One of the biggest signs of burnout is a “busyness” hangover.
What the heck is that you may be asking? Haha, let me explain.
We work with women all day every day and have seen some patterns over the years.
One of them is feeling what I call, a busyness hangover, after a particularly busy day, weekend, or event.
You know these days: the one where you wrote 2 chapters of your book, cleaned the whole house, completed that project at work, cooked a meal, changed out your flowerpots, etc. You get it!
You feel soooo accomplished and proud of yo-self cuz you did all the shit you’ve had on your to do list for like months!!
Or you really gave your all to this event so being completely on with everyone around you, smiling, chatting, circulating, and just being a social butterfly.
But then you wake up the next morning feeling like hell.
You don’t want to do shit. You want to stay in your pjs, drink coffee, and read books all day while snuggled up in your bed. (umm hello heaven!!)
Which by the way, IS TOTALLY FINE!!
And actually, I would encourage you to do this whenever you fucking feel like it! But back to the busyness hangover.
You know you are experiencing burnout – or a busyness hangover – when you feel any, some, or all of these six things:
- Blah or meh
- Overwhelmed
- Exhausted
- Lethargic
- Sad or emotional
- Wanting to cry or have the urge to “burrito”
This means that you have completely and totally depleted your emotional energy tank.
Like we always say, information is power baby, so knowing what this is and where it comes from is the ticket.
It really means that you’ve just used up all your energy and are feeling low as a result.
What to do about burnout or the busyness hangover
When you are feeling burnout my dear, just go with it! Lay low for the day or the week. Do all the stuff that nourishes you and fills you up. Actually, though.
For me, as an introvert, a day or two of intense one on one or emotional work in a program just knocks me the fuck out.
I have to recharge then by cooking a good meal (I love to cook), lay on my chaise with my book and my soft blanket, and go to bed a bit earlier or sleep in the next day (y’all know I love my sleep!). This helps me get back to myself in a day or so.
This approach is personalized so you have permission to just do you!! Is running your thing? Go for a run! Is crafting nourishing for you? Go do that shit! You get the idea.
Feeling this hangover is so normal and expected – we’re encouraging you to recognize it, honor it, and just circle back to good by filling yourself up.
If you are struggling with taking care of yourself in any way, we’ve got you! Click here to schedule now with any of our fab rock star therapists!