I Was Overworked, Depressed & Drained—Here’s How I Took Back My Peace

1. Consider yourself important enough to be protected.

You have to consider yourself important enough to be protected. Engaging in self-neglect is not going to help you have a peaceful life. There are going to be things you need to say no to in order to care for yourself, and you don’t have to feel guilty about putting yourself first.

2. Set boundaries and limits on who and what has access to your energy.

You cannot be everything to everyone. You have to be willing to set limits because if you wait for others to set them, you will never have peace in your life. Having boundaries means learning to realize what you can say yes to exercising your voice, and saying no when needed.

3. Evaluate the relationships in your life.

As part of protecting your peace, evaluating the relationships in your life is important. Ask yourself:

• Are these people adding value to my life?
• Do they encourage and support me?
• Do they constantly bring me down, make me feel drained, and spark the dysregulation of my nervous system?

Some relationships are meant to be seasonal; it’s okay to move on from relationships when they no longer align with your growth.

4. Create space for self-care.

Let go of unnecessary commitments that cause burnout and protect your peace by creating space for rest and self-care. This might look like finding a new hobby, doing fun and exciting activities, and trying new things that are for pleasure and not for work.

5. Let go of the need to control the external and instead focus on the internal.

Trying to control everything can create anxiety and stress. Let go of the need to control external circumstances and instead focus on what you can control---your attitude and response. Sometimes, you have to be willing to say, "What am I going to do to get through this?" as a way to remind yourself that you have choices. Sometimes the choice you need to make is leaning into radical acceptance and learning to move forward when things don’t go your way.

By letting go of these things, you can create a space for yourself to nurture your inner peace and cultivate a sense of well-being that will benefit every aspect of your life.

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