Exhaustion Signal Flares

Today, I had my first cup of brewed tea in weeks. As I was drinking it, waiting for the caffeine to hit my bloodstream, I thought of how simple and loving this gesture was and how I got to this place. How could it be that something I like so much was simply something lost?

It wasn’t a single-day decision. It was the slow agreement to do more with every minute as a deluge of busyness swamped over our heads. Federal changes placed so many of our clients in a stressful space, and we were fighting alongside them. But then, the tide drew back, and I hadn’t reclaimed this part of my day. 

The thing about complete and utter burnout is that it doesn’t happen on a single day. It’s the culmination of dozens of decisions. Like getting lost in a new city, it’s not usually a single wrong turn to get you there. 

As someone who tends to take on more than I should and go harder than I’d like to at times, I often note that it's happened to me too late to change it. So, I’ve been working on developing some clear boundaries and signs that I’ve begun to give more ground than I should. I’ll call these my signal flares. Rescue me if you see them. I hope you’ll hold me accountable, and I’ll check on you, too, if you ask me. 

Here’s my list: 

Daily: 

• Did I have a real cup of tea? Or was it some sort of canned energy drink I gulped rather than enjoying? 

• Am I squeezing in showers between meetings without even a chance to dry off? 

• Am I eating or cooking during meetings? 

Weekly: 

• Have I found time to move my body in ways that feel joyful? 

• Have I been outside? 

• Am I finding time to read for pleasure? 

• Have I gotten to cook real meals lately? 

Monthly: 

• Have I found time to see the people I love best? 

• Has there been adventure in my life, like traveling? 

• Do I have time for fostering pets, political work, or other causes that matter to me? 

This is probably not a perfect list, but it’s a place to start. What would yours look like?