How tired are you? Before you read this post, let’s evaluate if you are experiencing burnout from work and if so, find out how to overcome it through sleep.
Are you suffering from burnour from work? Answer the quiz below:
- Are you reading this post while you swig caffeine after a sleepless night with your smartphone inches away from your head?
- Do you put a lot of value on outcomes and achievements?
- Did you wake up to a to-do list overloaded with expectations that really require weeks, not days to complete?
- Do you have a difficult time understanding the benefits of downtime?
It’s no wonder we are so exhausted. Most of the things that were designed to make our lives more efficient and our quality of life superior to that of the past are causing us to deteriorate mentally, physically, and socially. What happened to be able to do and have it all?
Read More: 3 Ways to Leverage Your Time Better
Generally speaking, high achievers tend to see downtime as being too unproductive, or a literal “waste of time.” This belief often causes them to push themselves to perform even more or load up on goals to achieve.
While this pattern of behavior can serve as helpful when we’re headed towards the end of a project or at the finish line for something we’ve been previously working on, repeated use, over extended periods of time, can become damaging and actually derail us from achieving our goals.
If you are fighting fatigue and burnout from work due to your own drive for achievement, you may want to consider incorporating some downtime in your strategy.
Read More: 3 Effective Planning Tips To Boost Productivity
Downtime allows you to experience the things you work so hard for, such as your family, your hobbies, your environment, and expressing your true self. After all, what’s the point of all that work if you never let yourself experience the fruit of it?
Consider some of the benefits incorporating downtime into your regular routine.
- You’ll have time and space to rejuvenate
- Your brain and your body can rest
- You will free up space for creativity
- There will be more time to connect with your loved ones
- You’ll have space to gain clarity and perspective
For example, one key area you can focus on to help maximize your downtime and help you win the ever-present battle of burnout from work and fatigue is sleep.
Sleeping to prevent burnout from work
Sleep is a key factor in both recovering and preventing burnout from work. It’s our body’s time to repair and rejuvenate itself from the damage accrued in day-to-day life. , so being able to sleep in a safe and comfortable environment, free from distractions, is key to nurturing meaningful rest periods.
The quantity and quality of restful sleep you are experiencing is directly related to your ability to manage stress, so it’s important that you create an environment where you can sleep comfortably, and free from distractions.
You can also include “activities” such as exercising, reading, meditating, getting a message, etc., as part of your downtime routine.
How you engage in your downtime isn’t as important as the fact that you need to do it to avoid burnout from work. Consider building it into your life as a way to disconnect from what you think matters most and reconnect with what really does matter most.
Pick your favorite forms of downtime and watch your personal satisfaction increase while your fatigue diminishes.
