What’s one thing you are tolerating day to day and not addressing? This could be a dissatisfying job, relationship, or another area of your life. Whether big or small, tolerating something zaps our energy and energy drains can add up over time. If we do not identify them and do something about them, they can potentially lead to burn out, depression, and other health issues.
Before I became a coach, I was a teacher and I worked for a not-so-great school. I tolerated it because there were aspects I liked about it such as the students and activities we did. It was also a career I invested in. All this to say is that I started to experience burn out after a few years. I was exhausted and had other health challenges.
Tolerating something may seem innocent but there are costs: psychological costs, financial, physical, etc. Is keeping up with the status quo worth your mental, financial, and physical health?
Back in 2014-2015 I decided it wasn’t. As aforementioned, I transitioned myself out of my teaching career into coaching. A career that was a lot more satisfying to me. Burn out can happen from over work and/or a lack of satisfaction.
If you are experiencing a build-up of energy drains, here’s some things you can do:
· Create a list of all your tolerations (big and small) and tackle one a day. It could be the unsewn button on your shirt or ending a relationship with a toxic friend.
· Assess each energy drain. Are they important? Can someone else do it? Can you let some go?
· Reframe the drains you find important to continue with. You can see them as temporary sacrifices for a greater good.
· Find out why you keep tolerating something. There’s a correlation between anxiety and procrastination. Are you anxious about something you are tolerating? Is there something deeper to look at?
· Use the 5 Second Rule to start acting on your tolerations. If we give ourselves too much time to think, we tend to put something off or not do it at all. To help, use life coach Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule and act within 5 seconds of counting down from 5.
Tolerating something is not the same as accepting something. Acceptance, and a sense of accomplishment, feels lighter. Using some of these strategies, I hope you feel lighter as well.
Given these suggestions, what’s something you can do today that will help you feel more buoyant and restored? You can reply here or send me a private message. I’d love to hear.
Best,
