Before I start on this topic, I want to be fully transparent with you: burnout and overwhelm are two things I battle almost daily. Between running a social media agency and managing an online brand, my time is always running thin.
But here’s a thought: time is our most valuable asset. Not money. Not houses. Not clothes. Not anything that you can buy or earn. So, how do you want to spend your time? How do you want to feel?
The exciting news is: you have a choice, and you do have a level of control here.
But the challenge is that our culture supports the idea that “busy” is cool. It says that if you’re “busy” – you’re important. You’ve made it. Our phones invite us to be constantly plugged in and “available”. Social media rewards busy-ness through likes and comments.
The tips I’m about to share are things I’ve found to be the MOST helpful whenever I’m needing a reset. While I could use a little more discipline in this category, maybe this post will be the push we all need! 😉
Tip #1: Block Time In Your Calendar For Self Care
Taking care of your mind, body and soul should be a priority in your weekly schedule. Book a workout class or gym session 3-4X a week to maintain physical health. Attend 1-2 yoga classes where you’re more focused on aligning your mind with your body (vs pushing your body). Block off an hour in your day for reading, meditation and/or prayer. Give yourself an at-home spa session once a week. Do a hair, face, or body mask. Exfoliate. Reset.
Personally, I struggle with self-care outside of working out. I literally have to create calendar invites in my Google Calendar to prioritize self-care. But my favorite way to wind down is by taking a hot bath, popping my CBD gummies (20%off with code MARYR, and reading a book or watching the Housewives.
Your self-care is all about YOU. So ask yourself, what makes you feel rejuvenated, happy, or at peace?
Tip # 2: Create Routines
My most peaceful days are the ones where I strictly follow my morning and evening routines. Routines create not only structure, but also the time and space for you to get that self-care in. The routines I swear by are:
AM:
- 5AM wake up (no phone until after devotional)
- 5:15AM devotional, coffee, play with dogs
- 6AM workout
- 7:15AM get ready
- 8:15AM eat breakfast
- 8:30AM get to work!
There’s no better feeling than taking the time to take care of yourself BEFORE jumping into the day where you’ll be pulled in a million directions. I don’t get the feeling of “overwhelm” whenever I stick to my morning routine.
PM:
- 8PM check phone and put away for the night (major challenge for me -_-)
- 8:30PM take CBD, magnesium and turn on Canopy humidifier for the best sleep ever
- 9PM read favorite book & slowly fall asleep
Tip # 3: Sleep
Rest is essential to reducing stress & overwhelm. Get good sleep by staying off your phone at least an hour or two before bed. Take supplements that support sleep like magnesium. I take 3 Sunday Scaries CBD gummies right before bed because they help calm my mind and body. I also suggest trying a sleep tracker like the Oura ring to figure out where you can improve and hold yourself accountable for getting better sleep. Last but not least, always aim to get in at least 8 hours of sleep!
Tip #4: Boundaries with technology
Place your phone on do not disturb in the evenings. And whatever you do – do NOT sit in bed the minute you wake up and start scrolling. You don’t realize it, but consuming content and information right away triggers anxiety and stress almost immediately. I used to feel like it was my chance to get caught up and prepped for the day. But all it did was cause major feelings of overwhelm and the “I never have enough time” panic would set in.
Also, try not to multitask with your phone. This includes walking and texting, texting and driving, looking at your phone while in a conversation. We’re messing up our ability to focus when we have to constantly look at our phones.
Another thing I’ll do during my workday is put the phones away when I have a series of tasks to knock out. That quick text/DM/email response will lead you to booking meetings in your calendar, which will lead you to communicating with someone else, which will lead you to that one task you forgot about yesterday…this is where overwhelm and burnout shows up.
Tip #5: Check Out – Take Time Off
Once I became a business owner, my vacations became my new form of therapy. When you push yourself to the extreme every day – weekends included – your body and mind is going to demand a reset.
I highly suggest taking time off at least 4 times a year (or once per quarter). And I’m talking trips where you RELAX. Not the ones where you’re on a back-to-back itinerary.
Go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, escape to an Airbnb in the mountains, or take a staycation at your favorite hotel in town. Most importantly: unplug and put the phone away!
And don’t skip the spa. 😉 Book at least half a day there. I promise you, it’s 150% worth every penny and every second.
Tip # 6: Say No Thank You
In a world of unlimited opportunities, it’s easy to say yes to things that pop up. I’m guilty of it. My calendar tends to book up 2-4 weeks in advance. But I’m learning that not everyone needs a yes right now. You can easily approach an invitation with, “thank you so much for thinking of me, this sounds like an amazing opportunity, but I’m going to have to get back to you on a time I can participate.”
How do you know when to say no? Ask yourself how the invitation contributes to your priorities. For example, my priorities go in this order: 1) God 2) Family/Friends 3) Health 4) Work. If I’m having to choose whether I have the time OR capacity to handle one more event on the calendar, I first look at my priorities. And then I look at the calendar and see how many other events I have that week. If there are already 4-5 things going on outside of business hours, I make a choice based on how my priorities are looking that week.
Imagine yourself in a peaceful state of mind every day, week, month, year for the rest of your life and ask yourself: do I want to look back and regret how stressed out I was during this season? Or do you want to look back confidently knowing you were fulfilled without being overwhelmed?
We all have a choice in how we spend our time. This is your humble reminder to choose wisely. 🙂
What is one thing you can do today to decrease feelings of overwhelm in your world?