Dealing With Burnout

Burnout is a term I have heard a lot since the pandemic hit. People trying to manage the uncertainty that Covid cast upon our world, trying to keep businesses alive, and continuing to search for stability in a world that has felt very unstable. It is something that I didn't really relate to until very recently.

I don't know why but for the first year and a half of lockdowns, constant protocol changes, and the regular everyday stresses of running my own business I did ok. I felt motivated and inspired to find ways of keeping my students engaged. I was focused a lot on other peoples' needs and making sure that they were alright. My husband, my children, my students, all seemed to preoccupy my time. Now that we seem to be, fingers crossed, coming out the other side, I feel it all catching up on me. I know for so many people this has been a lot to handle. For dancers, we saw our theatres closed, performances ground to a halt, and the very existence of our profession put into question. All the things that make the daily grind worth it have been gone so there hasn't been much to "fill the cup". The business appears to be weathering the storm but maybe now that things are starting to relax I am starting to feel what I was keeping locked down during the lock down. The stress of what it would do to our school, to my future, to what we have spent the last 6 years building. I feel really tired out.

I have been trying to be proactive about bringing more positivity to my daily life. I am looking at my personal finances and trying to find small ways to feel in control and to create a stable foundation for my family and a sense of security. I am trying to find ways to relax like my night time bath, and reading good books. Enjoying moments with my children even though they feel too few. Continuing to remind myself why I started this business in the first place and what I love about teaching and sharing with the next generation. It's still something that I am struggling with. I know that things will get better as we start to perform live again and bring back so many of the experiences that bring joy and fulfilment to our staff and dancers but I also think that the last 6 years of building this business have been really hard and I need to give myself some space to recoup.

Have any of you gone through burnout before? What are your tips for feeling better and getting back to your best self? I think that these feelings are probably really common and something that we should share rather than hide. I would love to hear from you!

Galien