First of all, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed.

No matter your profession, we all experience overwhelm, burnout, and second guessing our careers.

In moments of doubt, remind yourself why you started.

You began this journey in light of your passion for fitness.

You love what you do.

When the doubt fades away and you still feel overwhelmed — what should you do?

What do you do to combat those stressors?

Keep reading as I give you tips and tricks to cope with those feelings and reroute your mindset.

Give Yourself Some Grace

This is one of the most essential tips I can give you.

First of all, everyone feels this way, no matter their profession. Overwhelm is a common feeling. Whether it’s a symptom of work, home, or life in general — give yourself some grace.

Allow yourself to feel what it is you’re feeling. Don’t push away those feelings, because they will only come back stronger and harder. Allow yourself to explore why you’re feeling overwhelmed and let those feelings exist.

Maybe you’ll cry. Maybe you’ll laugh. Maybe you’ll call up a friend and vent.

Just allow yourself to feel the feeling without shame. That way, you’ll feel fresh and ready to start over the next day. You’ll come into the workplace, meet with your clients, and feel rejuvenated — remembering why you started this career path in the first place. (To help people achieve their fitness goals.)

Set Boundaries

Maybe you’re taking on roles that you didn’t sign up for.

Whether it be classes or a niche of fitness — maybe you were interested at first and now you don’t think it’s the right fit for you as an instructor.

That’s okay. We have to experience and try things to find out if they’re the right fit for us (and sometimes they’re not).

With this experience, we grow and learn. We evolve, we mature, and we move forward in our lives and careers.

Once you know your likes and dislikes, create a “no” outline. Write down — on your Notes app, in a journal, a Post-It — wherever and whenever is most convenient for you.

Set boundaries. Write down what you will and won’t tolerate at work. Try your best to be firm in your beliefs and stick to them — but remember boundaries aren’t ultimatums (they can evolve, change, and compromise when necessary). Most importantly, boundaries are about you. Make sure they are created that way.

Ex. I will not teach more than 4 classes per day.

Maybe one day you feel extra energized and a class you’ve been dying to teach opened up. Today you decide to break your boundary because the benefits outweigh the

Knowing your boundaries and your likes and dislikes is one of the first steps to reducing stress and overwhelm.

Take Some Deep Breaths

I know you’ve heard this one before.

Taking a few moments to focus on your breathing regulates your nervous system — which reduces or eliminates the physical feelings of stress and overwhelm.

During your break, venture outside, put your phone away, and take 5-10 minutes to be mindful and focus deeply on your breath. This will give you a quick refresh so you can continue on in the work day.

Don’t have time to step away? Take 30 seconds to close your eyes and take deep breaths. You’ll feel physically and mentally relaxed.

Taking a few moments to breathe deeply can do wonders for your mental health.. Take those precious moments alone and make them yours — you’ll go back inside to work with a fresh mind.

I hope these tips help open your mind and give you new ways to handle stress in the workplace. Just always remember that overwhelm is common and can be minimized with the right practices and mindset.

As always — take care of yourself. When you do, you’re able to perform to the best of your abilities.

Want to learn more about my fitness and business journey and how I can help you reach your goals? Contact me!