We will have all heard of the Great Resignation – people moving jobs, careers and industries at a fast pace. With all that movement, stress and change (coupled with the last few years surviving a pandemic) enter stage right – the Great Exhaustion.
Before I even heard of this term, I could definitely feel it in the air with my clients, friends and broader society. I think we can all agree that it’s been A LOT. Professor Rae Cooper from the University of Sydney says it’s a “much bigger issue for women” and it’s “coupled with the weariness of people after 30 months of stressful life”.
Deloitte and Mckinsey have conducted large scale research into women in the workplace over the last 2 years and found 53% reported higher stress levels than a year ago and 50% are burnt out.
As we head into September, there is also likely to be many frazzled and exhausted women who have had to juggle the stresses of life and work, as well as look after children needing snacks every 5 minutes.
If this sounds like you then here are some quick and easy tips to enter September as your best, less exhausted self
Ruthless prioritisation
I read an amazing James Clear quote the other day which really made me think
“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is eliminate the task…is this a problem that needs to be solved? Or is it a problem that can be eliminated all together?”
I think we have to be realistic that we can’t do everything and also that not everything needs to be done.
Write a list of everything that you think needs to be done in your work and life (get it out of your head lady!) and then I recommend the Eisenhower method (article linked in comments) as a great, simple way to work out the urgency and importance of tasks.
I really believe that as women we can absolutely have it all, but not to the extent we’d always want to at the same time. Something has gotta give.
Celebrate your wins
When we are feeling exhausted it’s easy to spiral into a low mood and feel overwhelmed by the amount we have on our plate.
An effective way to boost your mood and create that spark of motivation is to focus on your wins. Wins don’t have to be huge things – quite often they are the small things that we do consistently that really drive the needle.
Spend 5 mins celebrating your wins for the summer. What habits did you create and stick at? How did you invest in yourself? What conversations did you have? What thing were you most proud of? What tasks did you achieve?
You’ll be surprised with the result!
Put your own oxygen mask on first
Now I know this is an overused phrase – but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. As women (mothers or not), we are conditioned to take on the emotional load.
We cannot be our best selves if we aren’t investing in ourselves first and foremost. Looking after your feelings and health, over and above others has been sold to us as a luxury, when actually it is a basic needs.
Having a deeper understanding of our bodies and feelings is key to being able to pick up on any negative changes like overtiredness and stress, before they worsen. Spend some time each day (even if for a few minutes) focusing on your breathing and checking in on how you are really feeling and what you need for that day.
Make goals and plans
We can often be faced with ‘decision fatigue’ when feeling stressed and exhausted which is why it is always useful to have goals and a plan, so you know what you are moving towards.
Goals and plans don’t need to be lofty – they just need to drive small changes. I’m a big believer in the compound effect; small changes done consistently which then lead to large changes in the long term.
Consider your goals for the next year, break those down into 6 monthly goals, then into monthly goals of what you want to achieve in September (making sure you can measure these along the way). I also like to sprinkle in how I want to be feeling, as sometimes this can be lost in the mix but quite often is actually more important than the actual achievement.
Once you have your monthly goals then break those down into action points that you can easily slot into a to do list. Making things manageable = more likely they will get done.
Carve time out for what makes you feel like ‘you’
When feeling lost in the heady midst of exhaustion and burnout – we can often lose sight of what actually makes us feel better. A technique that I learnt in therapy and found incredibly useful is creating a list of early warning signs (feeling low, being grumpy) and what makes you feel better (yoga, running). Having this list somewhere prominent (like beside your bed like I do) is a great way to draw from and to start building in some of these activities into your everyday – knowing that these make you feel better in yourself.
Rest
Often easier said than done (she says from a place of knowing – with a 3 year old and 10 month old baby). However finding time in your day to rest, even for a few minutes will allow your nervous system to regulate. Rest is something we need to repair our systems and should be a top priority if we are feeling burnout and exhausted. Try and find time in your day to rest (or even better nap) and make sure you have good habits around bedtime and limiting screen time.
I’d love to know how you found these tips and whether there is anything else you’d like to share with others who are feeling this.
I’ve added links to what I’ve spoken about in the comments.
Until next time my loves,
I am rooting for you x