Ep.13 Bouncing Back From Burnout

Ep.13 Bouncing Back From Burnout

[00:00:16] Intro

Hey guys! Welcome back to Growth on the Daily, the personal development podcast for athletes. My name is Rey and I'm your host. I'm a former competitive hockey player. I am passionate about self-growth, and I'm here to support you on your journey to becoming the best version of you. For those of you who are new to the show, thank you so much for tuning in and welcome to the Growth on the Daily community. Follow us on Instagram @growthonthedaily to stay up to date with the show. And for those of you who are back at it again for another episode, you already know how this goes. So let's dive right into the week's episode.

This week's episode is titled Bouncing Back from Burnout. So in terms of Specialties for Success, we're talking about the spiritual category because we're really focusing on self-care. Because honestly, that is really the gemstone of bouncing back from burnout. So if you are at a point in life where you just feel constantly tired or drained, it feels like even the smallest tasks take up all of your energy and you are no longer motivated to take care of yourself, then this episode is for you.

So let's hear from the experts!

[00:01:20] No Cap, All Facts

How do you know you are burnt out? Well, there may be several physical signs, emotional signs and behavioral signs which indicate that you may be burnt out. Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. So if you're feeling some of the following signs, then you may be burnt out.

Some of the physical signs include being overly tired. You might have a change in appetite and in your sleep habits. You might have regular headaches and muscle aches. On the emotional side, you may have a loss of motivation for accomplishing your everyday tasks. You might feel helpless or just have a decreased satisfaction with getting through your day.

There are also behavioral signs, so you may withdraw from your responsibilities. You might use food, drugs, or alcohol to cope with the situation, and you might see increased procrastination. So if you're feeling any of those signs, then I would definitely say make sure you pay special attention to this episode.

Now burnout has special considerations for athletes as well because there are particular causes based on the mindset that athletes tend to take on, which cause them to have more burnout episodes than the average person.

The Journal of Clinical Sports Psychology, published a study this year and they identified the causes of burnout in athletes. It was reported that "overly perfectionistic tendencies and a fixation on mistakes play a significant role". So what that means is athletes who are focused on being perfect. Not simply optimum performance, but rather always being at their optimum and fixation on mistakes. So if the littlest mistakes happen, they're very hard on themselves and they do everything in their power to never make those mistakes again.

Having that mindset though, yes, it can be motivating cuz you're trying to put your best self forward. Those expectations that are unrealistic, will cause you to burn out because it's exhausting. So let's hear my take because say you've identified that you are experiencing burnout or maybe you know someone who is, these are some steps that they can take to address burnout.

[00:03:37] Rey's Remedy

the first step is identifying the cause of burnout. Just because you're an athlete doesn't mean it actually has to come from your sport, though it definitely can. Overtraining is a great example of that. So maybe you have a competition coming up and you want to do really well, so you're training every single day and not giving yourself enough rest, enough sleep, while it's going to cause yourself to burn out because you're going to be too overly exhausted.

Or, maybe it's work or school pressures that are burning you out instead, or even emotional circumstances. So maybe there's something going on in your personal relationships that needs to be addressed and that's inhibiting you from being your best self in other areas of your life.

Whatever the cause, they're not limited to those three, but whatever the cause, make sure you identify it because that's really how you're going to make sure that you understand that, "Hey, you know what, I'm doing too much here. It's detrimental to my physical and mental health".

Once you've identified the cause, then focus on basic needs. There's no need to just, okay, let's do a 180 and get back on track. Your body's not there yet. Your body is tired. So focus on basic needs. Focus on nutrition, sleep, and physical activity.

Let's go back and think about. Am I fueling my body? Am I making sure I'm eating at regular intervals? So, you know people say eat every three to four hours, but obviously just address your personal needs. Everyone's eating habits are different. So just make sure that you're fueling your body. And there's several resources you can look up online for just some basic nutrition needs.

Another thing I would say is sleep. Sleep is so important. Sleep is a way of resetting your body, making sure you're getting at least seven to eight hours is crucial because your body's even more tired than it normally is. So it needs a lot more than you think it does.

So go to bed early, close Netflix, just close it and go to sleep. If you feel yourself drifting off and you're like, I just want to finish this episode, like it's not worth it. Netflix is going to be there tomorrow, so just go to sleep and you can watch it tomorrow.

Finally, physical activity. Now, when I say physical activity, I wanna make sure I'm talking about everything. This isn't just about training, it's just about moving your body so you're not sitting all day or lying in bed or on the couch all day.

Making sure you know you're going for a little brisk walk, or maybe that means working out for you, attending a workout class, or maybe that's training in your sport. Whatever that looks like. Just make sure you're moving your body a little bit every single. And then after you've gotten the habit of focusing on those basic needs, progress one day at a time.

And how do you do this? How do you just focus on one day at a time, not a few weeks from now, a few months from now, focus on today and then tomorrow you focus on tomorrow. How do you do that? You reprioritize your to-do list. Oftentimes we find that we have a million things to do, and especially when you're burnt out, unfortunately crossing off your to-do list items becomes so much harder.

And instead, you just feel like you're adding to that to-do list and it just becomes longer, and that's even more stressful. So that's a cycle, right? That's a burnout cycle. So what you can do there, is reprioritize your to-do list to I say maximum three items. Three things that you need to get done today that will allow you to feel accomplished.

Having those, what I call small wins is what's going to push you forward to progressing every single day and have you bump back up to your true self rather than someone who's overly tired, overly exhausted, and not really working towards being their best selves. So three items, pick three things.

Maybe it's, I'm going to, workout today. I'm going to finish my assignment for school, and I'm going to call my friend today and catch up. You've done, those three things you feel accomplished with today. Doesn't matter what those three things are, just make sure they're the most significant things that you need to get done. You shouldn't feel stressed out about what's not on that to-do list today because you know that it's going to be allocated to another day.

That's enough talking for me. So time for a quick shout out.

[00:07:41] Hold the Mic

I just want to shoutout anyone who is burnt out right now or just not feeling themselves. So if you're going through it right now and you're looking for someone to talk to, don't hesitate to contact friends, family members, or seek professional help. You can even DM us on Instagram @growthonthedaily, always happy to redirect you to resources, and be that ear for you guys. This is a community, so we want to make sure we're all taking care of each other.

And with that, let's wrap up this episode.

[00:08:12] Meaningful Mentions

 The three key takeaways for this episode are the following. One is acknowledge when it's time to hit the brakes. What I mean by that is understand that you are burnt out and things need to change because you can't go on like this.

Second is care for your basic needs, so making sure you're eating to the best of your ability. You're eating regularly, you are sleeping well. And finally, you are getting outside and just getting that physical activity that you need.

And then the third key takeaway is focusing on those small wins to get back on your feet. So having that reprioritized to-do list, making sure that you're able to accomplish what you need in a day. And slowly you'll be tackling that to-do list.

[00:09:02] Quality Quote

To help you guys this week on addressing burnout, I have a quote from author Anthon Marteen. Where he says, "focus only on where you are right now, then carefully take one step at a time by placing just one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will turn that corner".

I think that's the perfect quote to sum up this week's content with telling you guys that one foot forward is a step in the right direction rather than simply staying where you are. It might seem like a small thing, but it's the small things that add up over time.

[00:09:37] Outro

 That's all I have for you this week. So thank you guys so much for taking the time to tune into this week's episode and committing to Learn, Grow, and Thrive. Follow us on Instagram @growthonthedaily to stay up to date with the show and check out our website growthonthedaily.com for more info.

Thanks guys, and see you next week!