3 Ways to Convince Someone To Self Care When Burned Out

  • Author: Rachel Sheerin
  • Charlotte, NC, USA
Read the news article

Heading to Dallas from Kansas City recently, I heard the familiar tone of the voice over the intercom start up and to Self Care When Burned:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve got a full flight to Dallas today…”

Travel is BACK and flights are almost always full again, so I couldn’t be surprised by what came next:

“This is a full flight so not everyone is going to be able to fit their bags but you can check your bag here at the gate, complimentary!”,

Ah, yes! The good old gate check. I find this announcement brings out the 2 kinds of flyers:

THE OVER MY DEAD BODY FLYER: The fliers who will not give up their bag unless you physically harm them by not being Self Care When Burned. You see them grip their bag and begin sweating instantly, as if their bag is now about to be sold at auction and they’re not going to be given any of the profits.

THE WAIT WHAT IS HAPPENING FLYER: The folks who don’t fly much and have no clue what a gate check is. They’re just happy to be at the gate and aren’t sure what to expect on this flight but they’re here 2 hours early and Over the years, I feel most folks fall into category #1 – they brought a carry-on and wanted to keep it – and for this flight, no one moved an inch to check a bag.

But the gate agent did something I didn’t expect – he sold the bag check: a step further he tells people not only can they check their bags right now. He goes on to list the benefits of checking your bag.

3 Ways to Convince Someone To Self Care When Burned Out

Including:

#1 It’s completely free.

#2 You don’t have to drag your bag through the Dallas airport, which is genius.

#3 You don’t have to worry about that awkward struggle to find a spot for your back, because there is limited space

#4 You could really help out the flight crew who is serving you today and they appreciate it so much

The 10 folks that checked their bags before we started boarding were happy to do it – and as I sat down in my seat that day, I was in awe –  That was such a great way of encouraging people because it really spoke to people’s pain points, and it got me wondering:

What if we talk about burn out or self-care using a similar way, selling the benefits for themselves, others and their future instead of focusing on what’s “wrong” or what needs to change with them to Self Care When Burned?

If you reflect on it, how many times as a leader have you told people to take a vacation or encouraged them to turn off their email  but they don’t listen and then they are burned out.? Feeling frustrated that they don’t listen, you retreat back to letting them do what they’re going to do and they continue their chronic stress cycle.

So how can we encourage someone to take care of themselves before they’ve hit massive Self Care When Burned? Here’s 3 ideas to sell the idea of self care and burnout prevention to someone who isn’t buying it:

#1 – Brainstorm + share the forgotten benefits of self care.

Tailored to the person and what they value, consider what are the benefits that we can sell that would actually be impactful for them.  Are they family oriented? If so, remind them their upcoming vacation shouldn’t be for R&R but instead connection and family time so they should start getting better rest now so they can really enjoy the vacation. Are they going for top salesperson in your org? Shower them with the facts – happier people sell more, make more and are more likeable. Or how about the employee or leader who is pragmatic – sharing that  Cold and Flu season is approaching leads to sharing “Why not make sure you are getting good sleep so that you don’t have to use up all your sick days-  So you can use them hopefully for something fun in the future?”

What’s going to touch them deeply and move the needle for them?

#2 – Try, try and try again

No one likes to be rejected or ignored, but if someone brushes off your suggestions that doesn’t mean give up, it means try again later or try differently. For example, a recent mortgage company I was working with had a high performing team that was struggling with burnout from their top leaders.

They’d been going for months without a single vacation, pulling a lot of late nights ahead of a big launch and internal process change. They saw their leaders run down, yet they were refusing to take a day off because their team needed the more Self Care When Burned.

While the typical encouragement didn’t stick, the persistent encouragement did. Leaders scheduled emails through Boomerang for Gmail to be sent on Friday AM every other week, reminding managers to log off a few hours early and start their weekend early. Working 100% remotely took away their ability to swing by their office to scoot them out, but these emails we were received. We noticed that when folks logged off on Fridays early, they were more productive on Mondays based on personal reflection studies.

After a couple months, the entire team saw the benefit in taking time away to create better, more focused time when they were working and now half-day Fridays are the standard on this specific team. Another team in the banking industry I worked with chose 10am ET start times which helped their east coast and west coast teams kick off the day together more often, leading to less internal stress and Self Care When Burned.

Keep mentioning self-care and burnout prevention strategies – and eventually, someone might just try it to everyone’s surprise and delight.

#3 – Share your burnout prevention hows and whys

It’s easy to share what you think other people should do, but oftentimes I see folks sharing advice with no ground to stand on in their own lives.

If you’re encouraging your team to take care of themselves to reduce stress, prevent burnout and boost happiness, but sure that you’re doing the same.

Do you regularly take time off? Have hobbies and spend time outside of work? Have you rewarded exhaustion over efficiency with your words or actions?

A bit of self reflection can go a long way – and can inspire everyone around you, so be sure you’re taking time to live your advice for yourself.

In a world that’s moving faster and faster, taking time to recharge, rest and heal from the battle scars of life we pick up along the way can feel like something low on our to-do list until it becomes urgent through health issues, relationships ending by Self Care When Burned, and more.

But it doesn’t have to be that way – try some of these tips with your teams, leaders and important people in your life to Self Care When Burned. And yes – that includes yourself.

Interested in having Rachel speak to your association on Self Care When Burned prevention? Wanting Rachel to come and motivate your hotel partners and CVB teams? Let’s chat – contact us today!

 

Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Twitter

Further articles you may enjoy:

  • (6)

Celebrating Women’s Month New York 2024: Unveiling the Empowering Keynote Speakers for New York’s Premier Conference Event Women’s Month New York 2024: As we embark on the journey of Women’s Month 2024, the city of New York is gearing up to host an extraordinary conference event that promises to inspire, empower, and celebrate the achievements […]

  • March 4, 2024
  • (75)

Why Felicia Pizzonia Is the Sales Speaker Your Next Conference Needs In today’s competitive market, sales isn’t just about closing deals, it’s about understanding human behavior, adapting your mindset, and building authentic connections. That’s exactly where Felicia Pizzonia excels. A best-selling author, dynamic entrepreneur, and sought-after keynote speaker, Felicia brings a powerful blend of science-backed […]

  • May 15, 2025
  • (17)

Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop. You can find the articles here. This consists of: Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth. Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to […]

  • December 20, 2022
  • (21)

Captains Log 13th -17th June 29 05’474 N 128 01’447W Pacific Ocean Milestones-The waterline/ Hatches & rouge waves/MOB take 2 -Injuries /Slow is pro / It’s all shifting / Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs / Story of the clever turd! / Shifting spaces / Into the light.. Breakthrough/ Flicker on! / Shifting goalposts/ Threading the needle/ […]

  • December 21, 2022
  • (22)

How AI is Revolutionizing Customer Experience in the Workplace and in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone for enhancing customer experience (CX). As companies strive to exceed customer expectations, AI tools are proving indispensable in delivering personalized, efficient, and engaging services. Experts like Jay Baer, Dan Gingiss, Brittany Hodak, […]

  • August 30, 2024
  • (4)

Four Reasons why do most successful employees manage their Personal Brands daily? It’s simple, really. They get the concept that every time someone has contact with you at work, outside of work, or on social media, one of two things happen: your Personal Brand is either strengthened or weakened by what you say or don’t say, and by what […]

  • December 18, 2022
  • (12)

The move from individual contributor to people manager is more than just a title change. It’s a fundamental shift in how you create value. Where you were once measured by the quality of your own work, you’re now responsible for the success of others. And that shift comes with a whole new set of rules […]

  • September 2, 2025
  • (66)

Speakers Inc International is a Professional Speakers Bureau, based in  San Diego. Speakers Inc has branches in USA and Southern Africa. We were started a little over 24 years ago by Bronwyn. Our mission is to help our clients find the best, most suitable SPEAKERS for their particular conference or event. We represent South Africa’s […]

  • January 2, 2023

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

Speakers Inc Logo 2024
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.