LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST – These five simple words sounded like a great piece of advice to me. Who wouldn’t want to be living their lives to the fullest where each moment is a moment to remember?

I used to fill my schedule up so full to make sure that my family or I don’t miss out on anything (talk about FOMO, Fear of missing out). I feared that by slowing down, I would rust so I kept ignoring my limits and kept searching for that next great height of fulfillment. I was always chasing the next best opportunity to unleash my full potential. Life is too short not to be living to its fullest. I wanted to live like there is no tomorrow. But….that’s when I went terribly wrong. Living a full and fast-paced live make it easy to lose sight of what’s important. In my attempt to get the most out of life, I lose control of life.

To me, FULL LIFE = BURNOUT.

That is when I realized I needed a major breathing room in my life, a good buffer that allows freedom and relief from pressure and stress that comes with living life up to the brim.

When you fill your life up to the brim, there is no room to breathe. You start living up to your own expectations and life can get pretty exhausting and you can even stop enjoying your life.

A few signs and symptoms of burnout to look out for:
– Feeling tired and drained most of the time.
– Feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
– Loss of motivation.
– Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses.
– Frequent headaches or muscle pain.
– Change in appetite or sleep habits.

A few things I do to avoid burnout and sustain breathing room in my life:
– Free up the calendar – We often put high importance on things that really aren’t. Having at least a few days a week without any set schedules on the calendar helps me keep my stress level low. It gives me time to slow down, take a step back and gain some perspective.
– Trust that you are doing enough – Focusing on what my family and myself enjoy and do it with full might and dedication without worrying about missing out has been helpful with creating balance in our lives. It gives a much-needed breathing room for our family to focus on 1-2 after-school activities rather than signing up for multiple activities that sound fun and exciting but in reality, we are unable to keep up.

See capacity as a whole – I sometimes forget the fact that each person in my family has different capacity and limit. To be successful at keeping the peace and balance in our family, it is helpful for me to understand each of our limits to keep our household balanced and stress free.
– Say ‘No’ – As a serial people pleaser, I am most guilty of over-committing. Practicing how to comfortably say no to a project or activity that you are not passionate about or unable to put the time and attention that it deserves is a great way to maintain peace without stripping away your energy.
– Craft a personal development plan – Finding enough time for activities that support my physical and mental health and growth has been a life-changing experience for me. Having a personal development plan helps me handle the pressures that come with the continuous changes and challenges that life throws at you. Personal development can be both formal and informal activities and it can be as simple as taking a class, listening to an audio-book or podcast or reading a book.
– Prioritize Self-care – I do whatever I need to do to recharge myself and avoid burnout. Taking the time to exercise to create healthy mind-body connection, getting enough sleep and knowing when to rest, making sure I am well fed with proper nutrition, finding ways to decompress throughout the day are a few things I do to maintain my well-being.

Are you feeling burnt out these days? If this message resonates with you, I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments or shoot me a private message. If you know anyone who needs to hear this message, please feel free to share.

Buffer, Don’t Suffer!