social media. However it comes with many cons too.
For starters, it has never been easier for people to reach you 24/7. From SMS, to Whatsapp, emails and social media, plus all the notifications you get on your phone. The constant contact can make it very hard to switch off if you don’t have good boundaries. For those of us who work from home, we may also find that we do a lot of additional working hours because it is so easy to do put on a load of washing in between meetings, or cook, clean, run an errand, it’s living life with twice the load. But one thing you may not have thought of is the constant data we are exposed to.
So many of us have health data on our phones, on our smart watches, through apps and more. While data can be good in some circumstances, it is possible that it may also be burning you out. For those of us with a sleep tracker for example. How many times have you woken up feeling fine, only to see that the data shows you slept badly. Now all day, you have the thought that you should be tired planted in your mind, even though you may have felt fine otherwise.
Or even the 10k steps app. While it is great to get your exercise in, these apps can easily contribute to feelings of “not good enough” because on top of the 100 things you had to do that day, you didn’t reach your step count or calorie count, which leads to a vicious cycle of feeling inadequate and overcompensating in other ways, which is a recipe for burnout.
61% of Australians have reported feeling burnt out compared to a global average of 48%. Part of the reason is because if we don’t put certain boundaries in place with our devices, we don’t get a chance to switch off. We feel like there is always another goals to achieve, a sleep goal, recovery goal, steps goal, calories goal, protein goal, the list goes on and on.
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What is burnout?
Burnout can happen when we push ourselves too far mentally, emotionally or physically. It often comes about due to an excess of stress, which is almost inevitable in our modern world, and due to the feeling of “drowning” in tasks. This is why it is important to have mental health strategies in place to ensure that you continue to fill your cup to keep yourself mentally healthy.
What are the key signs of burnout?
Some of the key signs of burnout are that you may be feeling mentally exhausted, have brain fog, and be lacking in motivation. Unlike depression, you actually still want to do things when burnt out – you just don’t have the energy to do it. Many people experiencing burnout may have physical signs too, such as gut health issues, skin issues, weak immune systems and unexplained illnesses. This is because your fight or flight system has been stuck on for too long, which can have an effect on our physical health. For example, if you never allow yourself time to be a human “being” and not a human “doing” this can lead to burnout. It’s not being able to switch off from tasks, feeling the need to constantly be on, and feeling guilty if you allow yourself to rest without doing something productive.
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5 ways to keep burnout at bay
- Set boundaries. It’s a cliche but for good reason. Set boundaries both with others and yourself, if you’re finishing work at 5, you are finished at 5, even if that sneaky email comes in at 5:05.
- Pick one area to track. Trouble happens when we are trying to get 8 hours of sleep, 10,000 steps, track calories, track carbs, protein, fat etc. it’s too much and not only can lead to wellness burnout but orthorexia. Just pick one key area you want to focus on and once that’s stable, pick another.
- Take micro breaks. Make sure you take your lunch breaks and tea breaks, but even 5 minutes phone free to just regulate yourself with breathing, listening to your favourite song or going outside can bring your stress level from a 8 down to a 7. If you do 3-4 of these micro breaks through the day, it adds up. You might finish your day at 6/10 stress rather than 10/10.
- Do things that bring you joy. Yes, you may be busy with work, the kids and everything else we need to do these days, but make sure you set some time aside each week to do what makes you happy. Even if it is going for a walk by yourself or reading a book. Microdosing me-time is great for mental health, and doing it regularly is important because the chemicals we release from joy surpress stress chemicals. Win!
- Know the signs. If you can see that you are starting to feel burnt out, pull back if you can. Cancel your weekend plans, spend time doing something relaxing, evaluate if there are any tweaks that you can make to your lifestyle that can minimise the risk of burnout. Remember, just because your schedule is empty, doesn’t mean you’re available to everyone else. Take care of you first.
