How to avoid my costly mistakes.

(Originally written for Better Humans)

I hit burnout years ago after my father died.

Although I’d long made significant changes to my health, I fell back into my old bad habit of busyness. I knew better, yet I wasn’t fully prepared to feel the magnitude of that loss and my grief.

If we’re honest, there are so many things we can turn to in order to distract us from our feelings: food, alcohol, binge-watching Netflix, and even our work.

Workaholism was my weakness.

I threw myself back into my work, often working until two in the morning. I blew off self-care, exercised inconsistently, and often worked through breakfast and lunch.

I burned the candle at both ends for a few years until I finally reached a breaking point, when my health completely collapsed. (Forcing me to be nearly bed-ridden for a year and a half.)

It took dozens of doctors and specialists, and years of determined work to pick up the pieces. (Something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemies.)

Looking back at that catastrophic period in my life, I have learned it is far easier to prevent burnout than it is to recover from it.

Chronic stress can cause a domino effect in our lives — a series of small things stacking up over time that, if left unchecked, can lead to disastrous things.

My health collapse forced me to slow down and reevaluate my life.

I learned this life is precious and it’s fleeting. If we are not careful, it can pass us by in a blink of an eye.

So whether you’ve already hit burnout or can feel yourself slipping into it, I hope the lessons I learned by overcoming burnout can be a helpful guide and resource for you.
Because when we’re operating at our best, we can live more impactful, joyful, purpose-filled lives.

12 Lessons to Thrive and Avoid Burnout

1. You can’t be and do all things and thrive.

Finding balance is key to preventing burnout.

A lack of balance created more stress in my life, creating a spiral effect, leading to my health collapse. Make sure your days aren’t consumed by work, or by thinking about the errands you still have to complete. Balance hard work with activities you enjoy, no matter how small.

It continually surprises me when I ask clients what recharges and energizes them, or what they are looking forward to, and the answer is silence. Is it being outside in nature? Is it a hobby or learning something new? Is it listening to something that inspires you?

You can ask any child what they enjoy doing for fun, and they can answer you. Yet as adults, we often lose sight of what we enjoy and look forward to.

The key is identifying what those things are and adding them to your schedule.

2. Keep a “To-Don’t” list.

What we say no to is just as important as what we say yes to. Just because something is a good thing does not mean it needs to be on your plate right now. Take the time to assess whether everything on your plate needs to be there, and create a “to-don’t list.”
Taking on too much at once is a recipe for burnout. Are there tasks in your life that can be set aside or given to someone else?

3. Let go of perfectionism.

Often, the biggest source of our work stress is the pressure we put on ourselves to perform at a near-perfect level.

Instead, focus on progress, not obsessing with perfection. Give yourself grace — we are all a beautiful work in progress. We can’t expect ourselves to get everything done all the time, especially not perfectly. Don’t be paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes, and allow yourself to push off tasks without feeling guilt.

Remember you are not a “failure” if something you tried didn’t work out as planned. Shift your mindset to view “failure” as valuable “feedback” instead.

When you are able to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, there’s so much you can learn and discover about yourself.

4. Perspective matters.

We can get so laser-focused on our goals and the end result that we miss the bigger picture and who we are becoming along the way.

Learn to enjoy the journey. Life is a marathon, not a daily sprint.

Celebrate the small everyday victories and ask yourself what you are learning through the challenges. When we don’t take time to see how far we’ve come, it can make the journey feel fruitless and let burnout take over.

5. There is power in pausing.

Sometimes progress is allowing ourselves to pause or take a step back.
Rest is the antidote to burnout, and it is vital for finding balance.

Learning to be still often feels counterintuitive, especially for high achievers, but it is crucial for boosting productivity, performance, overall happiness, and our health. Rest does not happen on its own, you have to schedule in pockets of downtime for breaks, stretching, meals, fresh air, movement, and connection.

If that feels challenging for you, try adding them where you can — take Zoom meetings outside, or take a walk during phone calls. If you’re a leader, consider having regular virtual walking meetings with your team. When leaders prioritize balance and their health, it has a positive ripple effect on their teams.

“Making time for the things that bring us joy gives us more resilience against stress and fatigue and an improved psychological outlook.”

— Dr. Mark Hyman

6. Multitasking is a myth.

Trying to do multiple things simultaneously creates added mental stress, even if you consider yourself a “good” multitasker. If switching tasks is a regular habit, it can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

To stay on task, try setting a timer for 20 minutes and laser focusing on one task at a time, or setting your devices to do not disturb mode, so notifications and calls don’t disrupt you.

7. Focus on what you can control.

We live in a hyper-connected world with endless stressors. Roadblocks, speedbumps, and curveballs are everywhere.

We cannot avoid stressors, but we can change our response to them. Remember, what we choose to focus on gets magnified in our lives.

Studies have shown it’s not the stressors in our lives that are dangerous to our physical and mental health but our perception of them.

Focus on what you can control and break things down into practical, bite-sized tasks. Mindfulness meditation can help train your brain to pause before reacting and has the added bonus of giving you a chance to take a break.

8. Set healthy boundaries around work.

It is essential to create strong work-life boundaries, especially now when so many people are working from home. Just because you are receiving emails and Slack messages at all hours of the day and night does not mean you need to read or respond to them immediately. Schedule dedicated time to respond.

When you are done with work, set aside your tasks and focus on the present.
Setting healthy boundaries also includes the news and social media. We are all well aware that endless scrolling can be a time-waster and can worsen our mood and mental health. If you want to stay up-to-date on world events, it doesn’t require an hour of news each night. Try listening to quick 10-minute podcasts that summarize everything you need to know instead.

9. Create a solid morning routine.

We have all experienced mornings where we hit the pedal as soon as the alarm goes off, and the rest of the day feels chaotic.
If you can take a step back and be strategic with your mornings, a powerful shift happens where you feel more centered, balanced, and better prepared to face the day.

10. Make movement and sleep a priority.

I cannot emphasize just how important both movement and sleep are for feeling your best and avoiding burnout.

And there’s a reason sleep is a hot topic among many of the top athletes and CEOs in the world. If you want to boost your mental clarity, productivity, resilience, and level up your career, it starts with sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get 7 to 9 hours of high-quality sleep a night, and your sweet spot will vary in that range. Pay attention to how you feel when you wake up in the morning. At what number do you feel your best the next day?
Sleep and movement go hand-in-hand, so don’t neglect activity during the day. All movement has tremendous benefits to the body, not just vigorous runs or HIIT workouts. Walking is a simple way to calm and regulate your nervous system when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

11. Eat to fuel your body for optimal performance.

If you want to feel your best and prevent burnout, eating a well-balanced diet is a must. After all, there is a reason you do not put low octane fuel in a Ferrari — just like your body needs quality foods, high-performance cars need high octane fuel.

My clients often tell me they are so busy or “in the flow” during their workday that they skip meals. But doing this can ultimately leave you less productive since an unpredictable eating schedule can cause blood sugar crashes and cause cravings for unhealthy foods or leave you ravenous at your next meal.

And let’s face it, you’re never your best when you’re hangry.

Meal prepping can be a powerful tool for managing a hectic schedule. It can be as simple as collecting a few favorite recipes and then rotating them throughout the month. If that feels overwhelmed, try a meal delivery service a few nights a week. It’s amazing what a healthy lunch can do for your overall well-being each day.

12. Focus on gratitude.

Gratitude can build our resilience to stressors by rewiring our brains. The brain is neuroplastic, which means it can adapt, form new connections, and reorganize itself.
Practicing gratitude magnifies the good in our lives and creates new, positive neural pathways that can help us better manage stress. Try writing three things a day that you are grateful for or that went well. If you’re not into journaling, try thinking about them before falling asleep.

“Counting your blessings now actually makes it easier to recognize them later because your mind will get better and better at the process of building a positive and grateful mindset.”

— Dr. Caroline Leaf

Takeaway

While burnout can feel unavoidable given our busy lives, it’s actually preventable if you take steps to maintain a healthy balance. The key is finding tools that work best for you.
It can be a lifelong discovery process to gain perspective and balance, but once we learn to focus on the important things in life — our health, our passions, our relationships, and of course, ourselves — we can build a life that is resilient to chronic stress and burnout.

April Likins is a board-certified health coach dual trained at Duke and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition who is fiercely passionate about helping others live healthier happier lives. She writes about stress management, how to prevent burnout, how to get better sleep, and finding joy in the journey.

Connect: www.aprillikins.com // LinkedIn // IG: @glowbelovely.

If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, grab a free copy of “15 Ways to Say Goodbye to Chronic Stress For Good”.