B075: What to do when you’re emotionally depleted

What do you do when you’re emotionally depleted and you just need a break? Woof! We’ve all been there before. Heck, you might be feeling it right now…

The alarm clock goes off. You open your eyes and feel just as exhausted as when you went to sleep. Your brain starts to spin out of control, thinking about the slew of 80 billion things that lie ahead for you. People wanting you to do stuff. Emails waiting for answers. Laundry that needs folding. And a never ending supply of tasks that need to get done… yesterday.

The problem is, your inner love tank (as Dr. Chapman would say) is teetering on empty. The red light is blinking out of control, and you’re emotionally spent. You’ve got nothing left to give and you feel like a Mack truck just ran you over. What do you do then?

Self-care your way to thriving

My conversation with Jennifer Perkins earlier this week, triggered this thought of the day. Change is hard, and it’s also emotionally exhausting!

This episode is simply a brainstorm of ideas of what you could do to replenish yourself when you’re feeling emotionally depleted. These ideas, when executed, can help rejuvenate you emotionally, physically and mentally. Here’s what’s working for me these days…

When Carrie Contey was a guest on The Simplifiers Podcast, she taught us that “Self-care can be broken down into micro, medium and mega moments.” We can use these moments to help soothe those overwhelming feelings. Let’s start with some micro ideas…

Feeling a little emotionally depleted? – Take a micro moment

1. Take three belly breaths

In through the nose, hold it for a couple of seconds and then release, out through the mouth.

Pause and try it now. Ahh, isn’t that nice!

Repeat until your heart rate slows down and the oxygen is starting to seep into your vital organs. (Breathing! Who knew it was so gosh darn important!)

2. Sink your toes into the grass

Take your shoes and socks off, and get your feet on the grass. Ground yourself back down to the Earth and look up at the sky.

In that teeny tiny moment, you shift your attention away from swirling thoughts. It allows you to reconnect with the sensation of your physical body, and with Mother Nature.

Trust me, this stuff works!

3. Drink a big glass of crisp, cool water

Filtered water is best but really, anything is good right now.

Hydrating your body helps your brain work better, and clears the fog. Plus, the more you pee, the more toxins you’re removing from your body.

I’m no doctor, but this always makes me feel better.

Still emotionally depleted? – Take a medium moment

Okay, let’s take some bigger steps away from feeling emotionally sapped. I love:

1. Foot spa to heaven

Foot spas are the JAM! We don’t have foot spas in Nottingham quite yet, but they’re just about everywhere in the States.

Just imagine getting a 60-minute soothing, stress-relieving foot massage right now! (Man, I could totally use one of those–legit.)

You keep your clothes on for these types of reflexology massages. They are always super affordable ($35 USD for 60 minutes) and you can find one with 5-star reviews on Yelp in your city simply by typing in ‘foot spa.’

2. Pedicures

The next best thing is a spa pedicure. I’ll be honest, the foot massage part is my favorite bit and I try to close my eyes and savor every second of it. Get a gel pedicure, and the color lasts for 2-3 weeks.

Not into people touching your feet? Try a hand massage or a spa manicure instead.

3. Take the afternoon off

Don’t forget… one of the perks of owning your own business is setting your own hours. So, if your brain just isn’t ‘in it to win it’ today, take a look at your calendar and see if it’s possible to carve out 4 hours, just for yourself. If so, put your out of office notifications on in Slack and Gmail, and get the heck out of dodge!

Sit on a park bench, take a walk around the city and binge listen to your favorite podcasts. Go see a movie. Do whatever it takes to shake you out of this funk, and to reach above feeling emotionally depleted.

Next-level emotionally depleted? – take a MEGA moment

If the other two levels didn’t put you back together, it’s time for some mega action…

1. Book a business retreat day

This one will help you on a business level. If you’re feeling like you’re slogging through your weekly work without a firm strategy in place, it might be time to book in a full-day team retreat.

Jump off the hamster wheel, get your key team members to book in the time on their calendar, and set an agenda.

We do our team retreats quarterly to ensure:

• We are on target to hit our business goals each year
• Protected time to brainstorm new ideas
• A chance to re-energize everyone on the team (including myself)

This might be the ticket to shake things up.

2. Duvet day to the rescue!

Take an entire day to stay in your PJs, watch Netflix and slow your pace way, way down.

Remember, this is only for one day… don’t get stuck here.

Take just one duvet day and enjoy it – here are some top tips on how to make it the best duvet day it can be.

3. Plan your next vacation

I’m always shocked to hear clients say that it’s been ‘four or five years since I took my last vacation.’

What, what??!

Even superheroes need rest and recharging.

I encourage you to pull out your journal…

• Set a 7-minute timer
• Write out the destinations that have always been on your ‘someday’ list
• Figure out your top 3 dream destinations
• Circle one
• Set a date
• Make a plan to save up money
• If you’re super bold, book a plane ticket right now

The sooner you’ve got a ticket purchased, the sooner this dream becomes a reality. This will help release feel-good hormones and endorphins in your brain. A win-win, if you ask me.

One final whisper

If you’re feeling worn out and exhausted, there is no reason to fight it. No amount of energy drinks—or triple soy lattes—are going to give you the deep, soul quenching nourishment and rest your body and mind desires.

So, stop.

Breathe.

Listen to your intuition.

Ask her what she needs right now.

And then, make a plan to give it to her.

Your brain will tell you lies and make you believe you’re just being a slacker… or you ‘just need to power through!’

Don’t believe your mind. Listen to your heart.

Nourish yourself with healthy self-care and you’ll be back on top, feeling radiant, connected and full of what it takes to #DoTheThing.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It’s time to SIMPLIFY.