Overcoming and Identifying Burnout

Burnout can have severe impacts on mental and physical health, causing feelings of overwhelm and loss of identity. In this episode, Jacqui candidly shares personal experiences with managing burnout, emphasising the importance of self-kindness and taking breaks to recharge. She encourages listeners to be patient with themselves and celebrate each stage of their journey, even if it means stepping back and taking a break when needed, to safeguard their physical and mental health. Jacqui acknowledges the complexity of pain and recognises that individual struggles may not align with perceived societal expectations. She highlights the importance of self-compassion and learning regulation strategies and awareness insights to utilise in traumatic situations.

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: U6EWJCDDX8XNCHJ7

Transcript

Intro to CMM Podcast Channel text:

“Calling all creatives, advocates and friends… Welcome to the next chapter of this ever-growing content journey. This is your space. These stories are for you. This is Community Matters Media.”

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: U6EWJCDDX8XNCHJ7 

Episode Transcript:

Overcoming and Identifying Burnout

Good evening. This is Jacqui again joining us from Community Matters Media and Community Creatives. Thank you for joining me on this lovely evening. It means so much to me that you are here, and you are listening along. So, today I want to talk to you about something that I’ve struggled with preventing in my life – how do we see ourselves heading for burnout?  

Let me start by saying we all think we've hit the lowest point we can possibly reach. I’m sure many of us remember a time where we felt so out of control that we just didn't know what to do. It's common to reach a turning point in your life, that forces you to stop and reassess, where you open your eyes, and you just ‘can't’ anymore. 

When I say, ‘we think we've reached burnout’ it's because there's so much going on in our lives and no point of comparison. Our struggles are valid and real, even if our challenge does not adequately compare; it is still hard for you and that is real and significant. 

Let me be upfront with acknowledging that because your pain does not reflect the severity of someone else's, it does not make your pain any less substantial. 

I've had some very low points in my life. Some have been obvious, some have been confusing, and some have been related to the same exact thing that I have not derived learnings from. The cause of some challenges has been obvious to me, due to moments when we are going through certain traumatic situations or a set of circumstances in our lives. It is imperative that we exercise kindness and compassion to ourselves, and it is essential that we develop appropriate regulation and coping strategies when our limbic brain is not engaged, so we can seek clarity and awareness. 

When we feel empowered by a calmness of thought, we can identify from an informed decision-making process what we need in our emotional toolkit. This is obviously trial and error. And as you reach different stages in your life, this will fluctuate. Your capacity, and your energy levels will also fluctuate, whether you like it or not. 

Our body is speaking to us all the time. When we shut out the white noise that becomes deafening and create a state of clarity in our heads, we can hear what's really being said. 

I reached these low points in my life thinking that the only way to go was up. I wasn't considering that growth and change is not linear. Let's go back and hear that again. Growth and change are not a straight line; and once we accept that, we can take pressure off ourselves. We can see ourselves going forward, backwards and even plateauing. Because yes, that is part of the journey.

After managing more than I thought was possible in my life, as I grew, I changed and as life become more complicated and demanding, I realised I needed to expand on my emotional toolkit, so it became much more comprehensive. My humble little toolkit became a booming workshop. That is why I'm committed to my emotional and my psychological journey. You know what, sometimes the garage can't fix everything. And sometimes despite everything you've tried, all your efforts still don't work. 

Be patient with yourself. It’s okay; you're surviving in these out-of-control burnout moments, and you are living as well as you can. To me when I just suddenly stopped, and I realised ‘I can't’, I had nothing left. Everything was pointing towards that for a long time. And I had to keep taking on more. And there was nothing left to fill my cup. There was no room for me. There was no room to breathe, and I lost sight of myself, my physical and mental health, and I wholeheartedly believe that if I had the interoceptive skills to identify these warning signs I have developed now through distance and silence, that I could have pressed pause, and stepped back, to see myself from the outside looking in. 

If this is you, and you're hearing this, don't feel discouraged. You're doing your best. I did my best. I'm an experiential learner. Unfortunately, I need to do the thing. That's how I learn, and that has caused me the greatest of distress in my life. But only through these tough times, do we rebuild this resilience, awareness and overall understanding of our capacity. Find that kindness for yourself and kindly give yourself permission to celebrate every stage of your journey. 

All my love, Jacqui

Outro to CMM Podcast Channel text:

“This was an original Community Matters Media Production. Thank you for connecting with us. Please continue to follow us as part of our connected, authentic community where you show up just as you are.”

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: U6EWJCDDX8XNCHJ7