In a work environment, productivity is measured with KPIs that dehumanize the person behind the computer. We are expected to do so much! We can feel the pressure of needing to stay on top of the game from morning to evening, finish our job by the deadline, and show results.

We try to find a balance, but little by little, tasks start overflowing and our thoughts become occupied by work even in our supposedly free time. There is just no time to get it all done.

When you feel like your work is draining all energy out of you, it’s time to set personal wellness boundaries.

Have you ever felt like no matter how much you work in a day, it’s never enough?

I’ve felt exhausted and overwhelmed by work for three reasons. High workload,  being bored with my work, and the feeling of not doing what’s fulfilling me.

The symptoms I have when going through work exhaustion are:

• Tension in neck and shoulders (always in the same spot)
• Waking up before the alarm
• Night sweats
• Not even feeling tired or hungry, because my body is so accelerated.
• Low libido
• Being annoyed by everyone
• Unable to focus on one task
• Everything feels like a huge effort, even dressing up or meeting up with friends.

By now, I’m familiar with my symptoms. When I notice experiencing these symptoms, I know it’s time to put a stop to it.

Remember that you are enough.

With your personality, your skills, your time investment, and your salary, you are enough. You deserve to be recognized. You put in so many hours of work every week. You move projects, you bring people together, you create, you inspire others or you help people in need. Whatever is your role, you do more than you are given credit for.

If no one told you lately that your work and input are important and valuable, then be the one who changes it. Learn a new habit of recognizing all the work you do and praise yourself.

If you aren’t getting acknowledged for your best work, do it yourself by affirming.

I acknowledge the work that I do daily.

I give myself the recognition I deserve.

Start putting yourself first.

It’s so easy to get carried away by work. Especially, if you are passionate about what you do and you like your work.

We might justify the misery we’re living in by saying “Oh, it’s just a busy period at work and it’ll calm down in a few weeks”. Ok, so by now, we all know that’s not going to happen. The e-mails are never going to stop coming in and your schedule is never going to be free for a lunch-hour gym. You have to make the time.

Your health, dreams, aspirations, family, and happiness can be your first priority. But no one is going to come and tell that to you. You need to tell that yourself.

Your work is important, but you are more important than the work you do.

You have to make time for self-care. There will never be enough time for it. You must build your schedule around your wellness goals. They should be the frame that you build your day into.

We have to stop normalizing work stress symptoms and minimize their impact on our overall wellness. It’s not acceptable that we have had neck- and shoulder pain since 24-year old and only started our careers. It’s not fair, that you feel too busy to chew a lunch salad, so you choose something unhealthy but quick to eat. It’s not your fault that it feels so hard to go for walk outside on your break.

You know it would be good for you, but you might choose to finish a work task. Please stop telling yourself that it’s because you’re lazy.

We all know by now how important it’s to drink water, get your 10 000 steps in, have sun and fresh air, rest your eyes, and get exercise. But the system doesn’t incentivize us to do all that. So you have to do it.

I am my first priority.

Self-care is my first priority.

Do more of what makes you happy.

You deserve to take time for doing something that you really love, that inspires you, and that makes you feel alive. Without the pressure of it having to be productive in any way. The only intention of this activity is to raise your vibration and have you feel aliveness. Do something because you enjoy it.

I love pole dancing. The benefits of doing it are that it gives me joy, movement to balance my days on the computer, and connection with the community of pole dancers. Most importantly, I just enjoy how it makes me feel. Overcoming fears, connecting with my body, creating beauty, a place to be creative. When I’m on the pole, I forget about all worries and only me and the pole exist.

Here you might think: “How on earth am I going to ADD something to my schedule if I’m already exhausted by how full my schedule is?” Trust me. Adding activities that you are passionate about is exactly what you need. It will bring you more energy and time – not take it away.

Whether it’s a sport, reading a novel, going to the beach, meditating, journaling, studying a new language, working on a passion project, or blogging, find time for it. Plan it into your schedule at least 2-3 times a week. It will increase your energy, bring you purpose and joy, and help you recover from work.

What is it that makes you feel inspired, and happy, and recharges your energy? What makes you feel alive? Do more of it!

We have to balance the energy drainers and energy chargers in our week. So make sure your calendar isn’t full of energy drainers, but instead, start adding energy chargers.

If you don’t know yet what it is, start trying things. You can also think about what you liked to do when you were a kid. Allow yourself to take time for this important quest.

It could be, that deep inside of you, you know what feels good and inspiring to you, but you have been conditioned to think, that if it’s not earning you money or being productive in any way, it’s not important. So you’ve pushed it deep inside of you suppressing this desire.

I’m telling you it is important. It’s important for your soul and keeping your purpose alive.

We aren’t encouraged enough to put importance on our dreams and aspirations, but you can do it for yourself.

Nurture your mind, soul, and body.

Work is important to us, providing us a purpose and an income, but sometimes it becomes too overwhelming and our energy becomes depleted.

Remember to nurture your mind, body, and soul along the journey of working towards your goals. Your ego tells you a different story, but you can balance the ego by putting more focus on self-care.

Stay connected with your True Self, your Inner Child, your Spirit.

Give yourself the recognition you wait for from others. Prioritize your self-care and make time for it every day. Find an activity that you love doing and add it to your weekly calendar to recharge your energy and keep you inspired. This is how you start working your way through from always feeling like you’re not enough.