One of the most common stories I’m hearing time and again these days is the level of burnout people are beginning to experience. The demands on moms are untenable. Especially for those with children who are in virtual classes as well as those kiddos who are no longer going to daycare. How are they supposed to manage continuing to tend their families and take care of themselves?

The habit of putting your own needs last and everyone else’s first can be exacerbated further when you work in the caring profession. If you currently work as a doctor, nurse, therapist, or other medical profession, you may find that caring for others throughout your shift can leave you feeling emotionally drained.

Whether you’re responsible for little humans or tending patients, there is a tendency to continue making other people a priority ahead of yourself. And it can soon become a pattern that you never seem to break. Before long, you may find that you lose touch with your wants and needs. Neglecting your own needs for too long can make you lose sight of yourself, and you may start to question the direction your life is heading.

As the saying goes, ”you can’t pour from an empty cup,” so if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be in the right frame of mind to look after other people.

Here’s six practical ways to better tend yourself and ensure you don’t slip into burnout.

One – Reconnect with Your Desires

Giving so much of your energy to care for others both at work and at home can be draining. Many people don’t realize how much their way of living is taking out of them until they are feeling completely run down. Before you get to this stage, it is wise to give yourself the opportunity to take stock of your life and reconnect with yourself.

Understanding what you want from your life is crucial to your future happiness. Giving yourself the permission to delve deeper into your own wants is essential to understanding which parts of your current life bring you joy and which areas cause you unnecessary stress and negativity.

This may seem challenging on a practical level. Especially when you ponder being able to go to the bathroom without interruption. Or finish a cup of coffee before it gets cold. Yet, it’s critical that you find a few moments each day to connect to the woman inside you.

If you are struggling to reconnect with yourself and to clarify what you want from your future, be patient.

Simply try to stay tuned into your feelings. And pay attention to what situations and people make you feel lifted up or drained. This is a path to finding clues as to what areas of your life are rewarding and working for you. And which ones need changing. Reassessing the situations that drain your energy and changing them is an excellent way to break the habit of putting yourself last and to start making self-care a priority.

Two – Don’t Stretch Yourself Too Far

With a demanding job, the last thing that you need to be doing is making life harder for yourself. While there may be 24 hours in a day, this does not mean that you need to fill all of them. If you find yourself covering shifts for colleagues to help out on your day off or running errands for a friend after a night shift instead of sleeping, you could be putting yourself at risk of burnout.

This goes for moms, too. Yes, your family needs you, but not at the sacrifice of you being exhausted all the time. It’s ok to need a break from your children. Maybe now is the time to expand your bubble so that you can get some help. Or at least take a good look at all you do in an average week and see what can be left undone.

Just because you could do something does not mean that you must.

Three – Develop a Transition Routine

Creating a distinct separation between your work life and home life can be particularly difficult when you have a high-pressure role. Patient situations and things that have happened during the day can replay in your mind while you are at home and make you unable to switch off. This may feel especially challenging if you’re a mental health care professional that is seeing patients virtually.  And, of course, if you’re a mom, it seems impossible to be anything but a mom 24-7.

What the common denominator here is, is that there is no transition period built into the day.  What I mean by this is you need to signal your brain that you are shifting from the working part of your day to the off-work part of your day. Perhaps you may decide to immediately take a shower when you come in from work and wash away the day. Taking a shower can help you to feel refreshed and could be a helpful way to transition from work time to home life. (Note: for you moms, here, maybe this can be before you sit down to dinner or right after.)

You may also find it helpful to use mindfulness techniques to help you keep your attention in the present moment, rather than wandering back to the events of the day or worries about what tomorrow’s shift will be like. Many people find mindfulness a really useful tool to keep their minds focused on the here and now and not worrying about the past or future.

Four – Regain Your Enthusiasm for Work

If you have been running on empty for a while, you may find your enthusiasm for work begins to fade. While you may usually be fueled by a passion for helping others and making a difference to their lives, you may find that your energy for your work is starting to slide.

If this is the case for you, it is a wise idea to find ways to regain your enthusiasm for your career before it fades completely. There are many ways to bring back your energy for your job and to revive your passion for what you do.

Feeling like you are starting afresh and bringing a sense of newness to your working routine is a great starting point. You could begin by making work feel different, as this can help you to bring a whole new mindset to your workday. You could order new dickies scrubs by Uniform Advantage and pair them with some new work shoes to give you a real spring in your step.

Perhaps rather than scrolling through social media during a break or while your kiddos nap, you step outside and get some fresh air! Or try eating something different for your lunch break. Or set a time for ten minutes where everyone is going to sit with a quiet task, like a book so to ensure that you get adequate time to take a proper break.

These may all sound like small changes, however, they can all contribute to bringing some new energy to your job.

Five – Develop Better Habits

Working with a range of different shift patterns can cause havoc on your daily routine. And since a mom is a 24-7 job, you may realize that you often skip meals and choose to eat snacks instead. Despite the challenges of working shifts – or always being “on shift” – it’s important to develop better habits.

Trying to get enough sleep is crucial, as rest has such a fundamental influence over wellbeing and health. Try using sleep hygiene techniques to create the perfect conditions for a restful sleep. And rather than expect yourself to cook a gourmet meal daily or go without, try batch cooking so that you have a supply of healthy, nutritious meals ready in your freezer. This should help to curb your desire for quick-fix snacks instead of meals.

Developing healthy habits may sound pretty basic, but it is surprising how much difference eating wholesome food and getting enough rest can make to the way that you feel.

Six – Check-In With Yourself

Once you have developed your healthy habits and you have started to take better care of yourself, it is essential to check-in with yourself. It is so easy to undo your hard work and to slip back into old patterns of behavior. Checking in with yourself regularly and noticing how you feel will help you to stay on track with taking care of yourself and bring you the balance that you need in your life to protect your wellbeing.


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