Some of these will be obvious and so simple to many of you, yet sometimes it’s the simple and obvious things we’ve either never considered or forgotten to apply.
1. Prioritise sleep — it really is the best defense against all manner of mental illness and burnout.
2. Sleep during the same parts of the day, each day, as much as possible, to respect your circadian rhythm.
3. Get the kind of regular rest that means that you do absolutely nothing — no doing, thinking, feeling; nothing.
4. Where rest is not available, break your days into 10-minute chunks and rest in several 10-minute periods — even on the lavatory if that’s the only quiet space you have.
5. Sleep when children are asleep; too often we’re tempted to get the housework done — let the housework go, prioritise rest.
6. Practice saying no; often times it helps to make a list of things you can and should say no to.
7. Engage in the practice of disappearing. Too many of us are too accessible. Your world can do without you for short periods, regularly.
8. When you feel your enthusiasm rise in a conversation, before you offer your help, wait! It may just be that someone else is about to offer. Or, another way of doing the work will be discovered.
9. Read this. (https://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com/2018/07/passing-mentoring-baton-with-dr-keith.html)
10. Commit yourself to a course of study on self-care.
11. Determine your sources of support and assess whether you have enough.
12. Insist upon hastening slowly; it’s incredible how rushed we can become when we’re burning out.
13. Check on your anxiety levels to try and understand the role of fear to see if that’s pushing you.
14. Determine what your BIG ROCKS are — those important things that your time should really be invested in — and fill your time jar with those first.
15. Go to your doctor at least annually for a total health check-up. If he or she is a good physician, important discussions will occur and important insights will be observed.
16. Commit yourself to a season of counselling for insight and movement.
17. Choose a mentor who has been through burnout but choose one who is open-minded enough to know your case is different to theirs. They will give you wisdom.
18. If you’re sad, cry, if fearful, seek support, if angry, find whatever you can to cool down. Be real about your emotions.
19. Audit the expectations of others. There are bound to be some that are expecting too much from your role or you.
20. If you can, go and enjoy a movie, eat some popcorn, let your mind be lost in a story.
21. Practice progressive muscle relaxation. If you need help, simply sit where you are and tense a muscle group (e.g., calf muscles) for 5-10 seconds and then relax. Don’t go so hard that you cramp.
22. Stop past a family member or friend and simply connect with them on a human level.
23. Take a DASS assessment for insight into your mental health status.
24. Journal about what you’re learning about exhaustion and recover. Get excited about the increase to your empowerment.
25. Resolve to stop pushing yourself too hard.
26. Listen and heed your inner voice; you may find you’re completely out of touch with it. Learn that your inner voice really is your best friend.
27. Stop beating yourself up for past failures or things you can’t presently do or for ‘letting people down’.
28. Give yourself the grace you would give the next person.
29. Believe in the core of who you are that you can overcome this exhaustion and put strategies into place for it to never occur again.
30. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” — Romans 12:12
31. Say it if you need to: “I will recover from this.” You may need to say it over and over.
32. Accept that you cannot do everything you want to do or feel you need to do.
33. Contemplate disappointing people. Anyone who won’t allow you to disappoint them potentially represents a problem relationship.
34. Take a trip down memory lane. Yes, I do mean a trip. Get away. Plan enough that you can enjoy it.
35. Resign from that job that is driving you to your grave. Take the leap of faith if you can.
36. Enjoy your coffee and other caffeinated drinks but limit your intake so it doesn’t have a stimulant effect, and limit intake to before 6-8 hours before bedtime.
37. Exercise. Gee, it’s taken to #36 to get to such an important strategy. But if you’re depressed you may find it hard to have the energy for it. Exercise, along with sleep and good diet, is a key proactive step in self-care.
38. Walk with a friend so you can chat while you exercise.
39. Step along the earth in your bare feet.
40. Read “Invitation to Retreat.” One of the best books on self-care in my opinion.
41. Engage in a study of the contemplatives and mystics, like St John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence, St Catherine of Sienna, St Teresa of Avila. They teach us much about the inner and deeper life.
42. Go to a funeral and receive instant perspective about the important things in life.
43. Visit a national park and get back to nature or go to a beach and take a long safe swim.
44. It may seem novel but open a Bible and let your fingers go free. So often you’ll be directed to something meaningful that brings life.
45. Nap daily, and if you don’t know how or don’t believe in napping, give it a try. Some of the best inventors napped.
46. Sometimes a challenge of mindset or paradigm helps.
47. Look at the role of guilt and shame and see if either or both of these is a problem for you. These are common problems for most people.
48. Look at the structure of your marriage and work. Are you getting enough support or are you carrying the load?
49. Resolve to write a book of your life. Not now, but sometime in the next 5-10 years. Think of other ‘you’ goals.
50. Brace yourself for further impacts if you don’t respond to your present state of tiredness. This will motivate you to draw a line in the sand.
51. Write a list of things that replenish you. It may be a short list. Agree to build on it. These activities will gradually bring you back to life.
52. Ask those close to you what they think you can do. If they’re wise, adopt what they say.
53. Take time to decide important matters no matter how much pressure you’re under.
54. Hasten slowly. Yes, I know it was stated in point 12. It’s incredibly important.
55. Enjoy this present moment and allow hope to fill you.
56. Do what you want right now.
Photo by Benjamin Suter on Unsplash
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