by Ashley Oliver, M.S.
Yikessss, its summertime and I already feel burned out! I feel like I should be taking in the precious days of summer we have left in New York by going for more walks, attending block parties, or just simply going to brunch with friends. Instead, I feel tired and just want to stay in my bed and binge watch Netflix.
These past few months I have found myself working during the day, going to school in the evening, and somehow finding time in between to write papers, complete random assignments, and pick up extra side jobs on weekends. Needless to say, I was BUSY. As you could imagine, I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of summer because I knew my commitments would decrease and I would have more “ME-time”. I was even keeping a mental bucket list of fun activities that I wanted to do this summer (like walk the Highline, visit Governor’s Island, etc.). Fast forward to today. My summer break is coming to a close. My commitments and schedule are beginning to fill up once again. And I have spent the majority of my summer days curled up in my apartment watching TV and ordering takeout. I quickly realized that I was experiencing BURNOUT.
You’re probably thinking, “Give yourself a break! Who doesn’t enjoy just being home all day?” While I would have preferred to enjoy my somewhat “lazy” summer days, I was feeling exhausted from the previous demands of work and guilty for not actively doing more activities to enjoy my summer. I thought that I must check off these items on my bucket list to have fully enjoyed my summer. This demand that I was placing on myself was not only unrealistic, it was causing me unnecessary stress.
Is it possible to get much needed rest after feeling burnout AND actively achieve your summer goals?? Well I’m glad that you asked! While I may not be able to tackle everything all at once, I can work on accepting the fact that I am human. After physically working so hard for months, I accept that I desire to rest. And though I may want to spend more time soaking in the sun, I don’t have to place an evaluation or condemn myself for staying in. I will work on adopting a new way of thinking that will allow me to accept myself while having a relaxed “stay-at-home” summer day, and when making plans to check off an item on my summer adventure list. Failing to check off every item on my list does not make me a failure. And changing the guilt I feel for staying home into regret will help me to actively work on achieving my goals and making the most of the summer days I have left.
Yes, the Burnout may be real, but what are some strategies that you use to make the most of your summer?