Do you ever feel like you've reached your limit being unable to balance it all? Whether it's balancing your personal life, work, school, or parenting?

I've experienced moments where suddenly I felt exhausted, unmotivated, irritated, and couldn't focus.

Sometimes I was sure I was fine and maybe needed more sleep, but how can I sleep when I had to complete a lab? How can I complete the lab if I wasn't comprehending or processing the information I was attempting to understand? How can I do all this and find the time to work, parent, and maintain my home? So naturally, I began to doubt myself in everything.

I felt like I needed to get it all done regardless of how I felt at that moment, but it continued to weigh on me. The more I pushed myself too hard the heavier the doubt sank in.

Someone mentioned to me that I might be experiencing burnout. So I decided to do some research online. After reading numerous articles, everything I read in regards to the symptoms all sounded too familiar, and suddenly all made sense. I was indeed experiencing burnout. Therefore, it was time to get it together, recover, and keep moving forward!

The best way to begin was to create a plan for time management! We all do it. We take on too many tasks all at once, forget to find time for ourselves, or even believe that we can't enjoy a personal life or self-care just because we have to work, study, and take care of family.

It shouldn't be all work and no play! Find the time to balance it all and appreciate the process!

It was essential to be able to be my best self while accomplishing it all, and finding my confidence again!

My time management involved studying during downtime while I was at work so that when I got home I used the time to enjoy my time with my family. On weekends I would start the day by doing something I enjoyed. Once that was done I'd tell my partner to take the kids for 2 hours to do an activity while I studied a bit more or completed a lab.

While my time management wasn't perfect every day, it was improving! In addition, I was surrounded by support and realized I never used my voice to ask for help. Once I voiced it, it became even easier.

My advice to anyone who might feel the same feelings that I've mentioned at the beginning of this blog would be:

• Pace yourself. Don't compare yourself to the next person. We all have different situations that allow us to complete a task at a different pace.

• Find someone you can relate to that can help uplift you when you begin to doubt yourself and you can do the same for them. Remind yourself that you can do anything you put your mind to.

• Manage your time as best you can by planning your day or week.

• Do something you enjoy. Whether it's reading a book, going for a walk, spending the day out with your kids, or self-care.

• Take a break when you need it. Set a timer if you can. So if you've spent 30 minutes trying to complete a lab, test, or code... TAKE A BREAK! Walk away from the computer and come back to it later. Or better yet, ASK FOR HELP!

Don't let burnout control your emotions, your confidence, or your performance. Take control and accomplish your goals by finding a balance ❤️.