yellow mugs full of black coffee sit on a pink surface

burnout is real. help is too.

6 fast tips to keep busy from turning into burnout.

We’re all busy – jammed calendars, 79 browser tabs open at the same time, conference calls followed by meetings, back-to-school craziness, pick-ups and drop-offs, and a million and one errands. But when busyness makes you feel burned out, it’s time to make a change.

How did I get so busy?

The most obvious answer is also the hardest to accept. Technology. It’s the primary reason we have all gotten so busy. Ironic, since most people credit technology for making life easier. Technology, especially our phones, streaming services, and computers:

Bombards us with over 34gb of information everyday. That much information would overload your laptop’s memory in less than a week.1
Has expanded our access to work – so we can do more, under shorter deadlines, while working from anywhere, around the clock.
Has facilitated communication – which enables us to expand our personal/family interaction and commitments.

1https://www.tech21century.com/the-human-brain-is-loaded-daily-with-34-gb-of-information/

Busyness can feel good, but…

When we’re extremely busy, it feels like we have a purpose. But the truth is, without managing it, being too busy can impact your health:

Physically

High blood pressure, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, digestive problems, and more.

Emotionally

Feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, frustrated, unable to deal with major life changes, and more.

Mentally

When we’re extremely busy, our brains can get hyper-focused and tune everything else out. We’ve all been so focused on a task that we didn’t even hear someone talking to us. It’s called “tunneling,” and research shows that when tunneling, your brain can lose up to 13 IQ points.

Feeling the physical toll of busyness?

The board-certified doctors at MDLIVE have an average of 15 years of experience and provide care for more than 80 common, non-emergency conditions such as allergies, cold & flu, headaches, and more.

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Take back control of your time.

Here are 6 easy things you can do to prevent your busyness from turning into burnout:

Understand where your time goes each day, in both your work and home lives, and which parts of each are the most important.

Unplug. Even if it’s only for a short period, that time away from technology can reduce the stress and anxiety of busyness.

Cut down your to-do list. Only include as many things as you can get done today. Then make a new list tomorrow.

Quit multitasking. Studies show it doesn’t work.

Schedule at least one chunk of time for yourself each day. And stick to it. Set the alarm on your phone if you have to.

Learn how to say “no.” Enough said.

Feeling the emotional toll of busyness?

If your busyness has gotten to the point where you feel anxious, stuck, or overwhelmed, MDLIVE Mental Health can help you take control of your schedule with talk therapy and coping skills.

Our licensed therapists and board-certified psychiatrists can help with busyness and burnout, life changes, grief, anxiety, and more. All from the privacy of your home.

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