3 Signs Your Body Needs Some Rest
It’s okay to take it down a couple of gears
I knew something was wrong when I got into bed.
I like the bedroom being cool before going to sleep. Studies have found the optimum temperature for sleeping is 18 degrees Celsius.
“I’m cold”, I said to my girlfriend. “Are you cold too?”, I asked.
She wasn’t.
I went to slept wrapped up in as much of the covers as I could get to counter the feeling.
My alarm went off and I still didn’t feel great. My joints felt achy and sore. My throat rough like sandpaper. I decided I would be okay after a shower and food. I did, only prematurely.
After going into work and getting a few bits done, I felt worse. The symptoms above had intensified and I really felt tired.
I had to admit it. I was sick. So I went home for a sleep.
How Common is Burnout?
Everyone gets sick. There’s often nothing you can do to avoid it. You could pick it up from being out at the shops or at social events.
What you can do however, is notice when you are beginning to run yourself into the ground and prevent a different type of sickness — burnout.
This is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion.
In March 2021 a UK study found 46% of workers feel prone to the most extreme levels of stress when compared to March 2020. Only 15% felt less likely to experience such stress.
It can happen when you experience stress in a job over the long-term or being in an emotional or physically draining role for a long time.
This word is thrown about almost daily to the point where its to hard to decide whether we’re actually experiencing burnout or other factors are causing us to feel that way. By this, I mean lack of sleep, poor nutrition and stress management to name a few.
You could have all these nailed down. 8 hours of sleep per night while hitting your calories and protein yet something doesn’t quite feel right.
A zombie in the morning, afternoon and evening
You go to bed early to get a good sleep. When you wake you’re not refreshed. You’re still groggy and feel like you have 0 energy.
This constant feeling of being tired is the number 1 symptom of burnout.
I Know If I Start Doing This Something is Not Right
I am an optimistic person. I embrace challenges. If something goes wrong, it’s okay. It means there’s an opportunity to learn how to overcome it.
My nature is positive. I like to think big about the possibilities my actions can have.
If I then starting becoming cynical or negative I know I’m not feeling great.
It’s So Easy To Feel This Way in Modern Life
We experience so many inputs everyday. Our emails coming in rapid and our phones buzzing constantly. With all this and more, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the pace of life and trying to keep up with everyone and everything.
Talking to the people closest to you is imperative to let them know how you’re feeling.
From my own experience, being able to notice and acknowledge when I have these symptoms is key. It allows you to manage the situation and come out the other side feeling better but also with a greater degree of self-awareness and energy management.
There are plenty of actionable steps you can take to improve how you’re feeling. I have used these and made them non-negotiable in my daily life.
The Foundation For Feeling Good
If you aren’t eating well then this is the first place to start. It doesn’t mean restricting yourself to only eating salads. I like to balance with 80% whole, nutritious foods and 20% “fun” foods — ice cream and pizza, for example.
Alongside this, drinking 2–3 litres of water a day.
Eating with friends and family while watching a movie is one of my favourite things to do. It allows you to be present and enjoy each bit of food you eat and the film you’re watching (unless my girlfriend has picked a bad one).
A Self-Awareness Habit
Journaling is one of the easiest practices of self-care.
I like to start my journaling sessions by expressing gratitude. It reminds me of how lucky am I each and every day.
There are plenty of resources to get started into this.
The Most Important Factor
Sleep.
There is nothing more important to your overall health than sleep.
I would go as far as saying its the main variable people don’t consider when improving their health.
Getting the right amount and quality of sleep each night will help you feel recovered and fresh each morning.
Why do you think you want to sleep when you don’t feel well? Your body uses sleep to heal you.
Our society makes it easy to experience symptoms of burnout. Life is fast-paced and 24/7 updates haven’t made it any easier.
Being self-aware of your situation means you can take back control.
After reading Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus, I believe widespread collective change is required to alleviate work and social pressures which are often the root cause of burnout.
In the meantime, making simple changes to your daily actions is a good place to start.
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