Latest / RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way / Ep. 10 – Multi-Tasking and Burnout

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Ep. 10 – Multi-Tasking and Burnout · RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is produced by my friends at Walkways.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking to grow your brand and generate leads through podcasts or video production, head over to Walast.com.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's start the show.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Rise Up.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Live Joy Your Way with Comedy Wood.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's time to step into your power.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everybody, and welcome to another episode of Rise Up, Live Joy Your Way.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Today I wanted to talk about a couple of different things.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: One is this concept of multitasking, and the other is burnout.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So these are very um these topics are very near and dear to my heart because I myself, as a high achiever, love to consider myself a great multitasker.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think that I have many times been heard saying how great I am at being able to handle so many different things on the list at the same time.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And interestingly enough, I was engaged in conversation recently and I was suddenly forced to realize that uh multitasking is not really something that I necessarily should be proud of, or even that I am actually really good at.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: The way that it was described to me was that our minds are basically uh these super highways.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And when we're trying to multitask, we are trying to jump from one highway to the other.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, when you think about it and you back up from it, if you really do consider them highways, when you're traveling on one highway, the only way to get to another highway is to actually consciously take an exit, exit off the ramp, and then enter the new highway.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Likewise, with tasks, the only way to really fully in an engaged manner go from one task or to actually engage in a task versus another task is to complete one and then consciously move on to the next task.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: So what happens when we are trying to multitask, we are half engaged or a quarter of the way engaged in one and not um or in both rather.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not really fully engaged.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I know for a fact for me this is an issue, or I've noticed it in in the past, where if I'm, for instance, trying to respond to an email on my phone while engaging in a conversation with somebody, I'm half listening to what they're saying, and I'm also half being half able to really focus on a response for the email.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: What would have been better in hindsight, thinking about it, is if I had told the person who was trying to engage in conversation with me, please give me one moment, which is a boundary issue, of course, which that could be a podcast for another day, but you know, hold on one second, let me complete this reply in this email, fully engage in the reply, and then consciously shift to the conversation with the individual in front of me so that I could fully be present and fully engage in the conversation.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So this really did get me thinking because I know oftentimes I I have done it, and then I've also heard other people really um thinking that it's this great honor to be this great multitasker.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: In truth, when we're multitasking, we're not necessarily fully engaged in each of the different tasks that we're trying to accomplish.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason I bring up this concept of multitasking is this can also lead to burnout.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when we're taking on so many things and trying to do so many things at the same time, we can actually end up physically and emotionally drained.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: And to the point where we we don't we're not present and we feel like we're actually spinning our wheels and we're stuck because um we're actually just we're burned out from trying to do too many things at once.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, burnout is actually uh often described as a complete state of exhaustion, um, and we tend to experience burnout when we feel overwhelmed by the constant day-to-day demands.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so, in conjunction with the topic of multitasking, when we have so many tasks on our to-do list and we are trying to get them all done basically at the same time, we are setting ourselves up for actually ending up in this phase of burnout.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um the other, you know, not just the task list, but just the the mindset around the need to get everything done on the task list.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: So the task list itself can cause this, you know, kind of this overwhelm.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: But then it's in conjunction with the mindset that that sets us up to think that somehow we're a failure if we don't get to everything and we and we don't get it all done, that can just set us up for burnout.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, when you actually end up in burnout, that's when you know you're just you're kind of unmotivated.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: You you you don't have the ability to actually to be productive.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: There's physical damage, you know, to your health, and um as I said, your energy is completely sapped, and it needs to like you can't actually you you shut down in a sense.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um emotional uh symptoms of burnout is when you do feel that loss of energy, or you do have that loss of motivation, um, where you're feeling helpless or hopeless uh most of the time.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: There's also this sense of detachment and isolation.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it when you're in that zone of burnout, you feel quite alone and you feel like nobody truthfully understands what it is that you're going through.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you start to feel just unfulfilled and this lack of satisfaction.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And likewise, physically, you can feel the effects of burnout as well, where you are physically feeling exhausted.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: You're just your body just is zapped of all types of energy, you have a weakened immune system, uh, you tend to have frequent aches and pains, you uh are either hungry all the time or never hungry, so there's changes in your appetite, and of course, it's very difficult to sleep on a normal sleep schedule.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because again, both emotionally and physically, you're just worn out.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times when people are facing burnout, they end up self-isolating, which just exponentially grows the issue that they're facing, um, which you know can lead to trying to solve the problem with other things such as drugs or alcohol, or con you know, it it could lead to just becoming more aggressive and having anger issues.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we deal with this?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: How do we how do we cope with burnout and how do we avoid it?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, first of all, when we are constantly thinking that we have to multitask, it's slowing down and recognizing that we can have you know a huge task list, but maybe it's a question of breaking up that task list into palatable bites each day, and also recognizing that we don't necessarily have to multitask.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's not that we have to get everything done in a specific day or all at the same time, but actually that it's give our giving learning to give ourselves grace and space to get a few items on our list done and then moving forward with the list the next day.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, another way to help avoid burnout is to set and to keep boundaries.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the things is to recognize what it is we can do in terms of when we are working with other people or just in terms of our own goals for the day or our priorities for the day.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's setting up those boundaries and then honoring those boundaries, not allowing them to fold or to think that they're not important, but rather truthfully honor the boundaries that we set up so that we can make sure that we're not taking on more than we can handle at a given time.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Another way to avoid or to cope with when we're starting to feel burned out is to exercise and to get some physical activity and to get back out into nature.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um and what I mean by this is when you start to feel that overwhelmed feeling and you start to feel like you've got to do all the things, sometimes just taking some time to go have some physical activity and to go exert some energy allows the mind to clear itself and allows the endorphins to start running so that we can deal with the stress and overwhelm, and it allows the ability for our moods to stabilize, which again helps avoid burnout and helps deal with the concept of burnout.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, another way to cope with burnout includes practicing mindfulness.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And many people, if you've been following me, know that when I'm talking about mindfulness, I'm not talking about necessarily meditating for 20 minutes.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: While that would be wonderful, I have often admitted that for me it's very difficult to just sit and meditate for 20 minutes because my mind will the monkey mind will just keep going.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And especially if you are a natural multitasker and have this list constantly that you want to jump from thing to thing, sometimes it's just slowing down for a couple minutes and getting present in your current moment.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so the way to do that, yes, meditation is an option, but another way is just practicing some conscious breathing for a few minutes.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then the one that I've talked about often and that I love to go to is getting centered with my five senses in a specific moment.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: So slowing down and in that moment, really paying attention to what I'm hearing, what I'm seeing, the things around me that I can touch, the smells, the taste that's in my mouth in a specific moment, because what that does is it slows down the monkey mind, it slows down the racing list of things to do, it slows down the knee-jerk reaction from to try to jump from task to task, and it allows you to get present and to be conscious of where you are and what you're doing.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then of course, there's also recognizing that relationships are important.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: So when we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or we're feeling like our task list is never ending, one of the ways that we can really nurture ourselves is with a social connection.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so it's really finding that that community that supports us, whether it be family or friends, but it's people that you feel comfortable enough to get vulnerable with.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, oftentimes I will say that there's so much strength and vulnerability.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean that it's go walk down the street and let everybody know all of your vulnerabilities.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: What I mean when I say be vulnerable, it's when you have the people that you really trust and that you know that you can be vulnerable with, it's really to embrace that.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: So a great way to avoid burnout is to recognize who your strengthening support is and to lean on them when you need to.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: And really getting in touch with what it is you're feeling and what it is you're needing.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that's putting your health and your own self first.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I hear oftentimes, well, isn't that selfish?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: And the truth of the matter is, and I've said this before, is you know, you can't serve others if you're serving from an empty cup or an empty plate or however, whatever analogy you want to use, you've got to fill yourself up first.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so in that same light, it's so important to um make sure that you are getting in touch with what it is that you're feeling and getting in touch with what it is, what you're what it is that you're needing, and then either you know, self-soothing or asking for this, asking for support in those things.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: So, for instance, if you're feeling just exhausted and tired and you need to just rest, sometimes it is just giving yourself the ability to rest.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: And those are okay things to do, especially in the mind, in the mindset and in the recognition that if we don't do that and we keep trying to run and do all the things, burnout is inevitable, right?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just like a car.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you can only go so far in a tank of gas, and then you've got to refill.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: If we're constantly trying to finish everything on our test list, and we're trying to constantly jump from thing to thing, and we're constantly trying to do all the things and we never refill ourselves, eventually we're gonna burn out, we're gonna be on empty.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so it is so important to just slow it down and to recognize, you know, there is no award for being able to multitask and jump from thing to thing.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we if what we're really trying to do is to do what be engaged in our life and to be present in our life, then maybe it's it isn't about multitasking, maybe it's actually about slowing it down and being fully present in one thing at a time.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe it's not about getting to everything on the list, but getting to the things that are important for that day and then allowing some things to slide to the next day so that we don't constantly feel like we have to keep going to the point of utter exhaustion.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because, of course, once you're burned out, it's very difficult to pick yourself back up.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you need support, by all means, feel free to reach out to me.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: I can be reached at contact at itsauthenticme.com.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'm on Facebook and Instagram and the website comedywood.com.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: And until next time, this is RiseUp Live Joy Your Way, and I'm Comedy Wood.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to Rise Up.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Always remember your uniqueness and the gift that you bring to this world.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Life happens for you, not to you.