Boundaries & Burnout Pt 2

So this is part two of my discussion on boundaries & burnout. To summarize. Having healthy boundaries means that we are responsible for our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Others aren't responsible for us, and we aren't responsible for those of others around us. When we don't have healthy boundaries, that can lead to stress or burnout (see yesterday's post on signs & symptoms of burnout).

Increasing your health & wellness, refining your self-care techniques, and creating coping skills for stress or anger are crucial for protecting yourself against burnout (along with strengthening your personal boundaries).
So here are some suggestions for prevention:
1. Do a Wellness Analysis on Yourself: Evaluate each area of wellness in your life. What are your strengths for that area? What are areas of improvement? What is something you can do to increase wellness in that area?
2. Develop Mindfulness About What Your Body Is Telling You: When we get so busy or anxious, it's easy to not pay attention to our bodies. Take time to evaluate how you're really feeling. Are you constantly tired? Frustrated? Angry? Take time to figure out what's causing this, and then deal with that!
3. Learn to Set Healthy Boundaries: Remember what is You (thoughts, feelings, and actions), and what is others-basically, know what things fall under your responsibility, and what falls under the responsibility of others. Learn to say NO so you don't overextend yourself!
4. Develop Your Coping Skills: Whether it's deep breathing (see post on Nov 8, 2010 for details!), yoga, Pilates, another form of exercise, positive self-talk, or another coping skill, develop and USE them on a daily basis to keep yourself healthy!
5. Strengthen Your Social Support Network: Make sure you aren't just pouring into others. You need to have two way relationships where people can also pour into you! Spend time and be open with your friends:)
6. Create a Mission Statement For Your Life: Your mission statement can remind you of your goals and dreams. When things seem overwhelming or out of control, go back to this. What about starting each morning by reading your mission statement?
7. Educate Yourself! Know the signs & symptoms of burnout, and check yourself often!

Of course I could list more, but I think this is a good start:) Remember-health is an ACTIVE choice! It doesn't happen naturally. I know that sometimes the effort doesn't seem like it in the moment, but long-term it makes life SO much easier!