Burnout…Part 1

This was one of those very intense weeks for me. Not in the sense that I had a lot to do, but more in terms of the depth, intensity and the demands what I was working on put on my brain power. Weeks like this happen often for most working mothers and before you know it and without even realizing it you are totally burnt out. The situation is more compounded by the fact that we are still primary caregivers at home and once we get home from work we still have another shift commonly referred to as the double shift.

Based on my experience being a very ambitious working mom, over the next few posts I will be sharing more on this subject. I believe in self care first which enables you to then look after those you love and do amazing work whether you are a professional or running your own business or both.

So how do you actually know you are experiencing burn out? Well, like I said, I have some experience here. I am a working mom of three children under 7. There was a time the twins were newly born and our oldest was a two year old who took every opportunity she got to remind me that she was also still a baby (😂😂 I don’t even know how she knew how to say that).

The symptoms will obviously differ from person to person but include some of the below:

1. Waking up tired regardless of how much sleep you get.

2. Making silly mistakes.

3. Being irritated by things that normally don’t rattle you.

4. Forgetfulness

5. Loss of appetite

6. Insomnia (the opposite of 1) above

7. Physical and emotional exhaustion and general lack of energy

8. Lack of concentration.

The list above is in no way exhaustive. I therefore invite you to also share some of the symptoms of burnout that you have experienced.

In my next post I will share some of the ways I have handled burnout.