Trill Tips — Burnout
Showing me the tiny points on the giant page-long graph, my doctor explained to me why my body just decided not to grow for 2 years, it was all because… I exercised. That was the strangest thing to hear after always thinking that the more I exercised, the more that I would be fit and grow. After all, I was doing all of the jumping exercises that my coach recommended for me to grow. But after looking at the graph, she was proved right; there was a plateau in my height the years I played sports competitively.
Now you might be thinking what does your height, or lack thereof, have to do with me? Well, I’ve come to realize that, like our physical bodies, our emotional and psychological health can easily be stymied by too much “exercise” — by pushing yourself all the time. And this post isn’t just for all of you who are in the “burnout generation” (that is you millennials).
But I am not saying do not exercise or challenge yourself either. Rather, it is really important to challenge ourselves, while also knowing our limits and knowing that we need time and resources to replenish and heal ourselves to become stronger.
After all, when we are sore from exercising it is because we have damaged ourselves. That damage, when allowed to heal (ie, not doing another intense workout the next day), does make us stronger. But if you keep using the same muscles over and over too much, you’re setting yourself up for injury and potentially permanent damage. So too with the less obvious parts of you — the parts we tend to ignore when we are really trying to accomplish something.
Here are some of the steps I like to take to avoid burnout and handling stress:
1) Know your limits and triggers, and when to take a step back for a break.
2) Make sure you actually eat and sleep! We get so focused on success, we sometimes skip the very things that are necessary to fuel us!
3) Remember to take time out of your day just for yourself. Meditate, read, take a shower, go for a walk. No matter what it is, do something that is just for you. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes.
4) Talking with others about your problems really helps to not build up so much stress during challenging times. (Try reaching out to others on The Trill Project).
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