​Even though most of the country has opened up, many of us are still working from home.
Some by choice, some because we always have, some because you’re not allowed back into the office.

Before the pandemic I reached out to over 2,000 women on LinkedIn and asked if they’d be open to sharing their personal experiences on key triggers for stress and anxiety.

Almost half of the women (46.8%) said their career and job were the number one major source of stress in their life, followed by relationships and money. “Volume of work being overwhelming” was cited as the number one reason for work-related stress.

Considering this was before the pandemic, these results tell us that, as a collective, we were already at capacity before 2020 and 2021 hit us.

We were already at capacity before the definition of work norms and “office hours” became almost completely distorted. Before the lines between “work” and “home” became even more blurred. 

​Give these a go

Like any work situation, working from home has its pros and cons. One of the differences with working from home is that you can have (or take back) some control of the home/work life juggle.
As someone working from home and working with women who work from home for the past 5 years, I thought I’d share some practices I’ve incorporated (with trial, error, and practice) into my and my clients’ “work day” from home.

• Don’t look at anything work-related before 8am.
  Focus on your wellbeing and filling your own cup before starting your workday. Rolling over and scanning your screen before you’re even out of bed won’t do you or anyone else any favour. (You might want to try setting this expectation with the people you work with as well.)

 

• Have a consistent morning routine.
  Spend 30 minutes each morning with a routine that consist of meditating, journaling, moving your body, listening to music, eating a healthy breakfast, reading, etc… I use my Learn to Thrive Journal every morning to set me up for a stress-free start to my day.

 

• Set clear start and finish times.
  Your start and finish times don’t have to be the same each day, but scheduling times ahead will give you clear on and off times, and help structure your day.

 

• Take breaks and refuel. Give yourself time to have healthy snacks, drinks, and meals. Make time to rest your eyes, mind, and shoulders. If you need to, prepare your food before and actually schedule in rests like you would a meeting.

 

• Set an alarm 30 minutes before the end of your workday.
  Use this reminder to wrap up what you’re doing, wind down from the work, prep for tomorrow, mark off what you’ve completed, or what still needs to be done.

 

• Shut down.
  At the end of you 30 minutes, close all open files, programs, and browsers. Do this both to your laptop and your mind. This small step helps signal our bodies that it’s time to rest and transition out from work.

 

• Do something you enjoy.
  Once you’ve shut everything down, go for a walk, get some fresh air, do a mini full body stretch, play with the kids or pets, call a friend, listen to a podcast. Whatever you choose, make it something you look forward to. The more you enjoy it the more likely you are to stop working.

 

• Don’t log back on.
  Once you’ve closed everything and shut down, don’t go back. Even though your phone or laptop is right there, resist the temptation to have a “quick check” or “shoot off a quick response”.  Not only does this do you no favours, you’re likely not giving your best to your clients, colleagues, or boss.

 
Build it in

After looking over this list you might be thinking, “Great ideas Janel. I’m going to do them all!”.

Stop. Pick ONE change and do that first.

• Maybe it’s keeping your screens away from your bed.
• Maybe it’s not “checking in” before 8am or after 5pm.
• Maybe it’s having an actual break for lunch.
• Whatever you decide, start with one, and build over time.

I want you to succeed with these changes so they become regular habits and routines so they help signal your mind and body that the workday is over. That “home time” is here (even if you’ve never left it).

If you’d like help introducing and incorporating these changes into your workday (with accountability!), be sure to check out my new program Burnout Recovery, a 4 week coaching program to help you reset your daily habits and look at what is potentially continueing to fuel this exhaustion.

Working from home might be your reality in the short or long term.

Let’s get you in the best work-from-home flow so you can thrive in work, home, and life!

Almost half of those said they worked nearly TWICE as many late hours than the previous year.

And the number of hours spent working overtime? For many it went from 236 hours to a staggering 436 hours in one year. No wonder we’re all so burnt out!

In my own work, many women and clients I’ve spoken to said this year has felt like one big emotional hangover, which often leads to… burnout.

And the similarities I’ve been noticing? Emotional exhaustion + mental load = burnout

Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion is the most common experience of burnout women feel and that I’ve seen with my clients during the last year and half.
 
Whether it’s total exhaustion from the weight of conflicting, overwhelming, and repetitive emotions or the prolonged feelings of exhaustion, frustration, fear, worry, loss, sadness, anger, resentment, and even guilt, we’ve all been feeling it.
 
The constant changes and adaptations.
The cycles of change with feelings of little control over our lives.
They all take an emotional toll.

They all lead to emotional exhaustion often followed by burnout.
 
Carrying the Mental Load

The mental load we carry is not often as obvious as emotional exhaustion.
 
But you know all those thoughts constantly swirling in our minds? The processing, analysing, overthinking? The monkey chatter and second-guessing? The doubts and fears?
 
Well, this is carrying (and often being consumed by) the mental load.
 
The mental load of our thoughts, worries, fears, and the stress that come from these patterns of repetitive (and often negative) thoughts. Of future pacing and staying five steps ahead.
 
And then there’s the over-analysing…

Have I done enough? Is there more I should be doing? Something I should’ve done? Something I shouldn’t?

The reality of carrying these constant thoughts and beliefs is that is becomes overbearing, overwhelming, and exhausting. The mental load wears us down and leads us to burn out. How could it not?
 
Making Changes

Even after we’ve recognised our emotional exhaustion and mental load and made some changes, we often still FEEL burnt out.

Confusing right?

See when we experience chronic stress these feelings can trigger negative thought, emotions, beliefs, and patterns which often triggers our bodies’ stress response.

So even if you’ve eliminated or eased the stresses and know things have changed your body never actually got the memo that everything’s ok.

It doesn’t know you’re in a good place.
You’re out of lockdown. You’ve changed jobs.
It doesn’t know you’re ok. It doesn’t know you’re safe.

Essentially what this means is that removing the stress doesn’t fully move you through burnout.
Instead it’s your behaviours.

Your behaviours tell your body things have changed and it’s ok to relax. 

This is why when you think, “I’m over that now.”, and can’t work out why you still feel so exhausted it’s because you’ve made changes to your external environment but not your internal habits and behaviours.

You need to signal your body that you ARE safe. The danger IS over.
You need to allow your body to process through the emotions, because if you don’t, you’ll likely stay in an emotionally burnout state being triggered time and time again.
 
But, nothing changes if nothing changes right?

Here are three steps you can start today to release the emotional exhaustion and lighten the mental load that can lead to burnout.

1. Be mindful and aware of repetitive thoughts or stuck emotions. Recognise and notice the thought. Acknowledge and feel the feelings, then keep moving through.
2. Journal your thoughts, worries, and possible changes. Make a list of behaviours you can do to change the signals your body gets so it knows it can feel safe and calm.
3. If you need help making these changes really stick, check out my 7 Day Stress Mindset Detox program, which provides fast relief from stress and anxiety and teaches you how to gain control over your emotions.

Or for more specialised support and accountability, I can support you with my 1-1 Coaching to help get you off the slippery slope of burnout and regain a mindset that allows you to thrive.With so much of the last year and a half filled with uncertainty and turmoil, know that what you’re feeling is being felt by millions of women around Australia.

Emotional exhaustion and carrying the mental load are real.

And remember, there are strategies and practices to assist, and I’m always here to help whether through my YouTube channel, blogs, or programs.