Do you feel frustrated at the smallest issue? Do you have trouble falling asleep and when you do somehow wake up feeling worse? Do you work in college athletics during the craziest crossover season of all time? If you said yes to any of these, you might be burnt out. This time in college athletics with every sport competing at the same time is both great, because yay sports! But it also is very dangerous for those who put their whole selves into working sporting events… because there are just too many and we are all stretched way too thin. For those who are probably reading this, there is no surprise. We all knew from early this fall that most if not all sports would be competing in the second semester. For me, I knew it was going to be a lot, but I didn’t process how absolutely insane it would be and how absolutely burnt out I would become. So, I decided to try to do something positive and share some (hopefully) helpful tips on how to keep yourself together through this crazy season. Take or leave any of this advice. Find what works for you!
TREAT. YOURSELF. We all work way too hard to not occasionally (or every other day) treat yourself! So, go get that iced coffee. Get yourself new sunglasses to sit out at baseball with. Get your nails done. Splurge on some new shoes. Hang out with a friend. Or just turn off the lights and block out the world for five minutes. Whatever you need to do to make yourself feel special.
Turn off your phone (or at least notifications) when you can. This is hard for almost everyone I know (me included). But knowing you are in control of when you see a notification or email can sometimes be the stress reliever you need. It’s not always possible especially for those of us that work in social media. But your mental health is more important than seeing that email as soon as it comes in.
Talk to someone you trust. Sometimes when you are burnt out you can feel so overwhelmed that you can’t let yourself process. So, talking to someone can help give you perspective and help you refocus. I’ve found it helpful to talk with others going through the same things. Talking with co-workers and venting about the crazy time is sometimes (not always) helpful. Just to get your mind right and know you are not alone in your feelings. But also finding someone outside of work to talk to is also helpful because they can help you see the big picture.
Give yourself grace. Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can. We are all living through a global pandemic, so things are not always going to go to plan. During this time all you can do is your best. And sometimes just showing up is your best and that is enough.
Take a break when you can. As hard as it is the work will still be there when you get back, so let yourself recharge so you can be better equipped to accomplish the tasks.
Overall, just know you are not alone. Know that this crazy time is not forever, and we are all in this together. And that mega-crossover season is just a season and will soon pass and we will be stronger and better because of it. My DM’s are always open (@emily_mcm16) if you need to process or just need an escape from the madness.
- Emily McMillan (@emily_mcm16)
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