Well, it seems that ‘burnout-proofing’ your life isn’t as boring a topic as we thought! Our last article obviously hit the right note with a lot of you. So…sticking with the theme we want to share one huge aspect of burnout proofing your life that you need to put at the top of your hit parade. What’s that? Loving and respecting who you are! (What did you think I was going to say? Time management! Now THAT’s totally boring!)

We believe in the quiet power of living life as ‘mindful’ HSPs. That means loving and respecting our sensitivity. It’s of paramount importance to value your ability to feel, think and reflect deeply. Plus there is that cool, creative, slightly angled view of the world we HSPs share. Personally, the world would feel deadly dull without that 45 degree tilted viewpoint!

Now embracing your HSP’ness (Do not say that fast it will bring on a dose of giggles! We did warn you.) does not mean hiding away or living timidly. No living with the shades drawn or reclining on a chaise longue sniffing lavender as you swoon! No, nothing so dramatic or romantic! Being an HSP certainly doesn’t mean that you are a shrinking violet, au contraire, you have the power and foresight to live boldly, bravely, and bigger than you ever thought you could.

At your core you are a ‘go for it’ kind of woman.
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We encourage our Highly Sensitive, creative, and completely fabulous clients to find, respect, value and love their own natural (but admittedly sometimes ‘off beat as far as the rest of the world goes) rhythm. You need to discover what it means to dance in your own very unique or quirky style. To live life that other, dare we say ordinary, way is to invite burnout.

Burnout proofing your life is all about believing in yourself, accepting yourself and genuinely being yourself. When you do you will be amazed at how grounded and powerful you feel, you will stop struggling with whatever it is that keeps you struggling, and you will embrace the equilibrium of enlightened balance that makes ‘work/life balance’ look like a concept from the stone age!

You simply can’t unlock your amazing potential if you are always teetering on the edge of burnout. You will end up living ‘mediocre’ and we know that’s not what you were meant to do. Get ready to boldly embrace what you want, need, desire, and dream of. Get ready to dance!

It’s time, it’s definitely time, for you to ‘defy ordinary’.

Here’s one great tip:

Do something totally different today…instead of checking off all the things on your list that you ‘need’ to do, replace them, (yes you read it right, we said replace not add to) with things you ‘want’ to do.

Oh call us crazy kids, it’s radical we know, but give it a go! Who knows what you will discover!

“Today I want to….”

Until next time…Grab Life by the Crown!

I started out this year by asking myself this one very simple question:

What am I committed to doing this year?

Now for me this question isn’t about the ‘doing’ bit, not the ‘to do’lists or juggling stuff, no, it is all about the commitment end of things. To me that means throwing myself heart and soul into whatever is on my viewmaster at that moment in time. It’s about how I live. It’s about being truthful with myself. It’s about overcoming that sneaky form of fear that undermines commitment. Mostly it’s about living enthusiastically, energetically and ‘spirit-fully’ (I don’t think that’s a real word, but it’s my word and I’m committing to it!)

As The Burnout Queens we get asked pretty regularly how we live so we don’t burnout and ‘make it look so easy’. Most people expect us to list-off the usual things: say No, set goals, make a plan, don’t take on too much, and live the ‘perfectly’ balanced life! (Wrong answer! SOUND THE LOUD BUZZER PLEASE!!! )

If you want to live your life without burnout you have to burnout proof your life.
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Now that has nothing to do with sorting the stuff in your life and everything to do with YOU. Ask yourself: Are you happy? Are you fulfilled? Are you pursuing your dreams? Do you believe in yourself? Do you live consciously? Do you live with confidence? Do you understand the who, how, and why of your heart and soul? If you can’t say ‘yes’ to these questions, well that’s where burnout gets its footing.

Here’s some things to consider:

First, there is no such thing as work/life balance! You have been fed a myth with royal proportions!

Next, stress is a good thing, embrace it and give it style…your style! (What’s your other option? It’s not going to go away!)

Finally, being Highly Sensitive with your oh so fab combo of characteristics you are primed to be brave, bold and bigger than you ever thought possible. You are definitely not a shrinking violet!

There’s plenty more, but now we’re really talking burnout proofing your life. Oh we know, it’s not a stylish, trendy, or cutesy phrase is it? (We tried to think of some other ‘popsy’ way of saying it, but nothing worked.)

Burnout proof your life. It’s practical, to the point, and it completely describes what you get in the box!

Well that’s good because burnout proofing your life can mean the difference between success and (we won’t even whisper that other nasty word!). Most importantly it is very very doable! And, wow, these days, it is necessary if you don’t want to end up exhausted and feeling like you are drowning under the sheer volume of obligations, responsibilities, choices, decisions, problems, worries, fears for the future, and even all the fun and entertaining stuff you try to cram in. (Oh come on admit it, sometimes you make social plans and then end up moaning that you don’t have time or are just too tired to be social and would rather curl up with a cuppa! ) .

Now just cause burnout proofing your life sounds so darn practical, or dare we say, even dull (Never! The Burnout Queens don’t do dull!) it doesn’t mean it is. In fact, think opposite; it’s creative, inspiring, fun, fulfilling and expanding.

When you burnout proof your life you get to live spirit-fully and enthusiastically.

You will make a commitment to yourself at such a deep level that things just start making sense. You don’t even have to try to ‘find balance’ (which is like trying to find the holy grail!) your life naturally develops a rhythm and an equilibrium. You don’t have to worry about ‘finding your meaning and purpose’ (we heard that audible sigh of relief) you will be living it in small ways, big ways, inside and out. Now that’s meaningful and soulful.

So, that’s what I’m committing to this year, living another burnout free year, and that means living in full colour and being willing to defy ordinary. Oh, and have a bunch of adventures along the way. Are you ready to come along?

YES? (OK, cue the choir!!!)

Here’s one great tip:

You know it’s coming don’t you…don’t you? (Could I have been more obvious?)

Write down your answer to this one ever so important question…you could change your life with your answer!

What are you committed to doing this year?

Until next time…Grab Life by the Crown!

Holidays are one of the few times we get away and leave all the ‘worries’ behind, unless you are a ‘Sunday night worrier’ like me! From the time I started school this HSP (that’s Highly Sensitive Person for any newbies) would spend the last day of weekends worrying about Monday. Then came Summer holidays and I would fret through August as I watched ‘back to school’ tv ads! Ditto for the Christmas hols! So why should I be any different as an HSP adult? I’m not.

During the last couple of days of any holiday thoughts and worries about work, obligations & responsibilities flood my mind. My bet is some of you endure the same ones! “How much work has been left on my desk? What problems am I returning to? How many emails are waiting? Did that sale go through? Will clients remember me after the Holiday? Did I book the vet visit for January?”

Doesn’t seem to matter what I’m doing or where I’m working, the same worry-talk shows up.

The mind chatter appears, the worries kick-in and the fretting starts: tension, anxiousness, pressure, and dread. Personally, I get knots in my stomach, feel like I can’t relax or have fun and usually suffer a night or two of restless sleep.

It’s easy to feel tired at the very thought of juggling it all again.

Well, it’s time to get proactive and stop being bullied by your worries! The first thing you need to do is become aware that this is a worry pattern you regularly fall into. (Could be as regularly as every weekend!) Once you see the pattern for what it is start to identify specific worries, like: ‘When I think about getting back to work I start to worry about…or, I stress-out about…when I think about the Holidays ending’. It doesn’t matter how big or trivial you think your concerns are, if they worry you, they count!

Take time to ponder each one. (Don’t you just love that word ‘ponder’?) Are they typical you-type worries? Have you handled similar situations in the past? What’s your track record been? We just know that it’s highly unlikely you’ve been an outright failure at handling them! So, if you generally handle such pressures pretty well, chances are you’ll deal with them all at least as well as you did all the other times.

Now, if you honestly believe you don’t handle such stresses well, figure out ahead of time (which is why we are sending this out early in December!) what you need to DO to overcome the stress or the problem. Put a plan of action together that you will follow when you get back. Write it down.

You need to look at the reality of your worries and stresses in the context of your past performance. Then carry that truth forward. Most of us have a nasty way of under-estimating our ability to handle problems or pressures. The clearer you are about your ability to problem-solve and take care of business, the quicker your end-of-holiday worrying will subside.

We don’t want you spoiling those precious remaining vacation days by fretting unnecessarily! You’ve been here before! You’ve done all this before! You’ve solved it all before!

So, no big surprises except, hopefully, the gift-wrapped ones!

Here’s one great tip!

‘Tis the season of gift giving so here are a few tips to keep you jolly!

• Assign worrisome tasks or situations to a trusted co-worker or assistant to keep an eye on things while you are away.
• Plan your first week back before leaving. Have a ‘to do’ list ready so you know exactly where to start when you get back to work.
• Let everyone think you are returning a day later than you are. Use your first day back in the office to get re-oriented to what has to be done.
• Grab your calendar for the New Year and book yourself some vacation time! (Yes, right now!)

Until next time…Grab Life by the Crown!