Marathon Archives - Frugaling

From Into The Wild Movie Burnout — *Burnout makes me want to take off to Alaska, and have my own Into The Wild moment*

Today’s diary-like article is brought to you by my head’s burgeoning desire to really see the world and diversify my experiences. As a student for about 21 years straight, I’m really starting to develop an itch for more. Stuck inside classrooms with esoteric professors (at times), and told to read ever-increasing amounts of onerous text, I’m burnt out.

My head keeps thinking about bigger questions:

Why are we here?
What motivates me?
How can I follow my dreams?
Why am I sitting in certain courses, losing an hour-and-a-half of life each class?
Am I benefiting from these more pedantic exercises in endurance for endurance sake?
How can I better help others?

Before I can focus on these questions, I’m swept away by the confining, time-limiting world of graduate school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this cliche: “Graduate school is like a marathon.” The purpose of this phrase is to both reassure and reevaluate your place. A marathon is all about pace; to finish 26.2 miles, you must have a perfect confluence of both time and energy. Just pace yourself in grad school, and you’ll make it through.

The analogy works, until I remember that I finished two marathons in the first two years of graduate school. See, I’d take a marathon any day over the drool-inducing caverns of classrooms. In these moments of both clarity and disillusion, I wonder what I’m doing and desperately want to buy a ticket to some far away place.

Dorothy from Wizard of Oz — Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, clicking her red heels…

I want to see the world before it’s too late. I want to feel more before it’s too late. Life is finite, and precious. Being in a classroom, sitting through an incomprehensible lecture on a subject I will never apply to my work as a psychologist is hard to swallow. Like Dorothy, I’m clicking my shoes together, hoping to be anywhere but within these four academic walls. I want to be out there, helping people, and making a difference – concretely, directly.

That’s when my more frivolous self comes into the picture. That airfare to a remote destination is most certainly not frugal. The desire to experience, see, and do often comes with a price; frankly, Groupon doesn’t help. I’m in debt. Nothing is truly affordable; yet, I’m itching to get up and go.

Burnout is a warning. Burnout is when the presses stop, wheels cease to spin. Burnout can be disastrous to a frugal budget. That’s the last thing I need. Nowadays, my solution to these moments is to accept my body’s non-acceptance. My head and heart are telling me: something’s gotta give.

If you’re beginning to feel burnout, your body is communicating something about stress and flow in life. Likely, your time and energy is primarily going to tasks that aren’t fulfilling. The answer is simple: keep doing the same thing or change it up. Usually, it’s not about needing more time; rather, a reallocation of time. If you’re burnt out it’s probably time to starting saying “no” to certain projects, taking more time to pursue passion projects, and giving up a little bit of the expected path. It helps to remember that this is your path – no one else’s. You can change course whenever you feel like it.

Kali Hawlk is a freelance writer and blogger with a passion for helping twentysomethings learn to manage their money and live well on less. When she’s not out on a run, she blogs about personal finance and more at CommonSenseMillennial.com.

Although I hate to admit it now, the truth is I used to be far from frugal. I frequently gave in to the desire to accumulate more stuff, material things, clutter, and junk. Remarkably, I never went into debt, but I certainly didn’t have anything left over at the end of each month to save. I coveted what other people had that I couldn’t afford.

Kali running article — *Photo: Kali with husband*

I was miserable without what I thought I had to have, but even when I went on a shopping spree, the happiness was quick to fade. Before the day was done, I would be back to being bored, sad that I didn’t have what someone else had, or feeling bad about the way I looked and wondering when I’d have enough clothes to make me feel good about myself.

I used shopping and spending as a cure for boredom, a way to relieve stress, and to improve my mood and confidence. Unfortunately, at the time I didn’t understand that I was choosing a really bad coping mechanism for dealing with my problems.

I wish I had some sort of financial epiphany that made me see the error of my ways (it would be a fitting story for a financial blogger with ideas about what twentysomethings should know about money). But what turned my spending around – and what ultimately saved my budget from being annihilated every month – was a habit I gained: Running.

It was this simple activity – something that we’re all born to do – that allowed me to kick the comparison habit, stop wanting what I didn’t have (to start appreciating everything I already had), and helped me develop a greater self-confidence. Running gave me a purpose I didn’t have before.

Suddenly, every afternoon I had a task to complete; I went for a run, cross-trained, did strength training, or took a rest day and went for a walk instead. A less-than-stellar season on the high school track team that ended in multiple injuries and embarrassing showings during competition left me feeling as though I had something to prove, so I was extremely motivated to work hard and succeed.

Becoming a runner made me healthier in every way: physically, mentally, and fiscally. Though the physical benefits were an obvious plus, I was surprised when I realized I had made positive financial changes, too. I quit going shopping for crap I didn’t need. New clothes didn’t make me feel confident; my belief in myself and what I could do made me feel that way. I started saving all the money I previously would have spent on more stuff that was supposed to make me feel happy, but didn’t.

Before I started running, I’d often feel drained and miserable. Becoming a runner made me feel energized, inspired, and motivated to work hard in every aspect of my life. I realized how much I had the ability to save, and I made a plan to stick with a strict budget and make the most out of my small income. I started setting ambitious goals and then throwing myself into making my dreams into realities. Without a doubt, I wouldn’t have found the drive to start up a blog, pursue a career as a freelance writer, and start making plans to quit my day job to travel full-time if I never found myself as a runner.

Now, when I am bored, I go for a run (or at least a walk) or work out instead of riding in my car to the mall. When I feel sad, I go for a run instead of sitting on my butt in front of the computer for a marathon session of online shopping. When I am stressed, depressed, or confused about something, I go for a run instead of lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and moping.

Whenever things are bad or not right, I go for a run and everything is okay.

What do you do to save your budget and reduce your spending?