7 Uplifting Ways To Feel Better When You Are Burnt Out | Self-Care Tips

Wellness

Dec 19

There’s no doubt - the Holiday season is about giving.

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But when you give too much of yourself to others, you may begin to feel extremely stressed, overwhelmed, and burnt-out. While there’s no doubt that the Holiday season is about giving - don’t forget to give to yourself too.

There’s a saying I quote all of the time: “You can’t pour from an empty cup”.

And I continue to love it because it’s such a great reminder that to show up, each day, as our best Self, we must take some time to take care of ourselves. Often, when trying to be that person for everyone, we forget to be anything for ourselves and throw our needs on the backburner.

If you’ve noticed you’ve been sacrificing your self-care lately and feeling pretty darn burnt out, here are some ways to uplift yourself and re-fill your up!

ps. these are REAL self-care tips that have NOTHING to do with bubble baths and painted nails.

Set Boundaries

Typically when you’re burnt out, it means we’ve been struggling with boundaries. You need to clearly identify for yourself what is your line that shouldn’t be past. And if anyone creeps close to that boundary line, you can identify that it’s time to say “no”. As we continue to try to please others, it can really drain our own energy.

Make Yourself A Priority, Too

Just like you designate a certain amount of energy to specific people, designate some energy to take care of yourself, too!

It’s okay to prioritize your loved ones - its expected. Saying that you are a priority does not mean that others are not. It’s simply saying, you matter to yourself, too.

Schedule Self-Care Time

Often, when we’re busy, we lose track of time and forget to make ourselves a priority and only remember once it’s too late and we’re already burnt out.

Plan a time, each day or once a week, where you focus on filling your up.

Move Your Body With Exercise You LOVE

While some may see exercise as a chore, I truly believe that movement, when done for the right reason, can be such an authentic form of self-love. It’s such a magical thought that you move your body because you know that’s exactly what your body was made to do and you want it to thrive doing what makes it feel its best.

You wouldn’t get a dog that loves to run and keep it inside all day, would you? It sounds like torture. So why would you keep your body from moving in the way that it truly enjoys!

Each person is different and your favorite form of movement may be different from someone else’s. That’s perfectly fine!

Do this because movement makes you feel great and helps you release stress. Do it because you truly enjoy the way it makes you feel.

Be Flexible With Yourself And Food

I know, especially during the Holidays, many like to put a handful of food rules on themselves to avoid overeating; but it’s okay to be flexible if its stressing you out or leading towards burnout.

Think about it: if there are 365 days in a year, 7 days (two weeks from Christmas to New Years Day) is only 1.92% of the year. That 1.92% of imperfect eating is NOT going to throw you completely off track or make you a failure.

Give yourself permission to be flexible with your diet and enjoy the Foods you love!

Write a “Full Cup” List To Refer Back To

Often, when I finally schedule self-care time, I have a hard time coming up with things that truly fill up my cup - only to end up “reading” or “studying” (basically, working and being counterintuitive). Take some time today and just write a quick list of 5-10 things you like to do that have no connection to working/chore/bills/etc., and really make you feel so much better after.

Here’s mine, if you’d like some ideas:

Pick up hot chocolate and drive through the Christmas lights
Turn off all of my devices and watch Netflix on the TV
Taking a nap without setting a wake-up alarm
Going on a hike without my phone (I use my Apple Watch for emergencies)
Booking an Airbnb and having a mini weekend getaway
Playing video games with my Fiancé
Taking a long, hot shower
Getting in my pajamas and playing Animal Crossing in bed

Give Yourself Permission To Do Absolutely Nothing

I know this sounds crazy, but doing nothing CAN be productive. If you’ve been struggling to give yourself some air to breath, sometimes its nice to schedule time to do absolutely nothing. During this time, you can choose do literally do nothing (lay in your bed, nap, and don’t set an alarm) or something not task related (like watching a few episodes of your favorite show or playing a few hours of your favorite video game).