Hi… It’s been a minute since I’ve really chatted with y’all! That’s why today I wanted to finally share a little bit more about how I’ve been feeling the last few months. Especially with work and how coronavirus has been a HUGE eye opener for me. Why? Because it made me realize I haven’t truly enjoyed blogging in a while… I was officially dealing with BURNOUT.

I started my digital marketing company 10 years ago at the beginning of April which is a huge accomplishment and I am very proud of myself. I’ve also been blogging for about 6 years… Technically, I have had the blog for 10 years too but really started focusing on it and putting effort into it back in 2014. That’s a LONG time… And, blogging has CHANGED.

HOW I’VE DEALT WITH BURNOUT

At the beginning of this year, I knew I wasn’t loving my job and had a pretty rough year last year to be honest. So, I really wanted to take this year to get back to my roots and take some time for myself. At the beginning of March, I took 2 weeks off from posting on Instagram stories because I was dealing with some personal issues. After those 2 weeks, the thought of having to open Instagram and talk to the camera sharing SO much of my life with y’all was extremely painful. That’s when I first knew I was burnt out and needed a change to my “work/life balance”.

Insert coronavirus… With the economy taking a major hit and being stuck at home I went into my “workaholic” mode. That lasted through April, and then I felt that nagging “burnout” eating away at me again. I took a trip up to my parents farm in Oklahoma with some close friends for a weekend, and that’s when I knew I had to take a REAL break from work. FACT… I’d never taken a real day off of work in 10 years. 

Think about being a blogger for a minute… We are constantly sharing our lives because we are the BRAND. No one else can be US. Being a fashion blogger specifically, holidays are usually the busiest times for us so we work. If I don’t post, I don’t make money. But honestly… ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. F*CK IT. I NEEDED A MENTAL HEALTH BREAK.

In mid-May, I took an official week off from work and it was absolutely AMAZING. I was happier than I’d been in a LONG time. However, a week wasn’t enough… I was still feeling major burnout pretty much all of May and June.

So, here’s how I’ve dealt with burnout lately…

TAKE A BREAK

Obviously this was my first step… Like I mentioned, I took a full week off from work. That meant NO posting on Instagram. Well me personally… I do have an assistant who posted for me because again I have to make money somehow, haha. Also, I didn’t spend time on Instagram or social media looking at other peoples stuff. Basically, it was a “digital detox”.

If you are going to take a TRUE break to deal with burnout I highly suggest scheduling it on your calendar. Then remove any and all temptations that might pull you back in. It’s hard. I know.

Also, get outside and move your body!!! I’ve started walking every day and it’s been so refreshing plus healthy.

PUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH FIRST

I’ve talked about my therapist before, but I would be a HOT MESS all the time without her. Seriously… She is the one who taught me about The Enneagram which has helped with my anxiety and insecurities a ton. Also, I started listening to a podcast that has changed my life the last few months. It’s called… UnF*ck Your Brain!

I’ve told ALL of my friends about it and a few of them have started listening to it too. I even signed up for her 6 week online program and actually took the time to DO THE WORK on myself.

ASK FOR HELP

Obviously we all have to make money and can’t just quit our jobs… I’m an entrepreneur so clearly it’s all me. I don’t have a typical 9-to-5 job and get weekends off. Quite frankly, I’m jealous of those of you who do! Honestly, I took an interview earlier this year for a job and REALLY thought about giving it all up to go back to work for someone else.

I’ve wanted to hire someone to run the backend of the blog for a while so my time can be focused on what I really DO enjoy which is creating worthwhile content. Finally, I found an incredible assistant who was able to run everything when I need a break and needed to deal with my burnout.

Another way I had to ask for help was from my friends and family. I needed people to keep me accountable… Also, I needed them to vent to and bounce ideas off of. After all, they know me best.

FIND MOTIVATION AGAIN

Doing all of the above things definitely helped cope with burnout, but you have to get past it. I knew if I went right back to the way I was doing things with the blog I was going to end up right back here in a few months… But, where could I find that motivation to get me excited about my job again?

Well, I did completely redecorate my home office! Environment is a BIG part of productivity in my opinion. I had a great office space in my house, but I was working from my kitchen table most of the time. So, I bought a new desk chair and created a fun gallery wall along with updating the shelving decor and TA-DA! I actually WANTED to go downstairs and work again.

Another really big thing motivating me was working with my consulting clients. I created the Blogger Boss Workshop a few years ago, and do one-to-one consulting with new bloggers and small businesses too. I’ve been working with a couple of consulting clients during quarantine and that’s what was putting a smile on my face.

I genuinely love teaching other people how to do what I do and helping them create a STRATEGY to do it. Their appreciation and excitement seeing everything develop is so so so REWARDING. That’s why I knew I needed to give myself more time to focus on consulting again.

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WOW… That post was a little longer than expected!! That’s what has really been going on though… I still want to blog and share some of my life with you all because I do enjoy connecting with followers 🙂 You just may see a little less of me moving forward!