About the Author:

Rachel Lewis is the Media Relations & Community Outreach Coordinator for Lifeline of Ohio.  Since graduating from The Ohio State University she has spent time working in the automotive industry but has spent the last four years in the nonprofit sector. Rachel tweets at @RachelAnneLewis.

I believe there are mistakes we are fated to make over and over again until we learn our lesson. For me, that lesson is that I am not Superwoman.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve worked to be an overachiever – often to the detriment of my social life, mental health and physical well-being. I’m not sure how this became a hard-wired trait. I can’t blame my genes, as my parents often recognized the signs and intervened to make sure I retained by sanity.

But now, after 27 years, I still repeat the same pattern. Like many Gen-Y’s, I take on too much, burn out, take a break and then do it all over again.

This pattern emerged most recently when I took a second job for the 2010 holiday season. As a young professional making my way in the world and trying to start a life with my husband, a little extra money can be a HUGE help. My goal was to work for a few months, pad the bank account and pay for Christmas. A friend offered to hire me part-time as a gift wrapper at a local retail store and I was ready to go!

At first I was very excited. I love wrapping gifts, learned some new tricks and met new people. It was a fun environment and I was a part of the hustle and bustle of the holidays in the retail world.

After about a month, reality set in. It was too much. It wasn’t the work that stressed me out, but the fact that some days I would drive straight from my full-time PR job (which I started at 7:30 a.m.) and work a second job until 9 p.m. My weekends were hijacked by the demands of this second job.

I wasn’t entitled to complaining as I had done this to myself and they were paying me after all. I know many people work two jobs or have extra-long work days; this wasn’t that bad, right? But my inner overachiever wore me out. I felt my temper flaring more quickly and didn’t get to enjoy the holidays as much as I normally do. I had to admit that I couldn’t do it, and that was tough. Determined to fulfill my commitment, I stayed through Christmas. While I was thrilled to hang up my scissors, I am grateful for what the experience has taught me.

In addition to learning how to tie the perfect bow, I have learned my lesson. I have limits. There are people who can work two jobs or balance many big responsibilities with grace and I am not one of them. I am OK with that.

This won’t be a lesson I’ll soon forget. I’m going to really think about taking on new tasks and, if I see myself repeating my burnout pattern, I’ll try to stop. If I forget that I can’t do it all, I’m sure the universe will remind me!

Have you ever burned yourself out like I did this year?  How did you cope?  I could really use the advice….

-Rachel
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