Success Advice

3 Hidden Culprits of Burnout and How to Catch Them ASAP

Published

2 years ago

May 15, 2022

image credit: unsplash

Burnout is one of those words you associate with simply being tired, feeling fatigued, or needing a break. But what most people are unaware of is that it goes so much deeper. Some people suffer for years because they can’t get to the root cause of where their burnout is even coming from.

I know, because I’ve been there.

You’re busy. The world is busy. We’re moving at paces faster than we could have ever imagined. We’re living life in the fast lane, so what happens when that thought creeps in? You wake up one day and think: Woah. I’m exhausted. I’m burnt out.

The good news is there might be a hidden culprit lurking under the surface – one that’s actually far easier to catch and fix than, say, getting four more hours of sleep at night. Let’s be real: making a drastic change to your sleep schedule is oftentimes easier said than done, and sometimes even straight up unrealistic (parents of young kids – you know what I mean).

Let’s take a look at three hidden culprits of burnout you might be experiencing right now and how to stop these in their tracks so you can get back to feeling like the most energized, happy version of you.

A few months after I had my second baby and became a mom of two under two, I remember waking up one day and feeling like I could sleep for an entire decade. I was, as you might describe, exhausted and on the road to burnout. I thought to myself, “Holy crap. I’m going to burn out if something doesn’t change soon.”

I tried taking naps during the day, downing cups of coffee, shortening my to-do lists, and going to bed at 7:00pm but nothing was helping me magically transform into the energizer bunny until I realized I was tired at a soul level.

It was different from any tiredness I’d ever felt before. I felt it in my bones, in my heart, and my soul. I knew I needed to shift it as fast as possible.
After carving out copious amounts of quiet time and doing what I call a “life inventory checks”, I uncovered the source of my almost-burnout and realized it was coming from three specific things:

1. I was giving my power away.

Aside from being a new mother of two, I was running a business, leading people, and I had more responsibilities than I’ve ever had ever before. I also had people that were helping me – like mentors and coaches.

While I will always be an advocate for getting support, it’s critical to not make the mistake of putting your success in someone else’s hands. In other words, remember who you are and don’t ever give your power away.

I was so willing and ready to take direction and guidance that I was forgetting that I held the key. YOU hold the key to moving the needle in your life, your happiness, and your career — and you always will. Take back your power and watch your energy levels rise.

Your job is to do the inner work to shift back into a place of remembering who you are and what you’re capable of. No external force or person can do it for you. When you remember that, you will feel a shift in energy. You’ll find yourself overcoming that sense of tiredness or fatigue that you once thought was burnout. It all starts with reconnecting to the power within you.

Take a moment to do an inventory of how connected you are to your power right now. Grab a piece of paper and write down every single thing you’ve accomplished or overcome in this lifetime (big and small – it ALL counts). Look at this list and remember that you are the one who did it. You hold the power.

“Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long.” – Michael Gungor

2. I wasn’t in full alignment with every area of my career.

Now, you might not be a business owner or an entrepreneur like me. You might have a demanding corporate career or a 9-5 job. What I know is that if you are not in alignment with your career, or the path in which your career is headed, it can silently drain you and put you on the path toward burnout.

I didn’t wake up every day intending to be out of alignment – it happened accidentally over time as I filled my head with more external voices and noise. I slowly became disconnected from who I was and how I wanted to show up in my career.

If you’re feeling this now, it’s time to do another inventory. Ask yourself, “Am I in the career I actually want to be in? Am I on a path that’s moving me towards the career that I want to be in? Am I running my business in the way I actually want to or am I running it in a way that somebody told me I had to in order to be successful? Do my daily habits support me and help me move closer to my goals?”

If any of your answers are no, it’s time for a change so you can get back into alignment and avoid burnout.

Note: the key here is to be honest with yourself from a non-judgemental place. Radical honesty and self compassion will lead you to have the hard conversations that lead to clarity and breakthroughs. You will lead yourself to a life (and career) you love living.

3. I wasn’t giving myself enough play time.

Hear me out when I say it’s time to be more like our kids.

If you’ve ever watched a two year old play on a playground you know what I’m talking about here: it’s that sense of not having a care in the world, forgetting what time it is, and heck – forgetting that time even exists.

It’s that sense of being so in the moment that no external factor or circumstance could even come close to affecting you or your happiness. I realized I wasn’t giving myself enough of this and I wasn’t taking the time to actually cultivate a sense of play throughout my days. Thus, this manifested in my life by feeling constantly tired and burnt out.

So, it’s time to do one final inventory:

Are you giving yourself permission to play? Are you giving yourself permission to have fun despite the real-life adult responsibilities that life holds for you every day? Are you carving out space to do the things that make you so happy you could laugh until you cry?

Are you giving yourself that gift?

If the answer is no, it’s time for a shift. It’s time to reconnect with your inner child because that child is begging to be let out and help you get back to the most energized, happiest, non-burnt-out version of you.

Up Next

The Hidden Secret All Successful People Have but Don’t Talk About

Don't Miss

A Must-Read Guide for Avoiding Burnout

Lauren Gordon

Lauren Gordon is an international entrepreneur, writer and mother of three. After leaving her hometown on a one-way ticket across the world with $500 to her name, she built a successful online business while pregnant. Aside from writing for the world's largest publications, she now empowers women by documenting her life and sharing lessons on motherhood and personal development. Connect with Lauren and follow along for relatable content on Instagram and TikTok.

Click to comment

Success Advice

How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

Published

2 days ago

Dec 4, 2023

M.S. Rao

Image Credit: Midjourney

What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change? (more…)

Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

Published

2 weeks ago

Nov 20, 2023

Jane Frankel

Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)

Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.