The Role of Self-Care in Preventing Burnout

Burnout is a serious and complex issue that affects our physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing. It doesn’t happen the same for everyone, but there are common denominators. Your health is like a table with four legs. If one leg is broken it might still work but not as well. If more than one leg is broken, it no longer functions.  Burnout happens slowly. The stress builds up until we feel exhausted, drained, and like we can’t go on. While mental and emotional health are important to deal with burnout, physical symptoms often show up first and are ignored. 

I was recently talking with a friend about how we wouldn’t be surprised if our car broke down if we never changed the oil and didn’t fill the tank with fuel. Yet somehow, we push off taking care of our physical health and think somehow we’ll be fine.

So, today we’ll explore the importance of physical self-care.  Why is it important? What is it?  How do we do it?

What is physical self-care, and why does it matter? Physical self-care means taking care of our bodies. Our bodies are like machines; they need rest, fuel, and regular maintenance to keep running smoothly. If we don’t take care of our bodies, we can get tired, sick, and are more likely to experience burnout.

Why Physical Self-Care Matters

When you’re tired and stressed, it’s easy to ignore your physical needs. You might stay up late working, skip meals, or sit in front of a computer all day without moving. While this might seem like the best way to get more done, it actually makes burnout worse.

Our bodies and minds are connected. If we don’t take care of our bodies, our minds can’t function well either. When we neglect our physical health, we become more stressed, anxious, and even depressed. We also become more prone to getting sick, which can lead to time off work, loss of income, and even more stress. Taking care of our physical health helps us stay strong, energized, and ready to handle challenges without feeling overwhelmed.

At this point you’re probably saying “No kidding, I know that!”  But here is your reminder. Just because you know it, doesn’t mean you are practicing it. I see people every day who “know” they need to take care of their health, but don’t take action until they are looking down the barrel of a serious health condition. So, if you need a nudge, here is more to help you in taking action today. Don’t wait.

How Physical Self-Care Helps Prevent Burnout

Physical self-care makes sure that you are taking care of your physical needs so that your body doesn’t break down. It requires you to be tuned into your body and know when to rest and when to eat. Tell me if this has ever happened to you. You’re working along on your computer, facing an important deadline. Before you know it, it’s mid afternoon and you haven’t moved (your muscles feel stiff), you forgot to break for lunch (your stomach is grumbling), and you are losing your edge (brain is getting foggy).  All those physical signs are like lights on your dashboard, warning you to take time for physical self-care.

When you do, here’s how it helps:

Boosts Energy: When you’re physically active, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These chemicals make you feel happier and more energetic, which helps you handle stress better.

Improves Sleep: Exercise and good physical care help you sleep better at night. When you’re well-rested, you’re better able to focus and manage difficult situations without feeling overwhelmed.

Reduces Stress: Physical activity helps lower your levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress, and literally burns it off and flushes it out of your system, which then helps you feel less stressed. Less cortisol means you feel calmer and more relaxed.

Improves Mood: Physical self-care can lift your spirits. When you take care of your body, you feel more confident and happier, which makes it easier to handle tough times at work or in life.  Have you ever felt that endorphin high after a good workout? Endorphins are other hormones that make you feel happy and powerful.

Strengthens Your Body: Regular exercise keeps your muscles, bones, heart, and lungs strong. This helps you fight off illness and recover faster from physical and emotional stress.

What Is Physical Self-Care?

Think of physical self-care as any activity that helps your body feel good. It’s about paying attention to your basic needs, like eating healthy food, getting enough sleep, and moving your body. Here are the key parts of physical self-care:

Sleep: Getting enough rest is crucial for your body to recharge. Most men need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, but some might need more or less. Recent studies on women showed that women need more sleep due to the complexities of their hormone cycles and likely need closer to 8-10.  Now that is for adults. Young children and older adults tend to need more sleep.  That is why babies sleep so much, to grow their bodies. Similar as you age, you need more sleep to repair your body.

Movement: Moving your body is important to stay strong and healthy. You don’t have to go to the gym every day, but getting 30 minutes of physical activity, like walking, dancing, or stretching, most days of the week will do wonders.  Over the years I’ve moved away from using the word “exercise” because I would criticize myself if I wasn’t working hard enough.  It’s less about the particular exercise, and more about moving your body in a way that feels good and challenging to you. Yoga, dancing in your kitchen, and hiking all count. It doesn’t have to happen in a gym or fitness studio.

Healthy Eating: What you eat affects how you feel. You know the old saying, “you are what you eat.”  What we eat in processed foods these days is truly scary. Have you ever tried to read the ingredient list on any boxed or bagged food lately?  It’s like reading a foreign language. The best bet is to eat things in their natural state. Eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, and proteins gives your body the fuel it needs to function well. In my house, our back up is always baby carrots. Need a quick snack?  Easy.  A friend recently shared that she has “purse carrots.” As in she carries around a small bag of carrots wherever she goes. Brilliant!

Hydration: Drinking enough water is a simple but often forgotten part of physical self-care. When you’re dehydrated, you feel more tired and less focused.  The first thing I ask clients who experience headaches is about their water intake. Lack of water can cause headaches, confuse you into thinking you are hungry (causing over eating), and even cause temporary changes in your vision.  I experienced this after long international flights. My vision would be blurry until I got enough water back into my system. It was kind of freaky but makes sense. Your eye balls are about 98% fluid.

Body Care: Taking care of your body also includes personal hygiene, like brushing your teeth, taking showers, and getting dressed. Have you ever noticed after a bout of the flu that when you finally take a nice long shower you immediately feel better?  When you feel clean and put together, it also boosts your confidence.  Win-win!

In order to start taking better care of yourself, here are some easy things you can start to do TODAY.

Actionable Physical Self-Care Tips to Try Today

1. Take a Short Walk

If you’ve been sitting for a long time, get up and take a short walk. Even 10 minutes of walking can boost your mood, reduce stress, and give you more energy. You don’t need to go far, just walk around the block, around the office, or inside your house.  Before virtual meetings became a norm, corporate employees would walk to and from conference rooms and meetings all day.  These short bouts of movement help with energy and focus.  So even if you have back to back virtual meetings, take a quick walk around before the next meeting.

2. Stretch Your Body

Sitting for long periods can make your body stiff and sore. Take a few minutes to stretch your arms, legs, neck, and back. This helps improve blood flow and makes you feel more relaxed. You can even do a few stretches right at your desk (if you work in an office). 

3. Drink More Water

Make sure you’re staying hydrated. Grab a glass of water and sip it throughout the day. If you find it hard to drink enough water, try setting reminders on your phone or carrying a water bottle with you.  One hack I’ve learned over the years is to prep your water in the morning and use your bottle as a reminder. I talk more about that here.

4. Eat a Healthy Snack

When you’re busy, it’s easy to grab junk food, or a sugary snack, but this can make you feel more tired. The sugar crash after can leave you feeling even more exhausted. Try a healthy snack like fruit, nuts, or yogurt. These foods give you energy without making you crash later.  I already mentioned “purse carrots,” but there are so many easy quick foods that help.  One company I worked for even had “Banana stands” around campus so you could grab a quick, easy, and sustainably packaged snack in between offices.

5. Go to Bed Early

If you’re feeling tired or stressed, one of the best things you can do is go to bed early. Even getting 30 minutes more sleep can make a big difference in how you feel the next day.  These days I pretty much have a regular and sacred sleep routine where I go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 5am.  But life happens and of course sometimes social events keep me out longer. In those cases, I love a good power nap.  An even better trick is the leg up nap that I discuss in an earlier newsletter here.

6. Take Some Deep Breaths

Take a moment to do deep breathing. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. This helps calm your mind and body, lowering stress levels.  My two favorite deep breathing exercises I share often is Box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing. Box breathing, also taught in the military, is the practice of breathing in for 4 counts, holding for 4 counts, breathing out for 4 counts, and holding for 4 counts. It slows you down and helps you to regulate your heart and nervous system.  My other favorite, for stopping anxiety attacks in its tracks is similar, but you breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, and breathe out for 8 counts. By breathing out more carbon dioxide you more quickly get your body ready for more oxygen.  Try it and let me know what you think!

7. Plan a Fun Activity

Physical self-care doesn’t have to be all about exercise and eating right. Doing something fun that gets you moving, like dancing, playing a sport, or going to the park, is also part of taking care of yourself. Plan a fun activity this week that you’ll enjoy.  Even better if it includes friends. Social self-care is another topic we’ll get into soon, but there’s almost nothing better than having fun that is active and with other people.  Think hiking, dancing, sports, etc.  Life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. You don’t have to constantly break personal records… just enjoy time being active and feel like a kid.

How to Make Physical Self-Care a Habit

It’s important not to just know about physical self-care, but to actually make it a regular part of your life, and not just something you do when you’re feeling stressed. Here are tips for building healthy habits:

1. Start Small: You don’t need to change everything overnight. Pick one or two things from the list above and start doing them regularly.  James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits” often says start with 2 minutes. The best way to start a habit is just to start. Even just 2 minutes every day will get you into a routine. Then work your time up from there.

2. Set a Schedule: Add physical self-care activities to your daily routine. Put it on your calendar like an important meeting with someone (you are someone). Set reminders for things like stretching, walking, or drinking water so you don’t forget.  During a particularly stressful work season I had alarms going off at 8am, 11am, and 3pm to check in and ask myself “how are you feeling?  Do you need water? Do you need to stop to eat?”  Sounds silly, but when you are in the thick of stressful work, it’s better to set a reminder than to forget and fall apart.

3. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body feels. If you’re tired, take a break. Instead of reaching for another cup of coffee, perhaps try the leg up power nap for 10 minutes. If you have energy, use it to move your body. Learning to listen to your body helps you give it what it needs.

4. Be Kind to Yourself: Don’t get discouraged if you miss a day of self-care. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about becoming someone who takes care of their physical needs. It’s normal to have ups and downs. Just keep trying, and remember that taking care of yourself is a lifelong practice.

You got this!