I burned out five years ago.
Even though such a term was not popular back then, I presented most of the symptoms of that occupational disease.
I had insomnia when I went to bed, then I couldn’t sleep at night, which always made me super tired the next day. Consequently, I had to bombard my body all day with coffee to keep myself waken.
And high doses of caffeine every day only contributed to increase even more my level of cortisol, the neurochemical of stress. To me, that seemed a never-ending loop.
In addition, I couldn’t concentrate at work, so guess what? Correct: more coffee for getting ‘focused’. At the same time, my mind couldn’t handle all sorts of thoughts that got me overwhelmed all the time.
This was the moment that I experienced the highest level of anxiety in all my life.
Anxiety is fed by the fear of the future, which is mainly seen as very pessimistic. It’s a trap!
I was struggling to get out of it.
Even on weekends, I couldn’t relax completely: I was always tired. My mind was invaded by all the deliverables I had to do for the following week.
Furthermore, being part of a WhatsApp group from work had never been so bad for me. Even after working time, already at home, I was still getting work-related messages and even more tasks.
Commitment to work should never mean constant work.
Work-Life Integration is another concept that was not known back in 2017, at least not how we know it today.
We have usually been pushed always to go “the extra mile,” but mainly at the cost of our personal life.
Most high achievers, like me, are more willing to adjust their lives according to their work rather than trying to accommodate their work into their lives.
That’s why it’s all about Work-Life Integration; once ‘Balance’, as commonly used, gives the wrong idea of competition, and Work and Life are not competing.
Work is just another element of Life.
Only when I realized that, a year later, I decided to make my heatlh, both mental and physical, a priority! And since then, I have been keeping this commitment to myself.
Remember: No health, no work. Start now taking care of your well-being! If you are struggling with that, I can assure you: there’s always a way!
Need help with it? I’m just one message away! Click now here!
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About me: I’m a High-Performance Coach who uses a Neuroscience-based method to support you in Achieve More with Mental Well-Being.
