Do you find yourself on the edge of burnout every other day? Life flies by at a million miles an hour, and you’re left feeling like you don’t have time for anything. Your mental health takes a hit because of this, and then you’re in a negative feedback loop where your busy lifestyle causes mental burnout, but you don’t have enough time to “treat” it, which then makes the issue even worse.
You need to break free from this loop, which means it’s time to re-adjust your approach to mental health. Stop thinking about solutions as “time-consuming” things and consider different ways to look after your mental wellbeing throughout the day. It is possible to fit things into a busy schedule, and here’s how:
Take Small Breaks Throughout The Day
For most busy people, mental health issues arise from feeling overrun and burnt out. It’s ridiculously common in this day and age - partly because we’ve almost developed a society that’s told it needs to work hard to succeed. You get so caught up in your busy schedule that you end up taking no breaks.
Fix this by giving yourself small breaks throughout the day, rather than long ones after multiple hours of work. We’re talking extremely small breaks here; 2-5 minutes after an hour or so of work, just to remove yourself from a screen, walk about, have something to eat. These mini breaks add up, and they help you remain focused and feel like you’re splitting up the day more.
Wake Up Slightly Earlier Every Morning
Get into the habit of starting your day off on the right foot. The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that a morning routine can do the following:
- Increase energy
- Boost productivity
- Improve positivity
Your problem is that you wake up late and end up in a mad rush to start work. Set your alarm 30 minutes sooner, and this changes everything. Give yourself time to have a relaxing 5-minute shower every morning, then you can get dressed and have a healthy breakfast. Leave yourself time to read a few pages from a book or sit outside and enjoy the sun with your coffee before heading off to work. Creating this moment of calm before a busy day helps you reset your mind and start afresh. Otherwise you feel like you go from one busy day to the next with no room to recharge.
Try Flexible Online Therapy Sessions
You may deal with all sorts of mental health concerns that impact your day and get worse because you don’t treat them. While a lot of the tips on this list help you manage your symptoms and avoid the feeling of burnout, you still need to seek proper treatment options. For the most part, therapy is the best option - just talking about your issues can feel like a weight removed from your shoulders - though you don’t have enough time to book therapy sessions in your schedule.
As a consequence you avoid treatment altogether - but it doesn’t have to be like that. Nowadays, you can get affordable online therapy with insurance that fits around your busy routine. Your health insurance plan should cover this, and you have more flexibility regarding the admission of therapy. Some people will simply book a session on the way home from work, enabling them to talk to someone via text chat. Others are able to set aside 10-30 minutes in the morning, or after work, for a phone call.
You don’t have to book appointments at a therapist’s office and then factor in the time it takes for you to get there. Online therapy is more convenient and accessible; plus, the flexibility means you can fit it into any routine.
Create A Better Bedtime Routine
A good morning routine gets you off to the right start, but you need a good bedtime routine as well. Sleep is one of the most important elements of your mental health - a lack of sleep will add to your problems and make the sensation of burnout feel even worse. You must find a routine that lets you sleep for 6-9 hours every night, but it also needs to accommodate your earlier wakeup time.
Therefore, you have to focus on getting to sleep earlier - which shouldn’t be difficult after a busy day, and yet you lie awake for hours before nodding off. You must develop a relaxing bedtime routine that limits mental stimulation and encourages you to fall asleep sooner so you can sleep for longer.
Here are some tips:
- Stop drinking coffee after 4pm
- Avoid staring at screens for at least an hour before going to bed
- Read a book to help you unwind
- Shower way before bed so it doesn’t make you feel more alert
- Ensure your bedroom is pitch black and quiet
You’ll find more tips out there, but the whole point is that you create this routine that helps your body slow down and get ready for bed. It enables you to wake up feeling more refreshed, which again creates that disconnect between days. A good night’s sleep and a positive morning routine will stop every day from blurring into one and compounding your mental health problems.
Practice Deep Breathing & Mindfulness
No matter where you are or how busy your day is, you can always practice deep breathing and mindfulness. Do it on the subway on the way to work: take deep breaths that calm your pulse and reduce stress. Be mindful of your walk into the office: focus on the sounds of nature around you, or the way your feet feel against the ground.
You might think this is a load of hippy nonsense that doesn’t do anything, but it’s surprisingly powerful at giving you moments of calm in a busy day. Think of it as a way of removing yourself from your busy schedule and enjoying some brief peace. Slip this into the mini breaks you should be taking, and your mental health will feel a lot less on edge.
Don’t assume that a busy lifestyle forces you to have bad mental health. It can definitely create and exacerbate mental health issues, but you’re able to look after yourself with the right approach.