The Other Side Of Burnout

#LeadandLift | Episode 67 | Sara Geyer

Have you ever been so busy that you find yourself having lunch at your desk? Have you ever skipped meals, slept little, and sacrificed weekends with your family for the sake of completing your tasks? Our guest Sara Geyer is a resident expert on stress and burnout and in this episode of Lead and Lift, she shares her story of burnout and how she escaped from it.

Some of us think that we’ll give our best today and then enjoy when we retire. However, we have to consider how healthy we would be when we retire. Will you still be able to run with your grandkids? Or travel with your spouse? Will you have enough health to actually enjoy your life?

“Burnout for me is essentially when the ambition takes over in a way where it gets to be unhealthy.” - Sara Geyer

Sara said that she realized there was no reason to sacrifice her health for a job. She believed that she wouldn’t even make it to the finish line called retirement if she kept it up as she did.

Burnout doesn’t come just because of one specific decision, rather, it comes as a result of your daily conscious and unconscious decisions. When you autopilot, your decisions will lean towards whatever is right in front of you at the moment, and usually, that’s work.

Interrupting The Toxic Spiral

Tony Robbins said that “change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change”. Sara read this quote and realized that what she was doing was going to lead her on a path of pain and misery and that it will shorten her life. She realized that she had to make a change in order to live to her potential and live a healthier life.

The key to getting out of being stuck is realizing that it is you who’s doing all this to yourself and therefore it is also you who can get yourself out. Examine your life and strive to know who you really are and what you really want in life. Prioritize yourself, your health, and your well-being. The best way to get to this clarity is by getting a coach.

A very simple yet helpful tip is to take breaks. Set a timer every 15 minutes to give yourself some time to stand up and take a walk. Release the stress through action so that it doesn’t build up to the point that it becomes unmanageable. Take a break and get out in nature to clear your head. Interrupt the toxic pattern to prevent yourself from spiralling downward.

Another tip is to not get too caught up in doing other people’s work that you forget your priorities. There will never be an end to work, there will always be something to do. You’ve got to learn that it doesn’t always have to be you that does the job. Figure out how you can teach someone how to do the work and delegate.

Relying On People

“Something that I realized throughout my career is that whenever I wanted to go faster, or wanted to learn more, I needed a mentor. I needed someone who had already been there.” - Sara Geyer

Sara knew the value of having a mentor and the value of surrounding herself with a peer group or a community. A coach and a community can give you clarity, progress, accountability, and a safe place to talk about your struggles.

Once you gain clarity on who you are and what you really want to do in life, then you’ll start being able to set your priorities and walk in that direction instead of being on autopilot all the time.

You don’t always see your blindspots and having a coach that will help you see them will help you pivot into a better direction and break the toxic patterns that are going on in your life. Surrounding yourself with people and getting a coach is the key to breaking out of burnout.

Having The Courage To Break Free

Sara also talked about the power of having courage, confidence, and awareness and how having these can change your life. One thing that we’ve all got to realize is that we have more control than we think we do.

“Things don’t just have to happen to you, they can happen for you, and you can learn and grow from them.” - Sara Geyer

Confidence is stepping into being in alignment with your purpose, and getting that confidence requires clarity and awareness. Step into your confidence, it will get you far in your personal development journey.


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