The Surprising Reason You’re Burned Out and Exhausted All the Time
When we think of burnout nowadays, we think about “taking a break.”
Because we’re being stretched too thin at work. Because we’re taking on too much responsibility. Because we’re spending late nights checking off the endless tasks on our to-do lists.
But oftentimes, burnout is not a result of doing “too much.” It’s a result of doing the wrong things.
Many people complain about feeling burned out — not just from work, but from life. Even when their tasks aren’t heavy, or when their days are filled with just sitting around.
The burnout feeling of “I’m running on empty, but I feel like I need to keep going?” That can be due to a misalignment of values.
Burnout is a result of misaligned values.
Burnout can be due to many reasons, including just being stretched thin. Sometimes a break is enough to reset, recharge, and get going again.
But most of the time, especially if that feeling persists in us, it’s a sign screaming at us to start listening to our own hearts.
Our hearts know what feels best for us — what feels fulfilling, joyful, expansive, and true to who we are. But most of us have been taught to discard our heart, suppress it, live on autopilot, and instead follow what society deems as “successful.”
Most of us are not living a life that is powered by our hearts. As a result, many of us silently struggle with mental health issues, secretly hate our jobs, and feel like we want to quit life from time to time.
Our hearts are where our values live. Our values make up the core of who we are. When we live in alignment with our values, we feel energized, as if life is magically flowing. We feel happy in our own skin and find a deeper sense of meaning in our life from day to day.
Our deepest values don’t always look like what we have been taught is acceptable. Maybe your deepest value is freedom, and living freely for you means living with no deadlines, as an artist - something that your parents do not approve of.
This is one way we can figure out our true values.
When we are used to living a life according to someone else’s rulebook, it can be difficult to hear what our hearts are telling us.
There are many different ways that we can learn to listen to our hearts, but one of the easiest ways is to take notice of the times that we feel extra charged in a conversation.
When do we feel that our voices get raised, our eyes light up, and something in us says “this matters?”
What do we feel like we could talk for hours about? What causes do we feel we want to defend?
I asked myself this question when I was in the process of figuring out my core values. I noticed that I felt charged any time someone talked about needing to fit in, using the phrase “I should be doing XYZ,” talking about fitting into social norms, etc. This is what helped me realize that freedom and authenticity were core to who I am.
This is one question, out of many, that you can ask yourself to not only figure out your values, but also shift your life in a way that does align with your core values.
If you need more assistance, you can feel free to book a chat with me, and we can go over all things related to life purpose, career, and meaning!