5 Baby Steps to Recovery from Severe Burnout
I will be sharing 5 baby steps to help you with recovery from severe burnout. These steps will help you at a basic level to recover emotionally and mentally from burnout. Should you need further help, consider seeing a medical professional.
I will be sharing 5 baby steps to help you with recovery from severe burnout.
You know you are are having burnout if
you have no motivation AT ALL to do work
you are filled with extreme dread at the thought of going to your workplace
you feel like breaking down in tears for no solid reason (break down in tears if you have to - it will clear some of your stress away)
if you still force yourself to go to work, you realise that you are doing work extremely slowly, walking slowly and doing things at a slow pace because you are ‘checked out’ mentally
you have body aches, stomach pains or other physical ailments
This post does contain affiliate links to products I love - so I may earn a small commission if you purchase or take action with any of the links below! This helps me to keep this blog free of charge for you.
Step 1 to Recovery from Severe Burnout : Take a day (or week) off
I know taking a week off sounds indulgent. Sometimes, a day off will do.
However, if you are a workaholic or someone who thinks of work 24/7 (hello, self-employed buddies), you will need a whole darn week off.
And during this week (or day) off, our minds have to be clear from anything work-related.
This means indulging in your favourite dramas, cooking all day, having delicious long naps, resting and doing nothing - the works.
Please don’t check your work emails, read anything work-related or read work-related WhatsApp messages.
You may be tempted to do that ‘tiny little tweak’ to your work assignment during this day off but refrain if you can.
When we have a proper 100% day off, we will be more creative and feel refreshed to continue with work the next day.
It’s worth it.
Step 2 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Do a Tech Detox Every Hour
A tech detox is so helpful during burnout. How do we do this?
You can discipline yourself to check your phone only once every hour. At 12pm, 1pm, 2pm…you get the idea. And you will only be checking for urgent calls, urgent messages or urgent emails.
No scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. If the temptation is too strong, be intentional about what you are scrolling for.
For example, you will only go to Person XXX’s IG Stories because you are a fan of her lifestyle. Or you will check out Person ABC’s updates because you are a fan.
This means no mindless scrolling!
Step 3 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Go out in nature or work out at home
People underestimate nature a lot. Going out for a walk amongst greenery can give us so much perspective and calm.
If the weather is bad, you can do a yoga work out at home via YouTube streamed to your TV.
Being phone-free for an hour whilst working out does magic for those with anxiety issues. We are spoilt with thousands of free workout videos online.
My only advice is to pick the workout video way BEFORE you start the workout. This will prevent us from endless scrolling before we start the exercise.
This scrolling will make it even harder to start working out because, well, the couch will feel too comfortable after some time.
Step 4 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Get in touch with your creative side
Everyone has a creative outlet she enjoys.
It can be writing, creating worksheets, mindful colouring with adult colouring books, decorating pretty planners, dancing, writing with journal prompts, trying a new makeup technique or designing something on PhotoShop.
Doing a creative project you enjoy will ensure you are present in the moment and helps clear your mind.
Step 5 to Recovery from Severe Burnout: Have an intuitive No-Plans Day
This is my favourite strategy. Have no plans at all and literally do what you feel like doing. Warning: This requires self trust and flexibility.
Feel the urge to go to the park at 2pm? Go for it. Felt the urge to open up your Word doc to write for hours? Do it. Feel like having an impromptu meetup with friends tonight? Go ahead. Feel like cooking an 8-course vegan meal? Do it!
I love Intuitive No-Plan Days - because every day will be unique. You will be living solely in the present which is very relaxing (instead of worrying about the future all the time).
Every day can surprise you because you will have different wants and desires every day. You never know where the day takes you.
Do you have fresh ideas for recovery from severe burnout?
If you have other ideas for recovery from severe burnout, please drop me a comment below!
Should you feel that taking time off from work does not help your burnout, consider seeing a medical professional or a counsellor to untangle any emotions or negative thought patterns you may have.
Have a good week!
Shikah
7 Top Self Care PDF Worksheets for Adults for Good Mental Health
I’ll be sharing 7 of the best self care PDF worksheets for adults for you to feel calmer when overwhelm and anxiety hit you. When you are this close to hitting burnout, it’s time to choose any of these worksheets and start journaling away!
I’ll be sharing 7 of the best self care PDF worksheets for adults for you to feel calmer when overwhelm and anxiety hit you. When you are this close to hitting burnout, it’s time to choose any of these worksheets and start to journal away!
When do we need to practise self-care?
In this blog post, I shared 7 cues for you to know when you should start caring for yourself.
If you have A FEW of these 7 thoughts running through your mind, it’s time to nourish yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.
You can create your own DIY Self Care Kit like this one which is great fun.
But for some of us, we need to pen down our worries and stresses on paper.
The 7 self care PDF worksheets below are perfect for this!
7 of the Best Self Care PDF Worksheets for Adults
I scoured through the Net to hunt down the most effective self care PDF worksheets for adults.
I use my intuition and counseling experience to decide which of the hundreds of self care PDF worksheets floating around the internet will be most effective for us.
These are 7 great self care worksheets I found:
Self Care Action Plan from SeeTheTriumph blog
A lovely Self Care Pack from LovelyHolisticLiving.com
Self Care Plan from ilovenamaste.com
Daily Self Care Worksheet from BlessingManifesting
Self Care Bingo Printable from OurMindfulLife.com
A Self Care Wheel for self care ideas and inspiration
Self Care Bullet Journal Templates from LifeisMessyandBrilliant.com
Do you have (paid or free) recommendations for self care worksheets for adults?
If you have GREAT self care worksheets to recommend (paid or free), feel free to comment below!
Meanwhile, take care and have a good week.
Shikah
Free Printable Beauty Maintenance Checklist (for Self Care and mental health)
I’m sharing a beauty maintenance checklist for your self care and mental health. Self care worksheets for adults like this are getting more popular because our lives are getting more hectic! This can be part of your PDF self care kit (time to start one if you haven’t!).
I’ve created a beauty maintenance checklist with self care in mind. Self care means to nourish our emotions, body and mind. So this beauty maintenance checklist can be part of your personal self care kit in PDF form.
7 Signs that you need self care now
According to this ‘extreme’ self care book (affliate link!) there are 17 signs which show you need self care badly.
I will share 7 of the 17 signs which I feel are relevant to us.
You need self care right this second if you have a few of these thoughts:
“It’s rare to relax or to enjoy things that are fun.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep.”
“I hate disappointing people.”
“I give in to others because it makes me feel needed, important or worthy.”
“I often feel like I’m living my life for everyone else.”
“When I’m overwhelmed, tired, or stressed, I rarely think to ask for help.”
“I sometimes feel foolish about the ways in which I’ve put the needs of others before my own.”
You can find the other 10 signs that you need self care in this self care book.
By the way, I may make a small commission if you decide to take action or purchase anything using the affiliate links above. No extra cost to you!
Beauty therapy and self care
You can read about the link between beauty and self care from this blog post.
Women have been using beauty routines as self care since forever.
Massaging our face, a thorough body scrub after a long day, a skin-softening bubble bath, pampering our hair with luscious masks, layering a mask on our faces and resting are all examples of beauty and self care.
What is a beauty maintenance checklist?
A beauty maintenance checklist is a list of beauty habits to keep ourselves looking and feeling good. It’s no secret that when we look good, we feel good!
A beauty maintenance checklist tracks the days which you exfoliate, mask, wash your hair or anything else you wish. It makes sure that you are clean, fresh and lookin’ good even when your life is hectic as heck!
How does a beauty maintenance checklist give us self care?
A checklist gives us some sort of control in our lives.
During times when you feel like life is spiraling out of control, focusing on what you CAN control will empower you.
Feeling empowered is mental and emotional self-care. Besides, having a healthy and glowing skin is a triple bonus!
You can also have a checklist for your meals, a fitness checklist or a self care checklist. You can easily find these online.
I’be created a blank beauty maintenance checklist for you and one more with suggested beauty maintenance activities. These activities will give you some beauty self care ideas.
Want more free beauty maintenance checklists for self care?
1) Beauty Routine Checklist from LifeMadeBlog
2) Skincare Routine Tracker from AlibiDesignStudio
Download the beauty maintenance checklist below
Share this blog link via Facebook so we can all keep ourselves in tip top shape mentally, physically and emotionally when times are rough.
Have a good week!
Shikah
Top 7 Intentional Living Worksheets to Live a Purposeful Life
I’ve chosen 7 top intentional living worksheets for women so you can live on purpose today! You can download these intentional living coaching worksheets instantly and some of them are full of creative intentional living tips and ideas to inspire you.
I’ve chosen 7 top intentional living worksheets for women so you can live on purpose today! You can download these intentional living coaching worksheets instantly and some of them are full of creative intentional living tips and ideas to inspire you.
Why do we need an intentional living worksheet?
An intentional living worksheet can force us to think and take things slow when the world around us is moving at breakneck speed. Intentional living means living according to your purpose and values as much as you can.
We can’t be intentional 100% of the time. Tiredness, life problems and work deadlines can bust our intentional living goals.
You actually can start your intentional living journey the right way for free. Hear me out: if you get the FREE 30-day Audible trial, you can get an intentional living audiobook for FREE too. Sweet,yes?
I may make a small commission if you decide to take action or purchase anything using the affiliate links below. No extra cost to you!
It’s just 1 way for me to make a small income so I can keep providing you with valuable life-changing + life coaching advice.
✅ FREE 30-day Audible trial. If you can get THIS intentional living audiobook for free with your also-free Audible trial, grab it because it’s worth every non-existent penny you spend!
Ready for my list of top 7 intentional living worksheets? Read on!
Top 7 Intentional Living Worksheets for a Purposeful Life
Ready to start intentional living?
Living intentionally means being purposeful about our health, relationships, work and even hobbies.
The greatest reward? A more contented and happier you.
And placing happiness on relationships and experiences (which is the most memorable and joyful type of happiness in my opinion!).
Meanwhile, have a good week ahead!
Shikah
21 Journal Prompts to Build Your Self Worth Instantly
You will get 21 journal prompts to boost your self esteem in this blog post. These journal prompts are to do be done everyday for 21 days. You will have higher self esteem and self worth at the end of 21 days!
I will be sharing 21 self worth journal prompts to help you feel worthy of all the wonderful things life has to offer.
The meaning of ‘self worth’ in simple terms
Many have asked me whether self esteem and self worth are the same things.
Self-worth is how much you value yourself without your looks, your job, your achievements.
Self-esteem is how you think and feel about yourself and this is usually linked to your achievements, contributions and your work.
I would think that having a strong self worth is priceless. Should you be fired from your job or lose your abilities, will you still think of yourself as worthy? Or useless?
If you are curious to know whether you have low or high self esteem, you can take a reliable and easy test here.
Why these self worth journal prompts work
These self worth journal prompts force you to come up with answers to questions you avoid.
We avoid certain self worth questions because we don’t feel comfortable admitting that we have good qualities.
Sounds ironic? But some of us suffer from self worth wounds which are that deep.
If you can’t accept that you are made of wonderful qualities, ask yourself: “What is wrong with admitting that we are caring, loyal, generous, understanding, (insert other good characteristics you have) etc?”
Maybe you are afraid of people seeing you as boastful. Or as a show-off or an overconfident prick.
Or perhaps you are afraid of being wrong. What if you think you are ‘caring’ but other people don’t agree? That is horrifying.
My advice is: Everyone has their own opinions about you. Some people think you are arrogant when in fact you are shy.
Some may think you are lazy when in reality, you are highly anxious about taking action towards something.
So go on and toot your own horn. Accept that you have many, many good qualities within you. (And so do most other people. It’s nothing to be shy about.)
How to do self worth journalling prompts and boost self esteem the right way
If you are a beginner to journalling, you may find this how-to video helpful!
21 days of self worth journal prompts to boost your self esteem and self worth
Spend 5-10 minutes per question per day. The longer you allocate for these prompts, the better your answers will be.
Day 1: If your confidence increases by 20%, how would your life be different?
Day 2: If you have no fear, what will you be doing today?
Day 3: Who are 3 fearless women whom you admire? (They can be celebrities or people you know)
Day 4:If you do not care what people think, what will you be doing today?
Day 5: What can you do not to care about what other people think of you?
Day 6: What qualities do you have which you admire in other people?
Day 7: What are 3 talents or skills you have which you are proud of?
Day 8: What are 3 of your proudest achievements? (You can create your own success log here)
Day 9: Who are 3 people whose lives will be greatly affected if you are not around?
Day 10: If you visualise yourself as the woman you aspire to be, how would you act or dress differently today?
Day 11: What is one thing you are fearful of, but want to overcome?
Day 12: Name one thing you are envious about in another woman. (I’m referring to healthy envy, not jealousy!) What can you do to get there?
Day 13: I challenge you to ‘love what is’ today. This means loving your less than perfect apartment, appreciating not having a job at the moment, loving the fact that you have no plans today etc. Just love today the way it is. How does it make you feel?
Day 14: What is one thing you want badly in your life? What can you do to get that thing?
Day 15: What skills or talents do you have which people will pay for? Who are the people who have made money this way? How do they get successful doing this?
Day 16: List 10 activities which always put you in a good mood. Who are the people involved?
Day 17: What do you think is your bigger purpose in life? What can you do effortlessly which makes people feel good or make the world a better place?
Day 18: What do people compliment you about? If you can’t think of anything, ask trusted people what they think are your good qualities.
Day 19: Take a piece of paper and write your good qualities on it in full sentences. Give yourself 5 minutes for this exercise.
Day 20: Write a letter to a younger version of yourself (10 years younger). What are the good things which have happened over the years? How have your life and self esteem improved? What advice would you give your 10-years-younger self? (You get the idea)
Day 21: What are 3 of your ‘weaknesses’? How can your ‘weaknesses’ be useful or be seen as strengths? (You can also do this thoughts exercise to re-frame negative thoughts to become more positive thoughts).
Ready to start these self worth journal prompts?
Remember to allocate 5-10 minutes for each of these prompts every day.
Write continuously for 21 days - don’t skip days or you will be tempted to skip more days in between!
Self worth journal prompts can make you feel worthy over time. If you do a prompt everyday, you will get somewhere at the end of the 21 days.
You may be interested in my Self Esteem Journal which is packed with 21self-esteem exercises to build a confident mindset.
Have a good week!
Shikah
