Avoid Burning Out By Finding The Right Work / Life Balance

personal development Sep 14, 2024

There is a saying that, ‘You cannot pour from an empty cup.’ This is why you need to learn to take care of yourself. Keeping yourself motivated is an inside job. You might do an excellent job at creating the right environment and getting the requisite resources to succeed, but if you are not taking care of yourself, you cannot stay motivated for long. It is hard to keep pushing yourself to do more when your body is already falling apart under the pressure.

Achieving success at the expense of your health is not a wise idea. It is equally unwise to neglect your family and friends in the process. While it is true that sacrifices will need to be made, your health and relationships should not be one of them. In short, it will be much easier to motivate a healthy mind and body.

Pay careful attention to these 5 areas that are often neglected in the pursuit of success:

Nutrition

How, when and what we eat, impacts how well our bodies will perform under pressure. It is easy to begin to neglect your diet when you are focusing all your time, energy and resources on becoming successful. Purchasing cheap junk food might be convenient now, but you are not looking ahead to the disaster coming your way. Most illnesses we face are nutritional disorders that could have been prevented if we paid more attention to our diets.

Nutritious food helps our bodies to grow, gives us energy and helps our bodies to repair themselves. For our bodies to function optimally and not burn out, we should include the recommended amount of nutrients in our diet. There is no need to become jittery about your diet and make rash decisions. Here are a few suggestions to make eating well a lot easier.

  • Avoid foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar
  • Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid overly processed foods
  • Read food labels before you consume the item
  • Include food from each food group in each of your meals
  • Drink more water and less carbonated beverages
  • Don’t skip meals
  • Replace your snacks with healthy options like fresh fruits and nuts
  • Never try to replace meals with dietary supplements

Rest

The average human being needs about 7 – 9 hours of rest daily. Getting sufficient sleep is one of the most essential aspects of finding the right work/life balance. Unfortunately, with the demands of earning a living, caring for your family and pushing yourself to meet your goals, sacrificing sleep may seem like the only logical solution to getting everything done. Some people even reason that sleepless nights are synonymous with success.

More so, sacrifices will need to be made to reach your goals, but sleep should not be one of them. Not getting enough sleep hampers your body making it difficult for your body to get enough time to repair and charge itself up. We are basically like dead batteries when we do not get enough sleep. This means that our minds cannot function well if we are sleep-deprived. A lack of sleep has even been linked to depression. How then can you motivate a mind that is drained? Get enough rest and your mind will be ready to conceive your success.

Exercise

There are very few people in this world that enjoy exercise. Thankfully, that number is steadily increasing as more and more people become aware of exercise. Constantly feeling tired and achy are signs that you may need to exercise. One of the main reasons why people dread exercise is they fear it might be too hard. They assume that they have to start with the difficult things and then it will gradually get worse.

That is not how it works, nor is it what is recommended. If you are new to working out, first you need to start small and gradually work your way up. You may even hurt yourself by pushing to do too much, too soon. It is also best to vary your workout. Monotony will only make this task harder than it has to be. Find what works for you and engage your mind by mixing up your routine. You would be surprised how much good exercising for a few minutes each day will do.

Here are a few benefits of getting sufficient exercise:

  • Regular exercise helps to strengthen your bones
  • People who exercise often sleep better at nights
  • The condition of your skin will improve as you sweat and excrete waste from your pores
  • You will be better able to manage your weight
  • Exercise also reduces the risk of suffering from certain ailments like diabetes and heart disease
  • You often feel better after you exercise because working out releases the hormones that will improve your mood
  • Regular exercise can reduce stress

Family

Your family is your strength. The stronger the relationships in your family unit, the happier you will be. When you lovingly make time for your family despite your endeavours to be great, they will in turn lovingly support your hopes and dreams. You cannot surround yourself with the right people if you keep pushing away the only group of people who are determined to watch you succeed. Making time for the ones you love should always be a priority. This is especially so if children are involved. A child will not understand that you are busy now because you are trying to build a better future for them.

They only think about the here and now. The fact that you are not there for them can have serious implications on the kind of person they will become. Money cannot buy you happiness and all the successful accolades in the world will not make your children love you anymore. Motivation can soon turn into selfishness if you do not take the time to care for those who are entitled to your time. Plus, when you have the loving support of your family, you will have the kind of support you need to push yourself to achieve your goals.

Recreation

“People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.”- John Wanamaker
Believe it or not, recreation plays an important role in your success. While it is true that goofing off when you should be working on achieving your goals is a bad idea, recreation can be quite beneficial. Taking the time to laugh, smell a rose or even let your hair down may be just what you need to keep motivated.

A life without recreation will not be gratifying. And a miserable, depressed mind cannot focus on achieving anything. If you push yourself too hard and do not take some time to enjoy life you will burn out quite easily. Take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labour with the ones you love. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how these simple ways to practice better self-care can make a huge difference in your life.

How happy will you be when you achieve your goals when you have lost your health and loved ones in the process? Many of the greatest minds have made that mistake and publicly declared how much they regret it. Being motivated to achieve your goals should not come at such a high personal cost to you. How could you ever enjoy the fruits of your labour under those conditions? Remember, personal success is not just about achieving your goals, it also involves being happy with the result.