Women all over the world have more opportunity than ever before in history to blaze their own trail. For generations, females were considered the weaker sex and actually told they needed more rest than men. In a 1943 Guide To Hiring for Transportation Magazine the #8 tip on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees stated: "Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology." The consensus then was that only men suffered burn-out. But what about NOW in 2013?

Women are leading the burnt-out generation of 2013! Given all the equal opportunities for education and work, women can add these to their choice of wife, motherhood - with or without a partner - community service leader, and caretaker. Better still, women in business have the luxury of working 'round the clock due to the technological advances in communication. Sleep - well, sleep has become the real luxury for women today.

Here is the typical story I hear from a working woman client:

The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. (he rolls over) and I get up to make lunches and put out breakfast cereal, milk and whatever fruit is available. Then I walk the dog. I try and check text messages while walking, but often it is still too dark (I learned that the hard way). By 6 a.m. I have to be back (whether or not the dog is ready). Everyone needs to be pushed out of bed and readied for the day. The goal is to get into the shower by 6:45 a.m. so that I can make the train by 7:15 a.m. (it's a 45 minute ride and 10-15 minute walk to the office). Office meetings start promptly at 8:30 a.m. Those 45 minutes on the train should be my thinking time - BUT, it turns out to be the time I arrange everything from afterschool care to doctor's appointments, to dinner arrangements, afterschool sports and friends etc. etc. And, I can almost guarantee a call from my husband who is still at home and can't find his phone, his wallet, his car keys, you name it he can't find it. For whatever reason, I am able to envision where HE left IT and the call is sometimes brief! When I walk into work I have no time to go to the bathroom as the morning meeting has begun. MY day is already OUT OF CONTROL and my brain is not working!

So, can you relate with this story? If your brain seems to have stopped working you are experiencing burn-out! You aren't crazy, you just have too much on your plate. You have allowed your opportunity to make choices crowd out your ability to make choices. You are saying YES more often than you are saying NO. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.

YOU - working woman 2013 - may have all the technology you need at your disposal, but you still have 24 hours in a day, require 7-8 hours of sleep per night, have 2 hands, 2 legs and feet, and only so much energy and brain power to get it all done.

Women of the 21st century can, and most likely will, take over the world, BUT only if we care for ourselves as much as we care for others. Right now with one in 10 women working more than 45 hours per week, we (women) clearly are NOT taking care of ourselves.

The women entrepreneurs and women in business I coach almost unanimously eat their lunch at their desks or enroute - never taking time to enjoy their food or their surroundings or time to clear their head. Study after study reveal that women allow themselves to often become so overwhelmed by commitments that they lose their ability to function properly. Eventually this leads to hopelessness and/or depression.

So, how can women keep from burning out?

(1) Prioritize everything in your life. But start with yourself and what you need. 7-9 hours sleep, daily exercise of at least 20 minutes (stretch, breath, meditate, walk, run, etc.), time in the bathroom, at least 5 minutes of nothing while eating.

(2) Set age appropriate boundaries for family members. For those who can, allow them to find their own things and feed themselves. They will learn and thank you later. Being available to your family does not mean you are always available. Set boundaries with your time and commitments and get everyone involved in all family happenings.

(3) You can say NO at work. Set boundaries at work as you do at home. Regardless of whether or not you are your own boss, you must learn to delegate to others. Be a leader by motivating others to work with you.

(4) Brainstorm ideas in all areas of your life with others to become more passionate about living. Every day is a new day to start over. Never allow yourself to feel overwhelmed alone. Ask for help. The more you share with those close to you the more unburden you will become.

(5) "No man (or woman) is an island", said John Donne. In  order to thrive as human beings we must be willing to share ourselves and be vulnerable with others. This does not mean to break down in tears anytime or anywhere. What it does mean, particularly for today's women, is to accept that you are human and as such will have your time of success and failure, happiness and sadness, strength and weakness. Find support for the challenges for all these times.

(6) Finally, take a break from all technology as much as you possibly can. In order to really appreciate life we need to be able to live in the moment. Now and then, take advantage of the moment and realize how lucky you are that you were born to be a 21st century woman.