Self-care is a great way to prevent burnout!
And self-care is always important whether or not we love what we do.
However, I will say that when we are not doing something that we love, self-care activities only help up to a point. They can delay burnout for a while, but eventually, burnout will catch up with us.
So it’s really important for us to spend time to evaluate whether we are doing what we truly love, something that makes us happy and excited!
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Why is it important to do what you love in order to prevent burnout?
When we are doing something that fuels our soul, self-care activities work to keep us healthy, just like sleep or eating.
Self-care activities restore us and help keep us pursuing our dream side hustle or business. When we’re doing what you love, we can actually use self-care activities to prevent burnout.
Burnout doesn’t have to happen when we have the mix of doing what we love PLUS self-care.
My journey with burnout
When I worked at my job I would come home completely exhausted. It wasn’t even that hard or demanding of a job. On the contrary, it was rather simple.
But every night I would come home and crash on the couch and watch show after show. I went through the first 3 seasons of Vikings, caught up on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, started watching Midsomer Murders, and continued watching Murdoch Mysteries.
And when I was in medicine, I would work hard for weeks only to crash with Netflix a little while later.
During both of these, I was doing self-care activities, but I wasn’t doing what I loved.
Related articles:
- How to Find the Courage to Pursue Your Dream
- The Courageous Way You Can Prevent Burnout
- The Bold Way Burnout is Destroying Your Self-Confidence
Where the magic happens
When I combined doing what I love with self-care activities, that’s when the magic happened. When I started doing what I loved, I could use self-care activities to actually prevent burnout.
So if you’re doing what you love, check out these self-care activities to prevent burnout. Don’t forget that even though you are doing what you love, it doesn’t mean that you can keep going indefinitely. It’s important to take care of yourself.
Self-care is for more than burnout
Don’t forget that self-care activities prevent burnout, but they also make us more productive and happier. When we take the time to rest and recharge, we become more resilient to stressors.
Self-care activities also help improve relationships with the people around us. They boost our energy physically and mentally so we have more confidence and self-esteem. This lets us maintain better relationships with our friends, family, and coworkers.
It’s a win-win all around. Not only do self-care activities prevent burnout, but they also make us healthier, more whole-rounded women!
Which of the following sound the most fun to you? Comment below!
47 Incredibly Fun Self-Care Activities to Prevent Burnout
- Schedule in time for self-care! Yes, this is kick-ass! What’s scheduled gets done!
- When will do it? Don’t assume it will take a long time – even 10 minutes helps!
- Meditate
- Journaling
- Gratitude practice
- Breathing
- Box breathing
- Buddha belly exercise
- Walk in nature
- Bath
- Aromatherapy
- Exercise
- Sleep – get enough sleep and wake up early
- Healthy eating habits
- Drink enough water
- Saying no
- Setting boundaries
- Reading books you love or inspirational books
- Join a book club – you find people with similar interests, mentally stimulating and relaxing at the same time
- Laughing/humour
- Realistic positive thinking
- Yoga
- Massages
- Acupuncture
- Stretch breaks
- Get a mani/pedi (do it yourself or at a spa)
- Dance like no one is watching!
- Positive self-talk
- Put on a homemade face mask
- Take a nap
- Take a fresh air break – step outside even if it’s cold just for some fresh air – rejuvenating
- Arts and crafts – ex paper mache, sewing, quilting, vision board, scrapbooking
- Adult colouring book
- No screen time times
- Make yourself tea and have afternoon tea
- A while ago I went to afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto. Absolutely loved the experience of slowing down in the afternoon and taking a soothing break with a warm cup of tea. Loved it so much that I do it almost every day now!
- Go to an art gallery and look at art
- Do something new that scares you (ex. skydiving or paddleboarding)
- Get out of the city – go to a park or forest for a walk, or a small town and explore the slower life
- Grab a cup of to-go coffee with a positive friend and take a walk together
- Go for a picnic
- Do photography – go on a walk taking pictures of your city
- Learn how to do something new – ex play chess, ride a bike, sew, paint, ride a horse, making pottery, play an instrument like piano – do it by watching YouTube videos or sign up for a course
- Sit by a body of water and get lost in the waves
- Self-safe hypnosis:
- Name 5 things you can see
- 5 things you can hear
- 5 things you can feel
- Name 4 things you can see
- 4 things you can hear
- 4 things you can feel
- Name 3 things you can see, hear, feel
- Name 2 things you can see, hear, feel
- In the end, name 1 thing you can see, hear, feel
- Make a “my positive qualities” list
- Surround yourself with a healthy, positive friend group
- Have sex!
- That’s one you probably haven’t seen on self-care lists before! Sex has so many benefits: improves your immune system, decreases stress, improves sleep, and it counts as exercise! Don’t forget to stay safe.
- Reach out for help
- Find a coach that you vibe with that you feel could help you find a way to start incorporating these activities in your life
Which ones sounded the most fun to you? Comment below to share!
How to use these self-care activities to prevent burnout?
Pick two and start incorporating those two into your schedule. Don’t do too many at once, or you’ll get overwhelmed. Start slow and build in more self-care activities to prevent burnout.
Making them a part of your routine – ie a habit – is really the easiest way in the long term to prevent burnout without having to think too much about it.
Have fun with it! If you’re not having fun when you’re doing these self-care activities, they can hardly count as self-care. You’re just torturing yourself otherwise. So have fun and get to it!
Which self-care activity are you most excited to try?
Share in the comments below!
