Episode 075-Why You May Be Living in The Exhaustion Cycle?

Welcome to the ERW podcast, I’m your host, BpB, fellow road warrior, husband of one, father of five, left-handed, and a sports junkie.

How many of you are just plain tired?

Anyone deeply tired?

And how many more of you can take that a few steps further and would say you’re exhausted?

Have you been there before?

A friend of mine, Dennis Mcintee, always says, “You can’t read the label when you’re inside the bottle.”

HERE ARE THE THREE PHASES OF THE EXHAUSTION CYCLE:

PHASE ONE = BUSY – CAN’T STOP NOW

I love this quote by James Gleick in the book, Faster :

“Our ability to work fast and play fast gives us power. It thrills us. If we have learned the name of just one hormone, it’s adrenaline. No wonder we call a sudden exhilaration a “rush”.

My ENERGY is DISPERSED

 PHASE TWO = BEATDOWN – CAN’T TAKE THIS

Beatdown = I’m stressed.

My ENERGY is DECREASED

PHASE THREE = BURNOUT – CAN’T KEEP GOING

But Burnout = I’m Done.

My ENERGY is DEPLETED

Symptoms could be:

• No motivation to do anything
• Anger
• Aggressive (passive in passive aggressive now sold separately)
• Numb or choosing numbing behaviors 

Burnout is also scary. It can lead to any or all of the following:

• Depression
• Reaction – anywhere but here mindset
• Regret – do something stupid (usually big) to feel better or feel anything at all

Here’s a remake of Psalm 23 for those who live in The Exhaustion Cycle:

Psalm 23 revisited

The road is my dictator, I shall not rest.

It makes me lie down only when exhausted.

It leads me into deep depression, it hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for busyness sake.

Even though I run frantically from task to task,

I will never get it all done, for me “ideal” is with me.

Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.

They anoint my head with migraines, my inbox overflows.

Surely busy, beatdown, and burnout shall follow me all the days of my life.

And I will dwell in the bonds of the exhaustion cycle forever.

-Living on Purpose by Tom and Christine Sine and altered in key places by Bryan Paul Buckley

I’d love to hear from you so connect with me on my three primary social media sources:

• LinkedIn - Bryan Paul Buckley
• Instagram - EliteRoadWarrior
• YouTube Channel - Elite Road Warrior