5 Key Habits That Are Reversing My Burnout Rapidly
A cloud of exhaustion has been creeping in on my world as of late.
I’m planning a break for early June, but in the meantime, I still have projects to work on, and my burnout has been getting to the point where I can’t remember meetings even if they’re written down in my calendar.
So, I thought it would be a good idea to be more proactive about curtailing the effects of the exhaustion that’s had the chance to build up over the course of months. Seems like a rather vital skill based on how often I find myself in this position.
To my surprise, a few key habits have started turning the tide of my well-being rather rapidly (I’ve experienced some results in a matter of days). They are as follows.
1. Walking 8,000 Steps Daily
For part of March and a good chunk of April, I had made it my goal to walk 8,000 steps per day, six days per week.
I was looking to cultivate healthy habits in my life, and I figured if I could sustain one for 30 days, I’d be able to begin adding in others.
I took a bit of a break from the 8,000 steps per day routine after April because of the velocity and volume of personal development and project work I’ve been engaging in. But I’ve been getting back into the habit again.
8,000 steps works out to roughly 115 to 120 minutes of walking per day, unless you’re speed walking or running.
This is quite a bit of walking, and it can be tiring when you already feel burnt out, but paired with other habits mentioned here, it can help to reverse burnout significantly.
2. 5 Minutes of Yoga
On a whim, I decided to add yoga back into my daily routine. It’s mostly been on hold because of the pandemic, especially since hot yoga is what I enjoy most.
But I thought, “Why not? Life just stays the same if you don’t try something new.”
To my surprise, five minutes of yoga is not only very doable; it stretches out your body and improves blood flow.
I’m looking to add some weightlifting into the routine as well, but in my experience, you don’t want to push yourself too hard when you’re recovering from burnout. So, for now, I’ve settled for some pushups to strengthen my wrists, among other things.
3. Drinking a Big Bottle of Green
My big bottle of green has consisted of different ingredients at different times, but the main ones I pour into an 800 mL bottle now are:
- Collagen
- Spirulina
- Barley grass juice powder
I’m not a health expert, but the combined benefits of these powders include achieving a more youthful appearance, detoxing, and even improved eyesight.
I always feel more energized after drinking my bottle of green, even if it doesn’t taste amazing. In my experience, some plant protein powder can improve taste.
4. 20 Minutes+ of Meditation
These days, I’ve been getting into hypnosis audios via Inspire3.
But there are a lot of great meditation methods and audios out there. The trick would be to find something that works for you. As a reference point, Kyle Cease and Dr. Joe Dispenza have some excellent resources.
The health benefits of meditation are far reaching, and I’ve even had some success recovering from emotional burnout using meditation.
Of course, I also try to get eight hours of sleep per night.
But don’t be surprised if you have some trouble getting the sleep you need if you’re already feeling burnt out!
5. No Caffeine
This has been a tough one for me, because when I wake up feeling exhausted, I tend to go looking for instant cures automatically.
But over the years, it seems I’ve developed a bit of a sensitivity to iced tea (it’s one of my favorites), so I’ve been keeping off it. I suspect I will be able to enjoy it again in the future if I cut it out for long enough.
Other forms of caffeine are also out, including soda that contains caffeine and energy drinks, even if they are the healthy ones.
Caffeine might give you a short-term boost, but unfortunately, it has long-term consequences that are less than pleasant, as I found out for myself.
Final Thoughts
Just because I do the above doesn’t necessarily mean that I feel like doing it. But I have a sneaking suspicion it will become habit, because the cumulative effects of these actions seem to support more energy and health overall, which is key to my ongoing efforts. Who knows? I might change things up a bit, but for now, this is what has been working.
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