A few weeks ago I asked you to share if you were happy with your work/job in the COVID era? 

With one exception, the people who told me they were happy and still enjoying their job had two things in common.

1. They left their home to go to their place of work.
2. They worked in the service industry or with colleagues/clients in a setting where they saw people (outside of their immediate circle) in person, every day.

Huh, is this the magic pill to surviving the next months or years?

Get out of the house when possible and see more people…

It all sounds great, but what if this is not a possibility for you?

Some of you are busier than you have been for the longest time, perhaps you are the busiest you have ever been; while others have fewer commitments and more time on your hands, but if you aren’t getting outside, out of your home, breathing fresh air and seeing people you are not filling your ‘social cup’. As human being we are programmed to be sociable, so don your socially responsible/socially distant cap and get out there! We need it, you need it!

This is where a shameless plug for my outdoor Bootcamp classes would fit perfectly, and rightly so. We chat, we laugh, we connect, we breathe fresh air and so, so much more. The feel good factor of camaraderie, exercise and endorphins is better than the best cocktail you have ever tasted. Seriously. If you have never been to one of my classes, or haven’t been for a while, you should, the sea of smiling faces is enough to make the darkest day a brighter one.

On a slightly more serious note, do you recognize any of these symptoms?

• You don’t feel fulfilled
• You feel overwhelmed or anxious
• You are often irritated 
• You are often tired
• You are distant and often prefer to be on your own
• You find it difficult to focus
• You keep forgetting things
• You are more moody than usual
• You lack motivation or purpose
• You feel apathetic 
• You feel you are doing things because you have to rather than want to

These symptoms can manifest themselves as BURNOUT so pay attention to them.

We need to rest – even when we may not be ‘busy’. We need cozy nights in, easy one pot dinners, time without the nightly carpool crazy and we need the time to just ‘be’.

The need to unplug, take a bath, read a book, sit by the fire, watch your favorite show (or find a new one), the time to play games and catch up on the day’s events can never be underrated. 

You don’t have to be on back to back zoom calls all day to feel burnout, so, please, take time to make the time for yourself, burnout is real and it’s coming for you if you let it. 

Zoe x