19 | TEN

Burnt Out

Allison Lawrence is an Account Manager at Healthwise.

She strives to empower people to live healthy lifestyles and make good health decisions. Her current focus is to promote patient engagement through innovative technology, clinical workflow integration and world-class patient educational content.

She is mission-driven and has a natural "bias for action."

The Burnt Out Experience

Allison defines being burnt out as "being out of balance."

She says that you might really enjoy the work that you're doing that makes you feel burnt out, it just that you're doing too much of it all at once.

Through a long journey to get to where she is today, she actually feels the most burnt out right now. She recognizes that she's feeling that way right now and it's because she has her role as an Account Manager, but also she holds roles as a mother and a community member trying to give back. She says that achieving balance among all of these things is just hard to accomplish.

How did she deal? Allison's Top 10 Tips 0. Internal Reflection

Try to talk with yourself to find out why you're out of balance. What is happening in your life that is creating this burnout and what pieces of it can you take control of? WHY are you doing what you're doing to feel burnt out? Do you love it or are you just doing of it because someone else wants you to?

Asking these questions can be really helpul

1. Physical health

Exercise is NEVER just physical. Physical fitness is so tied to mental fitness and health and it's important to add it to your routine. Not necessarily on daily basis, but if that works for you then do it!

Try to limit caffeine, alcohol, and "comfort" foods.

GET SLEEP! Enough sleep is something magical.

2. Take advantage of slow times at work

Allison used to think that taking off early in the day was lazy, but now she gets it. You have to step away when you get the chance in order to give back balance to the other pieces of your life.

3. Remember and reflect on your passions

Remember all things that give you joy or used to give you joy if you feel like you haven't taken the time to do or think about those things in awhile. Bring hobbies back into your life if you've forgotten. It's so important to reflect on your passions and

4. Change up your routine

Crescendo at the end of the week! Not a decrescendo

Go out and have fun at the end of your week instead of just going home to fold laundry. Make the end of your week an exclamation point, instead of a trailing off...

5. Turn off your inbox

You might have a million emails when you turn it back on, but just do it. Disconnect your online and work life so you can enjoy your time and be present in the here and now.

6. Invest in your relationships

Sometimes we forget about the people we love until they're gone or have moved on.

Take the time to grow and love those relationship

7. Volunteer and give back to others

The moment Allison feels poorly about herself, she turns to volunteering. She throws her negative energy into helpful energy for others and morphs her negative energy into positive, helpful energy. That's so cool.

8. Network with others to solve problems

Allison and her husband felt like they were just grinding through life. They never had the opportunity for date night UNTIL they came up with the "swap" with friends of theirs who also have children. They trade one day a month to watch their friends kids and visa versa, in order for them to go on dates every once-in-awhile.

9. Write down your goals and be accountable

Write down little things you want to do or that you're finding hard to get done and hold yourself accountable. Those little "to do" lists can go a long way if you hold yourself to them.

10. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable

Sometimes we get burnt out because we're feeling uncomfortable. If you can mentally say to yourself that you won't let the uncomfortable moments or times turn into stress, you can help yourself avoid burnout.