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Are you exhausting yourself
by running around taking care of everybody else but yourself ? by MARK WEBB
Mark Webb is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice at Oakwood Counseling Center in Valdosta . He is the author of “ How To Be A Great Partner ” and “ How To Argueproof Your Relationship .” Read more of his articles at www . TheRelationshipSpecialist . com .
“ You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm .” ~ Unknown
Do you relate to the title of this article ? If so , ask yourself these questions to see how close you are to being burned out and exhausted :
• Have you become cynical at home and at work ?
• Do you drag yourself to work each day ?
• Do you have trouble getting started with your daily routine ?
• Have you become irritable or impatient with coworkers , customers , friends , and family members ?
• Are you struggling to be consistently productive ?
• Do you have trouble concentrating ?
• Do you lack satisfaction from your responsibilities ?
• Do you feel disillusioned about your career choices ?
• Are you using food , drugs , or alcohol to feel better or to numb yourself ?
• Have your sleep habits changed ?
• Are you troubled by unexplained physical complaints ?
Here are some strategies to help you start taking better care of yourself and getting yourself back on track :
1Define what is the hardest part in your role . Is it that you are being pulled in too many directions ? Are there too many people asking too much from you ? Is it because you have trouble saying “ No ” to others ? Where do your caretaking behaviors show up most glaringly ?
“ Burnout occurs when your body and mind can no longer keep up with the tasks you demand of them . Don ’ t try to force yourself to do the impossible .” ~ Del Suggs
2Ask yourself , “ What do I want ?” Don ’ t breeze past this question . This question is crucial if you are ever going to get yourself together with a sense of balance and peace . Do you want a better schedule ? A different career ? A change in location ? Once you begin to learn what you want , say no to anything outside of that .
3Read up on the subjects of self-help and codependency . If you want to learn more about anything , there ’ s nobody better to learn from than an expert . Experts have spent years studying these topics . You can save yourself a lot of sweat and tears if you take the time to read a few books , articles or watch a few videos . An expert may have spent 20 years researching a particular topic on burn out and you can spend a week reading or listening to their book and learn what it took them 20 years to compile .
36 Valdosta Scene | Holiday 2024