Social Burnout Symptoms And Ways To Work Through Them It

I missed you all so much. But don’t worry, I am back! I had to take a couple of weeks off to get back to my place of peace and flow. Your girl has been more than agitated. I was definitely in a state of denial. This girl was suffering from what we call social burnout.

June is Health Month at Made New Mama

So for health month, we will tackle various areas of health that directly affect us as moms and share ways to overcome or improve the state of our health.

This week we are covering social health, a topic near and dear to me because I consider myself a very social (more extroverted) person. However, in May, I ignored the fact that I do not nurture my introverted side, which led me to a place of social burnout.

It Doesn’t Start Overnight.

Now that I have taken the time to reflect and complete some much-needed self-care, I concluded that my social burnout did not start overnight. I have been building up since March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While everyone else was allowed to be at home, I was considered an essential health worker, so I was in constant contact with people that were not only having health challenges but had a diverse view of what was going on in the world.

I don’t know if I had a sign on my head that said ” open to talking about race, pandemic, and politics 24/7″, but everyone thought it was an opportunity to share their piece of mind. For a while, I was managing. But to a point, I heard so much complaining; I just wanted to curl up in a ball and dissociate myself from the world.

With me being a highly sensitive person, I was in constant overload. I felt like a tire trying to be aired up with a nail-pierced into it, leaking air slowly but surely.

What were the signs of social burnout?

I did not realize I was in social burnout, but when I realized enough was enough, I was able to look and find what to call what I was feeling.

Some people may refer to it as social anxiety, social fatigue, and even social draining. But it is a feeling of being psychologically overextended and emotionally drained from one’s experiences with other people. It could be at work, in your family, with your friends, and even in your country.

The common signs associated with social burnout, according to Psychology Today, are:

• Chronic fatigue. In the early stages, you may feel a lack of energy and feel tired most days.
• Insomnia.
• Forgetfulness/impaired concentration and attention
• Physical symptoms.
• Increased illness.
• Loss of appetite.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Anger
• Isolation
• Lack of Motivation

I was starting to experience the latter. Anger and frustration were the main symptoms I experienced in my time with social burnout.

But my dear best friend, who I would consider is 100% introverted, said one thing to me when I came crawling to her to help me figure out how to deal with a new dislike for people.

You are not paying attention to your introverted side. You are ignoring your own self-care for the sake of other people.

She’s so right!

Why Do We Not Do What We Know To Do and Do What We Don’t Want To Do?

I have no idea.

My mind is willing but the flesh is weak and this one scripture speaks on it and confirms it.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Romans 7:15

I talk about self-care often and know a lot about self-care and its benefits for your relationships. But man, I got caught up in the whirlwind of 2020, and it bled into 2021 as well.

But I knew that I had to perform even though I was grieving the race conflict.

To show up at work even though I was bleeding from my wounds from how people treated me when I contracted COVID.

I had to engage even though I was disgusted with the way people viewed our leadership during our pandemic.

I was tired of everything, but I had to keep a happy face on for my patients. Well, so I thought.

The Rainbow To The Storm Of Social Burnout

Despite the spiral I was in with burnout, I felt my spiral was a point back at me and what I needed to do to get back to a place of peace. Through the three ways I will share with you below, I found myself honoring myself again and setting better boundaries to navigate this crazy world we live in.

3 Ways To Work Through Social Burnout

Step Away From Burnout

I know this is easier said than done, but it’s necessary. If you have burnout at work, take some days off. Mental health days are a real thing and so worth it. I was one of those people in such fear of calling in at work, so I dealt with stuff more than I wanted to.

Another part of stepping away is stepping away from the specific relationship for a minute so you can spend some time to re-assess the association, its health, and whether this relationship can improve with just a break. If you’ve never assessed the health of your relationships, then get my free checklist that helps you complete a quick “check-up” on your most important relationships. Please get it here.

Acknowledge What You Are Experiencing

Take time to reflect on how you are experiencing your social burnout. Identify what each symptom is trying to tell you in regards to caring for yourself. Ask yourself the questions below:

• • What are my thoughts like in this time of burnout? Are they helping or harming?
  • How am I feeling right now? Why am I feeling this way right now?
  • What physical symptoms am I having? Close your eyes and take 5 minutes to be present in your body if you’re having trouble.
  • Am I sleeping well at night? Do I not want to get up in the morning or answer my phone?

Develop A Self-Care Plan To Avoid Burnout In The Future

In reality, we can’t entirely ward off burnout from actually happening. However, we can manage the impact and sting of it withstanding firm in our needs and plan to take care of ourselves despite the demands of others. Doing these things will pour back into you and fill up your tank to navigate this world confidently and without regret.

• • • Make decisions regarding what you want your life to look like and align your actions to those values.
    • Discover and do the things you love.
    • Refill your tank by staying in the Word and practicing gratitude and thankfulness consistently.
    • Implement new, much-needed boundaries or reinforce the limits that you did not before burnout.

All in all,

I don’t have the ultimate approach to mastering burnout, but I do know as you work through these simple strategies, you will be one step closer to recovering from social burnout.

If you busy mom struggling with social burnout and need individualized support, BOOK A MINI-COACHING SESSION WITH ME.

Or join our community of Confident Christian Single Mom Facebook Group of other single moms choosing to thrive.

Additional Blog Post:

• • 5 Ways To Tackle Your Social Life
  • 5 Secrets To Better Social Health
  • 3 Tips On How To Navigate Relationships Post-Pandemic

Chyna Nicole

Chyna is a Faith Blogger and Speaker at Made New Mama, where she uplifts and empowers single women and moms to stop hiding behind challenges and start living confidently in their relationships through faith. Check out resources here: https://www.madenewmama.com/store/

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