burnout Archives - Danielle Lapteff

Today I want to talk about self-care, but first I just wanted to give a quick intro as to what inspired this topic. The inspiration is actually the same reason I haven’t posted most over the last few months.

To keep it simple and brief, over the past few months, I’ve been dealing with some health issues that have really taken a toll on my energy levels. These challenges have forced me to make some significant lifestyle changes. Combine that with being a mom to two little ones and focusing on my paid clients and opportunities, and I just didn’t have the time or energy I needed for these free trainings.

During this time however, I’ve been adamant make relaxation and self-care a priority. It wasn’t an easy decision, and I’ve felt guilty about it at times. And again, that is what inspired this post. It is going to be a short one, but on a topic that I think it pretty important.

The Importance of Self-Care

Today, we’re going to talk about something that’s incredibly close to my heart: the importance of taking care of yourself, even when you feel like you might be letting someone down or not meeting certain goals you’ve set for yourself.

Understanding Burnout

Before we dive into self-care strategies, let’s talk about what happens when we don’t prioritize our well-being: burnout.

I’ve talked about this before, but basically burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It can lead to:

Decreased productivity
Increased risk of physical and mental health issues
Strained relationships
Loss of motivation and creativity

The scary thing about burnout is that it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a gradual process that can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention.

The Power of Non-Negotiables

This is where non-negotiables come in. These are the things you commit to doing for yourself, no matter what. They’re your personal boundaries that protect your well-being.

Some examples of non-negotiables might be:

Getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night
Taking a 30-minute walk every day
Having some screen-free time before bed
Spending quality time with loved ones
Practicing meditation or mindfulness
Journaling every day.

Your non-negotiables might look different, and that’s okay. The important thing is that you figure out what you need to feel balanced and healthy, and then make those things a priority.

Setting Self-Boundaries

Along with non-negotiables, setting clear self-boundaries is crucial. These are the limits you set for yourself and others to protect your time, energy, and well-being.

Some examples of self-boundaries might include:

Setting specific work hours and sticking to them
Limiting time spent on social media
Communicating your needs clearly to others
Learning to say “no”. This could mean commitments that you don’t have time for or that don’t align with your priorities or values. It could mean relationships that are detrimental or draining. Or something else entirely. And the great thing about ‘no’? It’s a complete sentence. You don’t have to explain your reasoning if you don’t want to.

It’s important to remember that setting boundaries isn’t selfish. It’s necessary for maintaining your health and being able to show up fully in all areas of your life.

The Ripple Effect of Self-Care

When you prioritize your well-being, you’re not just helping yourself. You’re creating a positive ripple effect that touches everyone around you. By taking care of yourself, you’re better equipped to care for others, be more productive, and pursue your passions with energy and enthusiasm.

Think about it like the oxygen mask on airplanes. You need to put your own mask on first before you can help others. The same applies in real life. If you don’t take care of yourself, eventually you won’t be able to take care of anyone else etiher.

Okay, time to wrap this up.

I just want to emphasize that taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. It’s okay to prioritize your basic needs and happiness. In fact, it’s essential. And so I hope you take the time to take care of you. Today and everyday.

I know it can be challenging, especially when you feel like you’re letting others down. But remember, by taking care of yourself, you’re ensuring that you can show up as the best version of yourself in all areas of your life.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this. I’d love to know what resonated with you the most, what your non-negotiables might be, if you’ve experienced burnout or guilt or struggled with setting any particular boundaries… Please share in the comments or feel free to send me a message.

Also, as I’ve been making the lifestyle changes that I needed to and am getting my energy levels back under control, I’m excited to announce that I am opening up two more coaching slots in my three-month program. So if you’re interested in diving deeper into these concepts and working one-on-one to create a personalized self-care plan, or focusing on my other specialties of battling people pleasing, overthinking and self-sabotage, please reach out.

Remember, you’re worth taking care of.

A little reminder that if you need a little extra support, I’m your girl. I offer one on one coaching as well as a free facebook community for support. You can check get more info by clicking the links. (And of course feel free to reach out to me with any additional questions!)

I’ve written about this before.

You’d think that knowing that overextending myself would lead to burnout would make me reel it in, but that isn’t always the case. My natural instinct (or maybe it’s conditioned?) is to keep pushing. Keep moving forward, don’t give up. Don’t you dare admit defeat or exhaustion. I was taught that I always had to do and give more and that’s not a lesson easily forgotten.

Success doesn’t always come to the one that works the hardest.

I’m not saying that working hard doesn’t pay off. But the expression ‘work smarter, not harder’ exists for a reason. You can work your ass off every minute of every day until you collapse but if you’re not working on the right things, it really won’t matter. What could end up happening is that you are frustrated and exhausted and you start to lose interest and focus. Your relationships might end up jeopardized and your health might be affected. Even if you do end up successful in whatever you’re working towards, you could still end up having these negative affects.

Sometimes you need someone else to tell you to give yourself grace.

When you get into your head that you have to keep going, sometimes even the knowledge that you’re on the brink of burnout isn’t enough to stop you. Having an outside voice actually tell you to give yourself grace or some other variation of the phrase can be monumental in having the ability to take care of yourself. It’s like an override for your inner (demanding) voice, allowing you to put your mental and physical health first.

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

This is a popular phrase that is a popular for a reason. Like many of you, in my life, I’ve got a lot of different things going on. So many personal projects, business projects, and then of course, my family is the priority. But towards the end of last year, that really started to catch up with me. Despite the fact that I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open, I was frustrated when I didn’t get everything on my list done each day. I was venting to a friend when she pointed out that I needed to rest. She reminded me that ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup.’ I laughed at first, but then she got more serious and was like “Seriously Danielle, give yourself grace.”

I remembered that I can’t do it all.

Not only that, but I can’t do anything if I’m burnt out! And so I thought about everything that I had going on and everything that I had wanted to accomplish and I wrote it all out in my journal. Then I went through the list and circled my priorities. You know what those were? Taking care of family. Making sure that we all had a comfortable place to live, food in our bellies and that we got decent amounts of laughter and sleep. My current clients were also circled as a priority of course.

But everything else got moved to a secondary list. The ‘if I get to it’ list. Because my projects will still be here next week. The chores and the errands aren’t going anywhere. If I get that stuff done, there will just be more of it after that. But my family, my health, and my clients who are trusting me to help them? Well, those are much too important to push off. And so after creating this list, not only did I go and take a nap, but then afterwards I spent the rest of the day cuddling my babies and not feeling guilty at all for all of the things I didn’t get done. And then I made the decision to slow down and keep myself in this graceful headspace.

Some days are harder than others.

I’m not going to lie, I did have to write ‘give yourself grace’ on a post it note and put it on my bathroom mirror so that when I wake up each day, I’d remember not to have a panic attack. But doing so means that now I get to have nights where I’m lounging comfortably on my couch writing or working on the things, knowing that the important people and things were taken care of.

Did I get a ton of work done every single day? Nope. Not at all. Am I proud and feeling accomplished anyway? You bet your ass I am!

Because I give myself grace.

I focus on what and who matter. And I don’t let that wanna-be overachieving voice in the back of my head win.

Thanks to a friend for the pep talk, my journal and visuals for processing and reminding me. And thanks to myself, for remembering how strong I am.

If you need a journal or some visual affirmations, head on over to my shop and I’d be happy to hook you up. If you need a friend, reach out here or on my Instagram and say hello!

And if you need some hands-on support, a reminder that I offer one on one coaching as well as a free facebook community. You can check get more info by clicking the links, and of course feel free to reach out to me with any additional questions.

Tag: burnout

Self-Care is non-negotiable