My body was actively revolting against me. I had overdone it and now I was paying the price. I was physically exhausted, easily distracted, and mentally scattered. Even when I tried to work nothing substantial was getting done . It was time for me to admit that my motto ‘keep doing more no matter what’ was hurting me. I had to admit that I was completely burned-out.
When you are in a state of burn-out, it seems like your well of inspiration, creativity and motivation have run dry. Progress comes to a stand still & focusing on a single task can feel monumental. Burn-out combines a sense of reduced personal accomplishment, with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. [1] To put it plainly burn-out is no joke.
Thankfully the first step to healing from burn out is acknowledging it. Once you have admitted to yourself that you are burned-out you can start taking steps to intentionally replenish your well. Self-care is an excellent way to help you heal from burn-out. Here are three (3) radical acts of self-care which cost nothing that are guaranteed to help you start recovering from burn-out:
Embrace Nature
Spending time in Nature can be incredibly grounding. It has the uncanny ability to help you slow down & remind you of the temporal nature of all things. It also provides a radical change from the confines of your house or place of employment which can be the catalyst for a much needed perspective shift.
Standing next to a tree always puts things into perspective for me. The grandeur & steadfastness of the organism is so awe inspiring. When I am in nature I am able to bring all of my focus and awareness to the positive sensory experience of the environment.
Wondering how to dive in & experience nature? Try this: Take your shoes off and feel the ground under your feet. Look at the trees & animals. If you’re able to visit a body of water, listen to the sounds of it moving and give your self permission to be present.
Meditate
Once you have burned-out its important to reflect on what got you there so that you can avoid returning to the same patterns of behavior. Meditation creates space for judgment free reflection that can help you find clarity around the behaviors that led to your burn out. Intentional, compassionate self study will reveal signs you may have missed that will help you as you work to avoid burn out moving forward.
Mantra Meditations have worked wonders for me. Doing something as simple as Putting my focus on an empowering statement can be extremely reinvigorating. Whether it’s a phrase in English of my own creation or an ancient Sanskrit mantra it can have powerful effects.
To learn more about Sanskrit mantras, what they mean and how to use them visit www.MantraChant.com. It’s an incredible resource with all the information you need to get started. If you are interested in creating your own English mantra, then take some time and generate a few declarative sentences that really sum up your intentions. Once you have generated a few different statements say them out loud to yourself to see which one resonates the strongest. For example here is mine: I fearlessly succeed no matter the circumstances & I remain victoriously affluent.
Journal
Nurturing a healthy connection with yourself is essential to heal from avoid future burn out. Sometimes the most radical act of self-care is the most obvious one. Giving yourself permission to journal creates a safe space for you to be with yourself. It allows you to create a record of your journey back to you.
Too often when people think of journaling the vision of a teenage girl writing in her diary pops into their heads. The truth is that that the ‘dear diary’ style is just one of the many ways to journal. Two other common methods are Free form stream of consciousness writing & pointed reflection based on prompts.
Stream of Consciousness writing, has a free form non-judgmental style. You just write whatever comes to your mind, with out organizing or analyzing. The writing becomes a conduit to flush out the subconscious mind. It can be a truly liberating and eye opening exercise.
Prompts are targeted questions or statements that are designed to bring your focus to a particular subject matter for intentional reflection. Here are some prompts I love:
- List 5 moments you have felt great Joy.
- Name 3 places you have visited that have touched your soul.
- If you could talk to your self as a child, what would you say?
- List 3 wins you had this week.
- *What do you really want to accomplish in the next month?
Make a date with yourself to journal once this week and see what happens. What you write may surprise you. At a minimum what comes out will forewarn & forearm you against future burn-out.
Final Thoughts
Burn-out can happen to anyone. Thankfully you are capable of coming back from it stronger then ever. You are now armed with three (3) FREE self-care methods that will help to not only replenish your well but also to avoid getting burned-out again! Want more tips like this in your inbox? Then click here to join my tribe!
[1] https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(17)30547-5/fulltext