How to Lead When You are Burnt Out
The Balancing Act for Boss Women
“There is no such thing as balance!” shouted one of my clients.
How could there be?
There isn’t enough time in the day to do everything!
I haven’t got enough energy to do everything I need to.
I am burnt out at both ends of the candle.
I have no time for the gym or the things I used to love doing to stay active.
My social life is non existent and the relationships that I do have are suffering.
Spare time - what’s that? - Are you hearing me? I’ve only got time for work.
Take a break? How do you expect me to do that. I just told you I am very, very busy.
I am also adopting a puppy this weekend!
I am feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
If this sounds all too familiar, then you’re probably juggling 20 balls in the air and heading for burn out. Intellectually, you know that this is not how you want to run your career or your life, but you’re in a vicious and depleting cycle that you can’t get out of.
If you don’t address this right NOW, you’ll slide further into low energy, frustration, poor focus, a negative mindset, emotional overwhelm, and eventually full-blown burnout (along with all its unpleasant consequences).
So how do you get off of this road of flames?
Start prioritising and investing in your health.
I cannot emphasise this enough. If you don’t invest in your health and make it your main priority your body shall speak for you and start shutting down.
Say Yes to my health. Health is wealth. And it grows the same way: consistently and intentionally.
So what does this look like:
Build a New Awareness of Your Health
Make an appointment with your GP.
It sounds simple but I can’t tell you how many clients I have to remind to take this step. They are great at looking after others but are just not wired to take care of themselves.
Please book that appointment and discuss your:
High levels of fatigue,
Lack of sleep,
Anxiety levels,
Difficulty concentrating,
Anything else that’s not quite right.
Get some medical support. That’s part of leadership too.
2. Rediscover What Fuels Your Energy
You may want to use a journal to record some of your findings.
A few areas to discover and rediscover are:
NUTRITION - what gives you energy? What depletes your energy?
HYDRATION - How are you hydrating your body throughout the day?
ACTIVITY - Are you active at least 5/7 days a week for 30mins?
DECOMPRESS - How do you decompress or transition from work to home life?
FYI - Going to the pub is not decompressing.
RELAXATION - What time do you dedicate to daily unwinding?
If you’re telling yourself that you definitely don’t have time to do this - then this is probably something that you need to prioritise above all else.
If you’re not refuelling yourself properly and consistently your output and engine - your body will stop functioning.
The Bugatti Analogy
I like analogies, and this one resonates with my clients.
Imagine you buy a beautiful car, let’s go for a red Bugatti. You are so excited about it! You’ve been saving for a while, and now the time has come! It’s everything you wanted in a car.
You get into the car and you drive to all your friends' places to show them your new purchase. Then you take it to a race course to test its speed.
After a while, a warning light comes up, “low fuel.” But you decide to ignore it because:
Because this car is powerful and you can push it to its limits.
Because you’re so busy doing things with the car and you don’t want to stop or lose momentum.
Because you’ll deal with it later.
The warning light flashes again and again but you keep ignoring it, because in your head you’ll soon tend to the issue and fill up the car.
Then one day you’re driving your Bugatti to a large leadership conference where you are one of the main speakers. All of a sudden your Bugatti comes to a grounding halt.
You’re incredibly annoyed with the Bugatti because you spent so much money on it and it has now let you down. Not only has it let you down but now it has highly inconvenienced you at a critical day in your work life.
The point is that if you don’t take pit stops to check out your metaphorical tyres, engine, brakes, and/or level of fuel - You shall reap the adverse consequences.
Awareness → Discovery → Action → Responsibility
Getting out of the burnout lane requires you to take the first step of AWARENESS of SELF and ask yourself whether you are contributing to your health and moving towards balance or being self destructive where you continue to people please and choose martyrdom towards the career flames and so becoming burnt out.
Through coaching with me, I show you how to move from Awareness to Self-Discovery, then into taking Action, and finally to a place of Responsibility, where you take ownership of your career and life.
I will guide you through turtle steps, a tool I learnt a long time ago from Dr Martha Beck which is just as effective today. These turtle steps make change manageable, not overwhelming, enabling you to experience the benefits of taking different actions in order to transform.
Finding Your Form of Balance
Balance looks different for everyone.
As you move toward your version, you’ll witness bigger forms of transformation in your life and regain your humanness and heightened energy in a consistent manner.
You’ll shift from being a constant DOER (juggling until your arms fall off), to someone who can also live in the domain of BEING.
Let’s move away from human doers and return to our natural homeostasis: human beings.
Finding your balance is well worth the journey!
It enables you to return to being a human being where you are able to breathe slowly, be impactful in your career, make happy memories in your relationships, enjoy spaces, and find time to be you - without feeling guilty.
Ready to Step Into Your Own Balance?
If you’re tired of running on empty and you know it’s time to reclaim your energy, confidence, and clarity, this is your moment to shift gears. Work directly with our CEO, Chitupa, and get the personalised coaching and support that helps you move from burnout to balance.
Start your coaching journey with Chitupa today.
