At last! Spring has finally sprung here in the U.K. and both Ben and myself are looking forward to more sunshine (heck, more daylight is a win) and warmth.
This alone is going to make attending our car events and creating content so much more enjoyable, and (from my disability point of view) slightly easier and a bit less painful to film our car reviews and road trips...
For so many of us, it's been a brutal winter - especially for those in the Ukraine - and it's only going to get harder with the cost of living crisis, and the huge price hikes that we are going to be hit with next month.
On top of all this, Ben and I have been flung headlong into burnout territory, thanks to the added family challenges that hit us in December. Adding them onto all the fatigue and stress everyone has been dealing with over Coronavirus, we have a high level of stress to begin with due to the fact that I have daily struggles due to being long term disabled.
It's strange - neither of us realised it, but burnout crept up on us, nonetheless, and bit.
So what to do? First step - acknowledge. Sometimes, admitting something is half (or in my case, a quarter) the battle, so the next step is what to do about it. We are very lucky in that we have the kind of bond where not even the bad stuff can break us, and believe me, we've been through it. There is a strength in knowing that your partner in crime in life accepts you for the good and the bad. (Yes, it's in the marriage vows, but it's a sad statistic that many great relationships flounder under a barrage of bad times. For others, it makes the relationship stronger)
Ben and I are a good fit, and we accept the flaws as well as the strengths.
So at points, when life is (not just hard) throwing you curveball after curveball, things are going to get stressful. Adding to that, we are still running our own YouTube channel, and if we don't do it, it just doesn't get done...
So do you know the main symptoms of burnout? Let's look at them...
• Exhaustion
• Brian Fog
• Trouble Sleeping
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Depression
• Frequent headaches
• Raised blood pressure and/or heart rate
• Stomach pain
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• No patience
• Increased cynicism
The list goes on...
As we have taken the first step (acknowledgement) we are now looking at ways to mitigate these signs. Whilst we are not in a position to mitigate the stressful situation that pushed us into burnout, we are looking at ways to come out the other side of it. As it's supporting a close family member, we are actively making efforts to pace ourselves so that we don't end up getting really ill ourselves. I've already been bitten by the migraine monster a few times this year, so I need to be careful (having migraines on top of the challenges I face daily being disabled truly sucks) We actually took the afternoon off yesterday, and watched a show recommended by my friend 
Also, we have made plans to look into more holistic lifestyle changes for the near future. We have always been firm believers in the law of attraction, and that how we think is just as important as how we live. So it's time to start looking into how I can jumpstart my meditation practices. I suffered from increased brain fog after the two Covid-19 vaccine jabs, and it stopped me from being able to meditate. So it's my next step in helping alleviate the symptoms of burnout, and helping us both stay sane and well during this crazy time...
Do you have any suggestions? Have you got a sure fire process that has helped - or still helps? Please let me know.
Thank you all.
Annabelle 😊