From Boredom to Burnout

Ironically I almost missed this month’s Hoagies’ Gifted Blog hop on Balancing Boredom & Burnout because of end of school year burnout. This spring was especially challenging with the perfect storm of end of year fatigue, financial stress, dog dying, new sick puppy…

And then, of course, when I’m not really capable of taking on one more thing, my brain goes into overdrive with ideas of things I can do with my businesses, both this one and our Quinn Mountain Retreat BnB. Needless to say, none of these ideas have come to fruition quite yet.

The last few months I’ve thought and written a lot about prioritization and self-care and I’ve been revisiting these the last week as school gets out (I’d say “got” out, but I still have a few reports that need to get wrapped up).

When I think of the word “boredom” I think “what’s that, I never get bored?” But that’s because my brain has gotten so adept at keeping itself busy. Watching my son though, I can see how it starts. That active brain has a low tolerance for inactivity. For me, I resorted to watching a lot of TV, which I regret in later years. And now, I admit, I find myself on social media more than is productive.

For my son, I have to get really creative to help him with ideas to keep himself entertained without an electronic device. He can do it when pushed, but I find we both have a difficult time getting started.

The thing is though, if we are not careful, the things we do to prevent boredom can lead us to burn out – both mentally and physically.

As summer is upon us, I’m exploring ways to keep the balance between boredom and not further burning ourselves out. Here are a few things I’m working on as we move through the summer:

• Record ideas in a journal to inspire us when we are looking for something to do. Including ideas that are productive, creative, interactive etc.

• Leave space in our days for stillness and quiet.

• Be sure to include physical activity along with our mental activity.

• Leave space in our days for play.

• Keep in mind our cycles of energy so we can plan for times we know we’ll be tired and not push ourselves too far.

• Alternate structured time with creative free time.

What will you do this summer to balance between boredom and burnout?