Working too hard is mentally draining. Your brain needs downtime so you can recollect and refresh your thoughts. But this can be hard when you put pressure on yourself to always do more. This constant onslaught of “must-do” can rob you of your energy and drain you of your focus. An overworked brain seldom works well.
Five Ways to Stop Feeling that You’re Not Doing Enough
Usually, the people who feel like this are the ones that are doing a lot. It’s good to be a high achiever because you’ll realize a lot of success in life. But you can’t let yourself get burned out. Follow these steps to help yourself calm down and restore your energy:
- Organize your daily tasks. You can do this with a to-do list. This way, you’ll know when you’re done for the day and it’s time to relax. Choose one big task and a few smaller ones. Tackle the big task first, since that’s the one that will take the most mental (and maybe physical, depending on what it is) energy. Once that’s done, you’ll feel you’ve accomplished something and the few smaller tasks will be easy to tick off the list.
- Determine why you feel unsettled. Sometimes, even though you’ve accomplished your list of tasks, there’s still a nagging feeling at the back of your mind that something is undone. Sit with your thoughts and figure out what that thing is. Then, write it down with a loose plan of how you will tackle it tomorrow. Once the thought has been freed from your mind and recorded, it will help you let go and relax for the evening.
- Give yourself permission to relax. Many of us are our own worst critics, and we self-impose pressure on ourselves. Recognize if this is what’s happening, and give yourself permission to let back off and take a break. This could mean you need to step back and take a day off, or stay off social media and the internet, or even get outside and breathe in some fresh air in nature.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. We’re all on our own journeys, with highs and lows, bad and good, success and failure. It’s all part of the trip. If you see that someone else is successful, it doesn’t mean that you’re failing in comparison. You’re also successful in your own way, and we’re all on different pathways.
- Celebrate everything, no matter how small. A small win is still a win. Celebrate the good things you accomplish and everything you cross off the list, no matter how small it may seem. Every accomplishment is a step in the right direction.
Is it Time for a Change?
If your job is what’s putting too much pressure on you, it may be time for a change. Feeling you’re not doing enough will lead to burnout eventually. To prevent burnout and help yourself thrive, contact Snelling Georgia Group. Visit our job search page to learn more.