TIRED OF WORKING? LEARN TO H.A.L.T.

Are you tired of trying? Are you losing your passion for what you do?  Do you not have the energy at work like you use too?  Do you find yourself irritable with clients, patients, friends, or co-workers? Do you sit in your car debating if you want to go into work or in the house?  You may be experiencing Burnout.  Burnout can occur when we experience prolong stress at work, in ministry, or within our families.  Having heavy demands placed on us from our jobs families and ministries can become overwhelming.  The passion, energy, and excitement we once had seems lost.

If you relate to feelings of burnout it can be difficult to find the energy you once had.  May I suggest that you check in with yourself and H.A.L.T.?  H.A.L.T. stands for hungry, angry, lonely, tired.  Take 10min twice a day and check in with yourself using the H.A.L.T. acronym.

HUNGRY: 

Have I eaten today?  Not eating can leave you feeling depleted and sometimes irritable.  Differentiate if you are hungry or thirsty.  I may ask myself, are you willing to eat an apple right now?  If so, I know that I am feeling hungry, if not I might need to drink water.  Feed your body good nutrition not just comfort foods.

ANGRY:

How do I feel?  Anger is an emotion and often times considered a secondary emotion.  This means that when you sense anger there may be other emotions underneath such as sadness, fear, or disrespect.  If you sense anger, write down your thoughts to begin peeling back the onion.  Ask yourself: What am I thinking about that results in this emotion.  Talk to a friend, counselor, minister about these thoughts and feelings.

LONELY: 

Do I feel isolated?  Do I feel like no one “knows” or “sees” me?  If you are experiencing feelings of loneliness, be intentional about connecting.  Do not wait for people to connect with you.  Be intentional, call a friend, check on a sick church member, volunteer at a clothing closet, find ways to connect.  Do not allow thoughts of loneliness to germinate in your mind.

TIRED: 

Do you wake up exhausted? How much sleep I get last night?  A 20min nap can do wonders for productivity.  Sometimes the best answer to getting to most out of your time is to take a break. 15-20min may be the sweet spot to close your eyes and relax.  Set a timer on your phone to ease your mind about over sleeping.  Do a meditation exercise or just be mindful.

Implementing H.A.L.T. a few times in your day may help in managing stress levels, improve performance, and decrease irritability.  If you are interested in more information like this, or individual counseling services, Purposed Life Counseling specializes in helping individual defeat depression and families learn to communicate.