As I mentioned in previous posts, I have had a very busy season of life with my trip to Guatemala at the end of April, my son’s graduation activities, hosting family and friends, attending an out of town wedding and now transporting three family members to jobs outside the home with one vehicle (all while maintaining the blog and our household). I knew that I felt tired, but I just kept pushing myself except for the occasional afternoon nap.
Well, all that busyness has finally caught up to me: the tank is empty.
For the last few days I have only been able to accomplish a few things each day before I am physically, mentally and emotionally spent. My brain and body simply won’t function past a certain point anymore, and I realized last night that I have to take immediate action to recover from this exhaustion and to regain my equilibrium.
Here’s a peek into my burnout recovery plan.
Rest
My first plan of action to try and regain some balance is to sleep and rest as much as possible. I am going to bed earlier, sleeping later, and doing the bare minimum at home. Thankfully my children can help, but if you have young children, it’s time to call on friends and relatives to help out.
Drink
No, not alcohol. 🙂 One of the best ways to help your body cope with stress is to stay hydrated. I normally try to drink six to eight glasses of water a day, but in all the busyness I have not kept up very well. I am determining to make this a top priority now. (Click here to see my DIY Drink Reminder Magnets to help you keep track of your water intake.)
Have Fun
I normally try to include fun in my life on a weekly basis (see my Weekly Plans here), but this week I am spending as much time as possible doing activities that replenish me like art journaling, reading, listening to worship music, spending time outside and watching a few good movies.
Unplug
I will be taking a break from technology which includes taking a couple of days off from the blog (my virtual assistant will be posting the gluten free deals tomorrow and the freebies on Friday). Thank you for your patience.
It feels very unprofessional to publicly admit where I am, but I am hoping by doing so that I will encourage you to take better care of yourself too. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy some of the Taking Care of You Posts (click here) from the past to help you prevent burnout.
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Kimberlee,
Thank you for acknowledging that this does occur enough to title the post as you did! I am a single mom with three children and I’ve been crying out for understanding and help that I am in burnout, need of help and no one seems to believe me. What do you suggest for me and those of us who just don’t have the option to refuel?
It’s like people don’t believe me and I have to convince them that I am burned out, live daily burned out….? I also do not have family or an ex husband to help carry it all nor do I have a group of support that gets where I’m coming from.
Thank you for setting an example and a pass that’s its okay to need to unplug every now and then! Ashley
Hi Ashley-
I am not a single mom, but I have friends who are and it is a super tough job. My suggestions would be to get your kids on a schedule so that you can have some “free time” during the day. For example, when my children were younger they had “rest-time” in their rooms while the baby slept. They could read, listen to music or books on tape, or as they grew older, play quietly with toys that were only taken out during that time. This gave me a little peace every afternoon when I could regroup. Speaking of rest time, make sure that you are doing everything possible to get enough sleep each night. That will make a HUGE difference!
Another idea is to find friends who have children that you can trade babysitting with, or friends with teen girls who babysit that you can barter with. I once tutored a homeschooled teen in exchange for babysitting services. You could also check local churches to see if they have affordable mother’s morning out programs.
Finally, I would eliminate as much as possible. No volunteering at your kids’ school for example, until you can get to a place where you feel more rested. Hope you feel better soon. 🙂
I could list a lot, but these will do. School ended, vacation for a week, husband broke his toe, summer school started, vbs, stomach bug hit our house in full force.
I was trying to run a station at vbs, maintain the house, take my husband to school and work, take care of sick kids and stray dog my son brought home, and deal with broken toe husband. Then I got sick, but still kept going. I stopped when I was at vbs and ended up passing out from being too tired and dehydrated because I was SICK. That was two days ago.
Then my husband got sick. No rest for the weary! I think I need to ask for some help. I am exhausted and overwhelmed, don’t even know where to start right now. Thanks for the encouragement to do something about it.
That sounds rough! I’m glad you are going to take care of yourself (and yes, ask for help :)).
I often get this way, and you deserve every bit of rest! Us moms need some rest even if we don’t think we do. I often go and go until I nearly collapse myself…and pay for it dearly. Vitamins help a lot!!!!!!! And staying hydrated! We all will be waiting for you when you are well rested and rearing to go!!! I know you are an inspiration to us all. Take care.
Praying you get the best sleep of your life and that you’re feeling better soon.
Don’t let yourself feel unprofessional Kimberlee, it’s just being honest and real. That is what makes you a person your readers can connect with. That is why I come to your blog. Take care of yourself, rest up and most of all enjoy your family.
Thanks for sharing honestly. Just because you are a super person doesn’t mean you have to be Super Woman. Take off that cape and put your feet up. Once your cup is full again, you can help others.
Being open and honest with us readers is what keeps us coming back. Take care!
Nothing wrong with that at all! I hope you can start to feel rested and rejuvenated again soon!
Good for you! I pray your time this week is restful, relaxing, and full of joy!
I could have written this myself. Here’s to hoping I can learn from your openness and do the same for myself!
This is the third time this week this thought of taking a break has crossed my path. Maybe you aren’t the only one who needs a break 😉 Take care of yourself!
No need to feel guilty about where you are and what you need to do to move forward. Hope you are able to get some much needed rest.
Megan
Good For You! To often Mom’s do not stop to take care of themselves or do we admit we need a break. Hope you will feel recovered soon.
You sound exactly like I did a year ago. When I was finally able to drag myself out of bed for a check up, I was found to have hypothyroidism. A day or two of medication and I was back as good as new. Get yourself checked out by your doctor.
You are certainly not unprofessional! I respect you for being honest enough to share your struggles, which I think many of us moms go through on a routine basis.
I hope you can recover your equilibrium quickly. Thank you for all that you give and do! You help and encourage me and I appreciate it.
Praying for rest and peace for you my friend. Miss ya… hope to get to see you sometime this summer!!
You are doing exactly what you should be, and need to be doing. I appreciate your willingness to admit it, because so many of us just keep on going, and that really isn’t the healthiest thing for us or our families. Rest and rejuvenate!
Vitamins! I notice if I miss more than a day or two.
Blessings.
I get this way too. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of people to help with my five kids and I’m a single mom. So, what I do is “good enough is good enough.” Unless my kids are really dirty, I skip baths for a night. I do the take out run for dinner. I let things go and make sure I get some rest. It makes a world of difference. God bless.
Carrie,
I am so thankful for her post and your response. Wow…5 children and a single mom. With no other family or ex to help.!!
How do you do it?
I live in burnout mode and have 3 children. I can’t seem to find others in my community who get, really get, how difficult this is and understand that I too require times of rest and desperately need others tangible, physical help…emotional support and love.
I don’t know what your financial situation is but money in this situation makes all the difference. Do you work outside of the home? Do you have any assistance financially, as in child support or others giving? I am certain money does not bring happiness but it does allow you to meet basic needs and keep balance to avoid burnout.
I feel that I’m not allowed to be burned out. When I’ve tried to communicate that I need help or a break or that I’m beginning to feel a nervous breakdown coming, the response I generally get is silence.
I would so appreciate any feedback. Thank you, I feel like I’m not alone in this so much…. Ashley
Hi Ashley- I am so sorry that you are not feeling heard by those around you. You don’t mention if you are married or not, but if your husband cannot care for the children while you do something to take care of yourself perhaps you can find a church with a Mother’s Morning Out program or a friend with whom you can trade babysitting.
I have personally found that I feel burned out when I have said “yes” to too many things. I have to take care of myself by setting boundaries with my family and friends. For example, I have to schedule all of the necessities for taking care of myself, my home and my family first, and then if there is extra time and energy, I can say yes to outside activities. I even have to tell my husband “no” sometimes when I need to rest or take care of a responsibility rather than going to a fun event that he has planned.
It is difficult to say “no”, but essential. You can read this post for some ideas on how to say “no” gracefully. 🙂
This just makes you real….i hope you get some well deserved rest!
Thanks for all you do. You need to take care of yourself . Love your blog but can’t imagine how you manage all you do. When you can blog ,ill be reading it, but don’t stress yourself out. Do what you can and everyone should be grateful for all the time and effort you have given thus far.
I think most people agree that we respect you more for admitting it , we as women are afraid to show weakness , you are human and deserve to rest,Its ok to take a break and fix yourself. 🙂