Erfolgskeks in the month of May – Avoid burnout
May’s Erfolgskeks is all about burnout. The feeling of being so empty that nothing, absolutely nothing, is fun. You have no energy at all and you just react lethargically or cry all the time. There are many signs of burnout, of a complete and dangerous loss of energy and love to live. But they never show a person dancing happily or lying on a sunny beach without a constant negative chatter in their heads.
Burnout: You have to have it, otherwise you don’t work!
Somehow, burnout has already become a status symbol. If you don’t have one, then you’re doing something wrong. In any case, you won’t make it up to the career ladder!
Please remember: If you have a career, you have to work hard for it. Really: There’s always a weekend full of work appointments or an extra nightshift. You have to give your best. Do the maximum. There is no free time, no relaxation.
We’re a meritocracy, aren’t we?
This is exactly why so many people burn out. More more more. Higher, faster, better. Another project here, a networking event there. You have to be seen. No matter how you feel right now. You put on your “The Show must go on” face and off you go. You pulled through! You get it done!
Why are so many people burning out? Why does it affect women more often than men?
This is how my client LM behaved. Nothing was too difficult for her. Somehow she always got everything organized. Worked her way up in Cooperate. Climbed one step up the career ladder after the other. Everything goes according to plan; everything works.
Then the children came along. Well planned too. Exactly 3 years apart. Perfect.
Or not? After child number two, the return to work is 6 weeks after LM gave birth. LM wants to be perfect. The perfect mother for her two children. The perfect employee for her boss. After all, she still wants to climb the ladder. There is still a management level that needs to be reached.
When her youngest child was 9 months old, the symptoms began to worsen. Insomnia makes the tired mom even more tired. She notes that she keeps falling asleep in front of her screen or can hardly stay awake in meetings. So coffee, green tea, energy drinks. LM knows this isn’t ideal, but “it’s just a phase,” she tells herself. Rushhour of life at it’s peak.
Burnout: Why do we pay so little attention to ourselves?
When LM “knocks” into me, she is completely devastated. She has been on sick leave for 3 weeks and is trying to recover. But she doesn’t want to do that. Because her head doesn’t recover. Not while walking with the stroller, not while watching Netflix. No, her mind is racing wildly. Accusations alternate with the knowledge that she has to do something. Namely recover. But how does this actually work?
At the same time, she feel so empty that nothing seems beautiful anymore. Even walking with the little daughter is exhausting.
Burnout: Get out of the productivity trap
The first exercise I give LM accompanies her for 4 weeks. LM should watch herself. Watch what she thinks, what she feels, what she says to herself. Watch how she treats herself.
She tells me that when she writes down her inner head chatter, she gets crying fits. Her inner voice is so merciless. Only now – through this exercise – does she become aware of this.
From this observation, an awareness of her situation, she can develop. An awareness of things that previously automatically took place. An awareness over the power of this inner voice.
Burnout: How do you talk to yourself?
LM revisits me after 14 days. We sort through her notes together and come up with a long list of not particularly helpful beliefs. “You’re no good!” “The others are better than you!” “You can’t even get the family on track!” “And you think you can make it into upper management! Forget about that!”
Burnout: Something has to change
Consciousness is one thing… actively doing something about it is another. A first step here, too, is a very “simple” exercise. Whenever LM catches herself in those terrible abuses of her inner voice, I ask her to take three deep breaths. In and out. The advantage: You can breathe anytime and anywhere. Yes, you even have to … except that in this case it should happen very consciously.
Change your software, otherwise you’ll soon run into the next burnout.
Observing and breathing are just the first steps out of burnout towards a more relaxed life.
The subconscious does a lot of tricks here and thwarts good intentions without you really noticing it.
I continue to work with my client LM on her inner voice. With several sessions Creatrix® Transformology®, we replace her negative beliefs with her own positive insights that are in her subconscious. Journaling again, after the sessions shows the difference.
In the weeks after the treatment, LM also reports a deep inner peace that surrounds her. “If I can’t do anything, then I’ll do nothing! And most importantly: I am able to sleep!“ LM says that she approaches tasks completely differently now. She first wonders if that’s actually her job instead of going straight to work. This helps to share the work at home and at work. Here she can delegate and coordinate so much better than if she always plays the „busy bee“ who takes everything into her own hands.
Burnout: As always: Only you can change!
No matter what technology. No matter what exercise: Only you can change it. That sounds easy, but it is a big challenge for many people.
Just get in touch with me and together we will find out what you can do for yourself!