Break Free from Burnout: How to Recharge and Reclaim Your Power as a Working Mom

There’s no prize for the most exhausted and disheveled woman still standing.

Yes, I’m talking to YOU, woman who hasn’t done a single thing to serve or take care of herself in…well, you can’t even remember how long…because you’re too busy serving everyone. No time, no money, no energy to spend on you, right? Plus, resting and indulging is for the weak-spirited, eh?! Not you, you’re “stronger” than that, right?!

TRUTH: this run-down version of you is LESS able to be the wife, mom, employee/biz owner, friend, and woman you want to be. EVERYONE gets less of you, and from you, when you refuse to fill your tank and recharge your energy. You show up less impactful, in every way, when you fail to take care of yourself like you take care of others.

Not to mention, you can’t solve problems creatively (AKA find win-win ways to overcome challenges) when your day is so full you there’s no time for you to stop, rest, and think.

It took me a LONG time to figure this out. Here’s how I finally did.

I was on the brink of spiraling out of control (anxiety like WOAH), shortly after Ethan (babe # 2) was born. I was going HARD – I didn’t take maternity leave, I had a new baby, a 3YO, a traveling hubby and a thriving (demanding and growing) business to run. I thought the WORST thing I could do was step back from it all, because I was afraid if I stepped away, I’d have to sprint even harder to catch back up!

"I’m the only one who can do the things I do, the way I do them, so I have to KEEP doing them, forever more." Relate?

I got this idea to go to a hotel by myself for a night, something I’d heard one of my aunts had done when she needed to recharge. Thank the good Lord my support team (closest peeps) PUSHED me to make this happen; they told me I NEEDED it, and everyone would be fine without me. They told me I HAD to make it happen.

So, I did.

I booked a cheap hotel across town for just one night. I checked, laid down on a hotel bed, and sunk into the warm feeling of “vacation.” Nowhere to go, nowhere to be. No one to serve.

I returned from that hotel a more powerful, impactful and loving woman.

By stepping away from the demands of daily life to serve MYSELF, I was able to charge up my batteries so I could serve others at a higher level. I showed up lighter and more joyful. I had the creativity to solve problems in ways that were a win for everyone involved, ideas that were escaping me before in my broken down state. I had more patience. I had more excitement. I had more FREAKIN ENERGY!

And, friend? Can I tell you quickly, before you go, about a time I saw someone live this high-octane lifestyle and NOT stop to take care of themselves? 

We buried my mom before her 54^th birthday, days after her youngest daughter graduated high school. She was never to see the futures her 3 daughters would build. Never to meet my husband, never to hold my babies; her grandbabies. 

Never once, in my lifetime, did I see my mom step away from all the demands and serve herself. And I believe she paid an ultimate price for that. 

This world needs you, and your impact. Your family, your people, need you! And if you continue to give and give and give without end, amen, there will be nothing left to give from. An empty tank. An exhausted woman. A frustrated mind. A deflated spirit. Dis-ease.

Take my word for it, and hear what I said about the benefits of making time in your full schedule to take care of yourself. Or, take my mom's word for it, and hear what she can't say about the effects of never making time in your full schedule to take care of yourself. 

Schedule it today. Stop NOW and just put something into your calendar. Schedule ONE thing, do it repeatedly (AKA make it a habit), and then start another. 

IDEAS: 

Daily: meditation, prayer, morning routine, journaling, reading, exercise or movement for at least 30 minutes, a glass of wine after dinner in your favorite chair...

Weekly: sleep in day, a day with zero work (career or household), a family day to play, brunch with friends or family, church, an hour long - UNINTERRUPTED - bath...

Monthly: girl's night/day out, spa or massage, hair or nail appointment, goal review time, shopping, date with your partner OR night out alone...

Annually: MOM'S WEEKEND AWAY (I dare you to start this! Pick a weekend, schedule it with your family, book the hotel, and SHOW UP!) 

Sending you love, light, + fire, always.