638. Practical Steps in the Prevention of Burnout

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If you’ve been feeling stretched thin lately, this episode is for you. Lesley wraps up the burnout series by sharing research-informed ways to prevent burnout before it starts to affect your health, creativity, and relationships. She breaks down why mindfulness, clear boundaries, self-compassion, and asking for support matter more than pushing harder or staying constantly productive—and when professional resources may be needed. This episode offers grounded tools you can begin using right away.

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In this episode you will learn about:

  • Burnout as the result of chronic stress and losing your sense of purpose.
  • Using mindfulness and micro breaks when life feels out of control.
  • Protecting energy and creativity by setting clear boundaries around time.
  • Practicing self-compassion and why asking for support is not a weakness.
  • Preventing burnout through small daily habits rather than drastic changes.


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Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

There are some really great resources out there on preventing burnout, and I was able to find some from different scientists and doctors and people have been really researching this, because, as we know from the last episode, burnout can actually take years off of your life. It can age your brain, and it can take years to recover from. 


Lesley Logan 0:17  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 


Lesley Logan 0:56  

All right, Be It babe. Hello. Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It podcast, we are completing, well at least for now, our series on burnout. Super excited about these little mini series that we're doing. We did habits. We've done self-love. We've got this one, and I really hope you're liking it. And if you are wanting more of these, then let us know, because we want this podcast to be something you want to listen to. And if you have any topics you want us to cover, then let us know. Or if you have any guests, you can send those in. And also, if you have questions after listening to these questions, or aha moments or wins, send that into beitpod.com/questions we will answer your questions on our Thursday episodes for recaps on or when we have interviews, and we will share your wins on the FYFs. And I think it's really important, like, if you have a win, you're like, oh my gosh, I was able to catch myself in some non self-love or bad habit, bad in air quotes, it's not really, there's no such thing as bad habit, habits, things like that. We want to celebrate that with you, because one, it will feel good, but also inspires others. 


Lesley Logan 1:53  

So the first episode on this series was actually like, what does burnout look like? Why is it happening? This episode is on prevention, right? And I think that that that is where we can take some action, and we can really apply our Be It Till We See It style to this, right? So let me pull up my handy dandy notes on this, because it's really exciting. So there are some really great resources out there on preventing burnout, and I was able to find some from different scientists and doctors and people have been really researching this, because, as we know from the last episode, burnout can actually take years off of your life, it can age your brain, and it can take years to recover from. So we know that burnout is essentially losing your muchness from the Mad Hatter quote that I talked about in the last episode, you've lost your muchness. You used to be much, muchier. But truly burnout is you can get burnout from any chronic stress situation, so you know, and this is hard because we don't always get to control the things that are going on in our life. So of the first few things that I'm going to say, I'm just going to tell you right now, like practice mindfulness and micro breaks. So okay, there you can actually study mindfulness, and that is really cool. UCLA has a degree, or not a degree, but a certificate in mindfulness. And it's not easy to do, right? But there are different ways that you can practice mindfulness. One of the things that we did was we froze a grape, and then we practice like putting the frozen grape in our mouth, and like focusing on how that grape felt in our mouth, how like it tasted, what it felt like. We didn't chew it, right? We just, like, kind of focused on it. That's really helpful if you have a hard time meditating. Also, we did mindfulness walks. We like walk. You pay attention to right foot, left foot, right, just like really doing it. But micro breaks and mindfulness practices are going to be really huge for you, especially if you are, if what's going on is out of control, you can't change the situation you're in. We had a client whose parents were in the hospital, and it wasn't looking good. It was like they might never relieve and this client, after a few days of just like, dealing with all that, she realized, like she needed to do her Pilates Mat every day, and just doing that gave her a sense of prioritizing herself, but also purpose, and then just a mindfulness, just like, just like 20 minutes to focus on what she's doing and herself, you know, before she went into this situation that she can't control.


Lesley Logan 4:08  

All right, this is going to sound obvious, but also we need to talk about it, because I do meet a lot of people who struggle with this. So if you struggle with this, you are not alone, boundaries, you have to set them to protect your energy. The most resilient leaders set clear limits on their time, carve out sacred personal times, whether for the gym, family dinners or unplugged weekends, and communicate these boundaries firmly. Studies show that working reasonable hours and taking breaks boost productivity and creativity while always being on diminishes them. So if you are always on all the time, and you let people come ask for things for work all the time, it actually diminishes your creativity and your productivity. You're not getting as much stuff done as you think, or doing it well. And this is really hard because people get nervous about setting boundaries, they think they're gonna piss people off. You might. You know, I definitely think that there are people, and especially my professional world, where they don't love the boundaries that I set, where I'm like, I won't do those things for you, but I'll do these things for you. And the reality is, there's kind ways to say it. Sometimes you have to just be firm and just say it. Sometimes it's actually just easier to say, like, this is the boundary. This is what I will do for you. But one, they're kind we actually have a really great episode with Tanya Dalton about boundaries. So if you haven't listed that one, I would. It's so, so important, and it's not going to be easy, especially if you're not used to it, and people who love you might get frustrated about the boundaries you're setting, because you are changing the way that they engage with you. You're changing their habits outside of their control, but that isn't your responsibility, especially if you're trying to prevent burnout, because you're no good to anyone, unmotivated, having anxiety, tired, chronic fatigue, like these are things that can actually cause more issues in your life than it just you going, I don't answer the calls after five o'clock, sorry, right? And actually not even sorry, I don't answer call my phone after 5pm unless it's in a family emergency. Like, that's it. So the other thing, and this is why I was, like, we have to do a burnout separate from a self-love, because they are different things, but they go together. You have to prioritize self-compassion and support. So remember, in the self-love we talk about how, like, you have to be nice to yourself. That's part of self-love. You got to practice that that act in itself will not only love you, but it will also help prevent burnout. So huge, like even double the reasons to do it right. So high-achieving women often hold themselves to impossible standards, and I would actually edit that to overachieving women. I think high-achieving women can have kindness towards themselves, you know, so practicing self-compassion, speaking to yourself as you would a close friend, reduces guilt and shame, very important, and it builds resilience. Seeking support is equally crucial, and you might need to lean on mentors, peers and loved ones. Asking for help is actually strategic strength and not weakness. And so there's a ton of research on how recognizing the need for self-care is actually the first step in restoring the balance in your life. And so just right now, if you're listening to this and you're like recognizing, I need to care for myself more. I need to have more self-compassion, your body is going to react to that in a way that is going to help the first step in balance and rebalancing what's going on in your life. And so I think that that is key key I think it'll be harder if you're not used to having self-compassion in yourself it might be harder than boundaries and mindfulness. I'm going to be honest, but it's important. So establishing healthy boundaries that includes prioritizing your self-care, that means regular exercise. So like, what is a healthy boundary and where do you need to put them in? So I think you know, most boundaries are probably healthy, but looking at making sure that you have quality sleep. So you might actually want to start with, like, when do you go to bed? When do you wake up? What does that mean for the people in your life, if you're gonna go to bed earlier, do they need to do stuff in their life earlier? Do they need to help you out sooner? And I highly recommend with these things, I'm about to suggest you don't try all of them the same week. My loves. You want to use the anyone these that that kind of perks, like piques your fancy, perks you up. I want you to run through the habits series, because it's gonna help you. So if you want quality sleep, you'll go through the habit series on like all the different things that you think you can do to get quality sleep, and then start habits around that before you would dive into regular exercise, if that's not something that's easy for you, or going to therapy social connections, like nurturing your social connections and spending time with friends that can help, but you have to also have to have, you know, boundaries around that, and it might mean that you need new social connections. So that may be something you're like worth reviewing. Are the social connections in your life adding to your burnout or preventing it? 


Lesley Logan 8:32  

Reading, journaling, other hobbies. So I actually think a lot of people are missing out on a great hobby. I think a lot of, especially a lot of women I meet, their hobbies become jobs. I've been very public about how, like, I have a new hobby. I'm really loving what I'm doing. I'm studying tarot. And every time I tell people in my life I'm studying tarot, oh, my God, would you do a reading for me? No, the answer is no. One, that's boundary. Two, I want to keep it a hobby. Maybe at this at some point I would, I would do readings for friends, just for the fun of it. But right now, where I'm at with my hobby is not sharing with other people, and that's okay. You know? What's also really great you guys for prioritizing your self-care and having some healthy boundaries, you could actually take a relaxing bath, pamper yourself, right? These are not rewards. These are not rewards. These are just things that you do regularly for you to prioritize your self-care. So prioritizing your self-care can also look like laughter, entertainment, the way you fuel yourself, the food you eat, all of that is prioritizing. So if you're like, I'm too busy, oh my gosh, you have to eat every day. Can we just make sure that the foods that you eat are actually nourishing you? Can we do that? The other parts of preventing burnout are going to be seeking social support and doing some sort of mindfulness practice. We talked about that. I'm going to give you a few tips on the mindfulness practice and then cultivating a positive work environment, that is hard, can be hard to do if you don't control that. Regular exercise is also important for preventing burnout, and then getting therapy or their doctors involved is going to be helpful. But let's dive into mindfulness practice because, like I said, UCLA does have a certificate in this. But what are some other ideas, if you're like, I don't want to, like, focus on a grape, or practicing how I walk, deep-breathing, just sitting here and going inhale, right and then exhaling and just focusing on your breath. Maybe you only do it for five breaths. That's totally fine. There's mindfulness meditation apps, right? Like, there's like, all these different apps you can get on. There's a podcast about mindfulness meditation, and she releases a new meditation every single week. You can replay this, the one that you love. Guided imagery that is like, where you can kind of find a meditation or a guide who can help you picture what you want your world to look like, so you can make adjustments and being it until you see it. Mindful walking, we talked about that, mindful eating, that's also great, mindful journaling. Write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Focus on the present moment. This practice can provide clarity, insight and healthy outlet for emotions. We had David Corbin, and he, his one of his Be It Action Items was ask right the question at the top of a piece of paper, and then close your eyes and then write down what comes to your mind. You'll be like writing all over the page, but that active journaling can be really mindful, and if you are going to use mindfulness, some of them can be more expensive than you want them to be. So like I said, there, there are podcasts out there on different music apps you're already paying for. There's probably some sort of mindful meditations you can be listening to. So take a look at that. I know that my fitness apps that I have also have mindful meditations on them. So try not to double up on things, because that could just be overwhelming and cause, cause, add to your burnout, right, that you're having. 


Lesley Logan 11:28  

So if your burnout is looking deeper into, presenting itself as deeper into anxiety or depression, I definitely would go to the helpline for the ADAA, which is the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. You can also check out the help line of Be The Difference. You know, it's part of reading burnout is asking for help. There's nothing wrong that. And if you need the people in your life, you're like, I can't go to them. That's okay. You know, sometimes the people in our life are also experiencing these things, so we don't want to add one more thing to their plate, or they are, they can't be the help that we need, you know, and that that sometimes what we need is professional and so I hope that that this helps give you permission to seek professional help if you need it. And I know it's difficult, oh my gosh, I have a I have to call my insurance company myself to, like, call this one place and see if my insurance covers it. And then I then I get to call the place, and then I get to have the appointment. Like, I get that. So get that, which is why, if that is one of the things you have to do in a day, do that and know that that's part of the self-care that you're trying to do for yourself, and that's part of prioritizing yourself. And then while you wait, try on one of these things that prioritizes yourself or sets boundaries, or helps with mindfulness, so that you can be little by little, doing something. You know, a lot of the people I coach, they're like, I want to do this, this, this and this. Try one thing. Go back to that habit series, one tiny, tiny habit, so that you can actually make a dent in what it is that you're wanting to do and get there, you know, be it till you see no one gets there overnight. We all the joke is, Rome wasn't built in a day. It really wasn't, you know, but then we expect ourselves. So I should be better tomorrow, because now I know I have burnout. I prioritized myself today, so I shouldn't be burnt out tomorrow. If you are already there, it's going to take some time to take some time to unravel what's going on, right? But you can do it, and you owe it to the future you to do it. You owe it to the people that you love to do it, right? The people you want to love or you don't even have in your life yet. So I hope these tools help. I hope this gives you some ideas. You know, ask the people on Instagram, like, what are your prevention tools for burnout? And what I got was a lot of people struggling with burnout. So I know that this is an important topic. It's difficult to like, but I have to get up tomorrow like, I can't cancel, the Pilates teachers that I coach like, I can't cancel the day tomorrow, you can't but if we if you get so burnt out that you're sick now we got weeks, right? So not saying cancel the clients, but I am saying maybe, maybe this exam client has to find a different time or a different teacher, because you can't do it anymore. Maybe that's where we have to start. If that, if you can't afford to do that yet, then okay, journaling is free. Deep breaths are free. Playing music that helps your brain feel really calm and good. It's, you know, probably not free because you have to get a license, but it's not, it's nominal, right? 


Lesley Logan 14:27  

So just know that every time you're doing something for you that makes you feel good, it is a step in the prevention of burnout, and you are worth it. Burnout is not like burned out. It's like this, like this, like little flippant thing. No, it's a serious thing, a serious thing that has serious consequences and affects people, not just you, in the world, in your life, in a way that isn't helpful. And so I know how much you love what you do, and how much you love the people that are in your life. I want you to love yourself enough take care of you so that you can do all. The things that you want with the people you love, and so you can be it till you see it. So share this with the friend who needs to hear it. Let me know if each of these tools was helpful for you or what your favorite tools are. What are the ways that you help with boundaries or prioritizing yourself or mindfulness? I would love to hear them and until next time, Be It Till You See It.


Lesley Logan 15:16  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.


Brad Crowell 15:58  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.


Lesley Logan 16:03  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.


Brad Crowell 16:08  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.


Lesley Logan 16:15  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.


Brad Crowell 16:18  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.



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