8 Signs To Look Out For When You’re About To Crash
Between fires to be put out from changes in renovation plans and triple checking every single detail before our grand re-opening, I was really burnt out. It’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle of things. Even though I’ve told myself countless times over the last few years that I’d be extra attentive to how my body so I could catch it before it got bad… let’s just say I still didn’t realize it until one day, I realized I’ve already crashed.
I know I’m not the only one who has been suffering from this lately!
Here are 8 signs I’ve noticed when I realized I was crashing:
1. I was stuck in a Freeze Response.
I began to feel stuck in a certain parts of me body. Other symptoms are feeling cold or numb, physical stiffness or heaviness of limbs, decreased heart-rate, restricted breathing or holding of the breath, a sense of dread or foreboding.
2. I was tired all the time.
8 hours of sleep never felt enough! I was constantly wanting to sleep because my body is working on overdrive.
3. I would set up daily tasks and end up doing none of it.
I procrastinated all the time and is a huge part of feeling overwhelmed. Some of the causes of this can be fear of failure, distraction, or anxiety. And then I would feel guilty for not doing what I set out to do.
4. I would cry or get angry at the smallest things.
"You’ve bitten off more than you can chew” was an understatement. Because I was constantly in a high-stress environment, I noticed myself becoming short with others for things I normally wouldn’t care about and crying randomly. I think my body was trying to release some of the stress hormones by crying or lashing out.
5. I frequently got sick.
My immune system was compromised when I was constantly in a high functioning anxiety state. Hindsight is always 20/20, but at the time I chalked it up to the weather changing.
6. Disassociating is frequent.
Disassociating is often linked to freeze response. Just like animals, I tend to freeze when I felt like I was in danger.
7. Your body develops random flare ups.
This can look anywhere from random hives, body aches, diarrhea to even some extremes of autoimmune disease.
8. You stop self-care.
When I begin to put myself in the back burner, it began to slowly weigh on me and I wasn’t even realizing it!
Preventative Is Key.
To hold myself accountable, I took 3 months off from doing too much. These are some of the key pointers I used in order to keep my nervous system at bay. I always thought taking a vacation or quitting social media cold turkey would be the answer to all my burnout. (believe me, at one point I was going on vacation every other month to run way from my stress) In reality, I was essentially putting a small bandaid on a large wound. The anxiety won’t just go away. What if I can’t go on vacation? Just like any skill, being able to manage my stress takes a lot of repetition and practice. The more I did the pointers below, the quicker I came out of that rut.
1. Talk to someone.
Whether it be a friend, family, your partner or even seeking professional help, talking about all my thoughts can really help me organize and process what I was thinking.
2. Moving my body.
Whether this means a nice walk, yoga, pilates, or weight lifting, moving my body can regulate the nervous system. On the contrary high impact workouts like cardio can caused my body to become even more stressed.
3. Becoming more aware of how you are feeling.
When I began to notice the signs of burnout, I noticed the quicker I caught it, the faster I can prevent it from leading to one of the points above.
4. Regulating your sleep schedule.
Believe it or not, sometimes my body is at an anxious state just for having less sleep! Ensuring I stick to a regular sleep routine and getting my proper hours are crucial in regulating your nervous system. Fun fact– the standard 8 hours is for men’s sleep schedule while women is actually 10 hours!
5. Getting your proper vitamins.
Most of the time the vitamins should be absorbed from whole foods, however if it is time or lacking in resource, I’d recommend taking the vitamins you are low in. Consult with your family physician or a naturopath to find out which vitamins are low. This was a game changer for me when I added a few supplements like magnesium, ashwagandha, and rhodiola to my daily supplements, I tell anyone who listens about taking vitamins! (I bought mine from Wholefoods.)
6. Writing your thoughts down.
Similar to #1, writing them down has also helped me cross out the ones that just don’t make sense.
7. Understanding the nervous system.
When my therapist introduced me to the nervous system and I realized my body was in a constant state of fight or flight, I finally realized there wasn’t something wrong with me, but just that my body is in survival mode. Highly recommend you researching for more information on this.
8. Last but not least–SELF CARE!
This is such a big one. I feel as if prioritizing myself isn’t talked about enough. This means getting a massage, getting your nails, lashes done, doing things to make me look, and feel good. I love dressing up for this reason. Dressing up is a small confidence booster for me and I highly recommend you doing the same! You don’t need to have a special occasion to look good. Do it for you.
“You don’t listen to your thoughts–you hear them.”
Until next month,
Michelle Tran
