Welcome to the Lady Abigail Blog! I am so glad you stopped by. My name is Lena and I am the founder and owner of Lady Abigail. The idea for the store was born after I suffered from severe burnout. Since hindsight is always 20/20, I wanted to share the six things I would do now if I could go back and start all over again.
I also added four ideas to try if your loved one is showing any of the burnout symptoms I shared in my blog "The Story Behind Lady Abigail". It’s basically a list of what I wished some of my friends and family would have done for me. I don’t blame any of them. I never asked for help. I didn’t know how.
I am not a doctor or therapist so please seek professional advice if you feel you need it. All I can share are my experiences and what got me through this rough patch of my life. None of the things on my list should come as a surprise. We all know what we SHOULD do. Sometimes we go through the hard times, so we learn to finally take care of ourselves.
Without further ado, here is the list:
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Ask for help – Yes, such obvious advice, but so hard to do. I still struggle with it sometimes. Here are the two main things you can do now:
- Find other people that are going through the same thing as you. Search Facebook groups and connect with people online. Just knowing you are not alone is such a big help. I recently started the Facebook Group "Lady Abigail's Sanctuary". I would love for you to be part of it if you are interested.
- Practice Self Love. I never asked for help because I had this crazy belief that everyone else needed it more than me. I highly recommend listening to Adam Roa’s poem “You are who you have been looking for”. He also created a course called “5 Days of Dating Yourself” that helped me tremendously.
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Do something that makes you happy every day – This one is a true game changer. I think the biggest problem is that most of us don’t really know what makes us happy. Here are my suggestions to start the process:
- Try our 10-Day TimeOut Dare. We created this mini challenge for people that think they don’t have time for themselves. The Dare is currently free with the purchase of one of our Deluxe Hooded Blankets.
- Read Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way”. It is a 12-week course that helps you unblock your inner artist so you can figure out what makes you happy and what has been blocking your creativity for so long. Don't forget that we are all artists at heart. We may not all be poets, painters or writers, but we do all create every day. Maybe you love to bake, repair cars, do DIY projects at home etc. Find your inner artist and start creating again.
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Learn to manage your stress - Managing stress feels so impossible when you are fighting burnout and its symptoms. My best advice is to learn to say no and take charge of your calendar. While you are at it, schedule a daily meditation.
- Take out your calendar right now and cancel one thing. Remember, “no” is a full sentence. No explanation necessary. Keep saying no until you have enough space to say yes to what you actually want to do.
- Download the free Insight Timer App. It is full of amazing meditations & breathwork sessions that will help slow down your mind. Learn to mediate & breathe through stress and anxiety.
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Get enough sleep – Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep every night but when you suffer from burnout you probably already are sleep deprived. Getting more sleep should be your number one goal until you start feeling better.
- My best advice is to create a consistent bedtime routine and stick to it even on the weekends.
- This may sound strange but getting sunlight every day really helps you sleep better. There have been a few studies done on this subject. You can read about it here. I try to go outside every day around noon when the sun is the brightest and just soak it up. You only need a couple of minutes to see results.
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Watch what you eat and drink – This one is pretty simple. If you put crap into your body, you will feel crappy. Changing your eating habits when you are already overwhelmed with life is almost impossible. Almost but not totally impossible.
- Try to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible before every meal. They are magical for your mind, body and soul. Eventually you will be able to replace a cooked meal with raw food. The body can heal itself if we feed it the correct foods.
- Quit drinking coffee – Before you stop reading, hear me out. Coffee may seem like the only thing that is allowing you to function right now, but it also causes a lot of damage to your body. Try adding cacao to your coffee and see how you feel. Eventually replace the entire cup of coffee with cacao. The ultimate goal is to not be dependent on either one to keep you going but I am not there yet myself. Baby steps! You can read about how I quit my coffee addiction here and which cacao brands I recommend.
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Add movement to your day – Yes, we need to move our bodies every day. Start out slow with just 5 or 10 Minutes a day. Consistency is more important than the amount of time you spend exercising. Try these:
- Go outside. It’s so healing to spend time in nature. That can look like going for a walk, playing ball with your kids outside, riding a bike, etc.
- Pick an exercise routine that you enjoy. I love jumping on my Bellicon and doing yoga. My favorite is still "Yoga with Adriene" on Youtube. I am also looking at adding belly dancing to my list. You could have a dance party in your living room. It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do it every day.
As promised, here are four ideas to try if you are reading this to support a loved one through their burnout journey. You are such a blessing. Thank you so much for being here!
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Don’t ask if they are ok. The answer will always be yes. Instead try this:
- Share your own burdens and concerns so your loved one feels safe to share with you too.
- See them. Really see them and acknowledge how amazing they are. They may not be able to love themselves well enough yet so tell them what you love about them.
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Change the way you spend time together.
- Instead of meeting for dinner and drinks, pack a picnic and go for a walk.
- Plan a fun outing that involves an activity they used to enjoy as a child. This may be pottery painting, zip lining or a spur of the moment dance party to their favorite childhood tunes.
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Shower them with love and gifts.
- Share your favorite meditation or yoga routines with them.
- Gift them thoughtful gifts like a journal or self-help book. You can also check out the Lady Abigail Store. We are currently offering three collections that were specifically designed for people who are suffering from burnout.
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Be an example.
- Take breaks. Say no. Cancel plans when you don’t feel good. Give them permission to do the same.
- Be patient and don’t forget to take care of yourself first.
Consider these two lists an inspiration board of what may help you right now. We are all different and need different things at different times to get us through the hard times. All I am asking you to do is to do one thing for yourself. . . every day. Pick what seems the easiest to do for you right now. Baby steps. The only goal here is to slow down and give yourself room to breathe. You are so worth it!
Thank you for coming along on this precious journey. Wishing you health, wealth & most of all. . . happiness!
Love,
DISCLOSURE: AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE & EARTH ECHO AMBASSADOR I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. PLEASE SEE OUR TERMS OF SERVICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
