Another week has come and gone.

We’ve all felt the “time is flying” vibe. So often, time flies and we aren’t present enough to own how we spend our time. This past week, I learned that the hard way and experienced major burn out.

Learning From The Struggle

My husband had a rough week. His back has been an issue that pops up periodically. When that happens, he is out of commission and mama (aka me) has to step up for the household.

Not gonna lie guys, I was tested. I was tired. I was bitter. I was exhausted.

On the same note, I did not set myself up for success. In this post, I’m going to share what I learned from my struggle this week.

What is the Burn Out Cycle?

It goes something like this…

It’s the beginning of a new day. Your toddler alarm clock wakes you with a jolt. You get up sluggish and scrambling to feed said toddler. You load up on caffeine. You just can’t get your bearings. You grab and go your meals or just snack on whatever is leftover. It’s a long day and by the time your kid’s bedtime rolls around, you’re done.

You spent all day in response mode, doing this and that for everyone else. Now that the kids are asleep, you are desperate for time to chill without interruption. You veg out on your favorite shows for hours. You go to bed groggy and numbed out.

The next morning, the burn out cycle repeats.

How To Interrupt The Cycle

By Friday of last week, I was near explosion. I knew I couldn’t keep running myself into the ground. So, I made a few changes to interrupt the burn out cycle.

Start The Day With Intention

I started the day by making sure I took my supplements. I made myself lemon water. I did deep breathing with some simple skincare. Read more about my skincare routine here.

More Movement = More Energy

No, this is not new information but it’s true! Exercise can increase your energy, boost your mood and help you sleep better at night. If you need more data on the benefits of exercise, check out this post from healthline.com.

When I want inspiration to move my body, I use YouTube workout videos. Friday, I found my new favorite channel for home fitness! It’s called MadFit and you can check it out here.

The specific videos that I am loving on her channel are:

30 Minute Full Body Dancer Sculpt

30 Minute Low Impact Full Body

20 Minute Relaxing Stretch/Yoga

You Can Work Out With Kids

This one was a HUGE reason I said I could not exercise. I decided that since working out with kids was the biggest thing standing between me and my fitness goals, I had to face it head on. So, I started working out with my kids. You want to know the cool part?

They cheered me on, they joined in and… are you ready for this?

It was FUN! It was not always easy or perfect. I’ll admit, I’m only 3 days in to project working out with kids, but I am feeling optimistic. And it was a good lesson for me to drop perfection!

Do Not Forget To Feed Yourself

I’m actually glad that headings equal automatic bold type. You need to remember this one: Feed yourself! Eat real food. Make actual meals.

5 Tips To Help You Eat Intentionally

• Pause and check-in with yourself to notice signs of hunger.
• Ask yourself what you feel like eating. Specifics: the flavors, the colors & the temperature.
• Buy food that makes you feel good. (Ex. dairy upsets your gut, so you swap for plant based)
• Grocery shop with a list and stick to it.
• Eat before shopping so are not coming home too famished to think about preparing something to eat.

I actually took photos of everything I ate on Friday to force myself to stay intentional. This is not something I typically do but, given the week I had so far, I knew I needed a big change to stay accountable.

Drop a comment or send me a message if you want recipes or details on any of my eats.

Make The Shift Anytime During Burn Out.

If you find yourself in the burn out cycle, know that you can start shifting anytime. I started on a Friday. I did not wait for the infamous “never miss a Monday” trap. Starting on Friday meant that I had a fantastic weekend. I did not further my burnout, digging myself into the trenches of exhaustion. I’m here for you!