HOW TO DEAL WITH BURNOUT

A JOURNEY BACK FROM BURNOUT

Wayne and Marie are a married couple in their early 30's who live in the United States.

What let to your dealing with burnout? 

Wayne: We were running multiple businesses and had gone into debt over our heads. I wanted to build our business to a point where life was more comfortable and I could make money while working less.  My goal was to reduce stress, but I got just the opposite. 

How were you affected? 

Wayne: We realized that the things we were working so hard to get-nicer clothes, a bigger  house, and more expensive vacations-were not making us happy. I felt emotionally drained, and I lost all motivation. 

Marie: My health suffered.  We didn't get alone well.

How did you simplify your life? 

Wayne; We examined our goals and our life situation. We decreased the overhead of our business. I had a trendy office, and I let it go. I changed the kind of car that I was willing to drive. I built a one-man business and intentionally kept it small. We worked our bills down and kept our expenses  low. 

Marie;  Simplifying was not as hard as I thought it would be. We reduced our frequency of eating out and ate at home.  We went for walks, and we got healthier.  Eventually, we began working part-time and doing volunteer work. 

What has been the result?

Marie: Our life has stopped being about making money. We adjusted  our focus to more important things, and our relationship improved.

Wayne:  Life has smoothed out. We are much happier. 

Next time: Diabetes CAN YOU REDUCE YOUR RISK?

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