I'm young and still exhausted, help!
Dear Career Curator,
We operate under the misnomer that youth determines how much energy someone has, when in fact your energy level is a direct output of your overall health. This includes your diet, physical, and mental health. If you are not taking proper care of yourself, one of the most common signs is exhaustion. Based on your full question and backstory, there's a strong chance that you are experiencing burnout. By definition, burnout is a mental or physical collapse caused by overwork or stress. To be clear, burnout can be the result of something going on in your life that is completely unrelated to work, although it's often directly related to work. It would be helpful to further explore the root cause of your exhaustion, but here are a few tips that will help you no matter what.
Eat a balanced diet that includes lots of water. When you find yourself exhausted the most immediate pick me up will come from water, food, or sleep. Your food should include green leafy vegetables and high quality protein to nourish your body. The standard advice regarding water intake is about half of you body weight in total ounces of water each day. Naps can help rejuvenate you, but should not last longer than 30 minutes with 20 minutes being ideal. Create regular routines for yourself to ensure you are getting enough sleep each night. When you are well rested, it's much easier to make sure you are eating properly. Be sure to carve out time to pray or meditate. Dedicating time to sit with your thoughts can help you identify what may be troubling you and often you can surface solutions during those quiet moments. Use reaffirming words to encourage yourself and challenge any negative internal dialogue with facts and positivity where appropriate.
Know your purpose and focus on your goals. It's easier to keep showing up when you are working towards something bigger than yourself. Yes, we all need a source of income, but the pursuit of money will only take you as far as your expenses extend. You need more than money to keep returning to something that fulfills no meaningful purpose in your life. In fact, you need more than money to keep showing up in your life and that is the void that purpose fulfills. When you are feeling uninspired and you are not focused on a specific outcome, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the emptiness of the day to day. Invest the time to get clear on your purpose and goals. You will find inspiration by investing time in your self discovery. Focusing on you is necessary and if you are not willing to do it, who will?
Rest don't quit, is some of the most pointed advice that has helped me navigate my toughest challenges. People can be exhausting, work can be exhausting, life can be exhausting. Rest is critical for replenishment. Rest allows your brain to take a break from the daily interactions you are having with others and yourself. Rest will replenish your energy as well. Rest is more than sleep, it can be any calming activity that you find relaxing. Think yoga, reading a book, or watching the sunrise. Spa days are nice, but not required. The rest that replenishes you is what you should focus on getting more of.
Lastly, take your paid time off (PTO). When you are exhausted, you have little to offer yourself let alone anyone else. Take the time you need to step away and recenter. If you are worried about a negative outcome resulting from you taking time away from work, explore that further and understand why. There are very few jobs that I can think of that require every person to present everyday and it's highly unlikely that you are in one of those roles. If you do not have access to PTO, it's time for a change. The job market is oversaturated with open positions and there are plenty of opportunities available, including lower threshold professional roles. These roles do not require a degree or even experience in most cases, but they do offer PTO. Jobs that will not offer you paid recovery time are not worth your effort, in today's market there are too many options to remain at a company that doesn't value the need for rest. This note mainly applies if you are based in the US, because every other country seems to have figured this out and have laws in place to ensure all of their working citizens have access to paid time off.
Surely there's one tip here that you can implement right away. At the very least, understand that you are your responsibility. Listen to your body, learn to understand your needs and act on those. In order to grow old, you have to survive being young. Learning to care for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being earlier in life will increase your chances of living a longer, more fulfilled.
With encouragement,
Career Curator