Or… Why we should be thankful for burnout and exhaustion.
The Huffington Post has been putting out some good pieces lately on living a balanced life. I just came across this piece by Kari Henley on “The Difference between Stress and Burnout”. I especially liked her “1 minute vacation” technique at the end.
She sees more stress in our national mood right now (maybe it’s the heat!) and reminds us that when we operate at peak stress for a long time, we’re at an increased risk of burnout, which she defines as:
a constant depletion of mental, physical and emotional energy – without expected or real needs being met
Do any of these physical burnout signs sound familiar to you?
- changes in sleep patterns
- muscle tension
- headaches
- low energy
- frequent colds
- digestive un-ease
How about these feeling-signs?
- loss of meaning and pleasure
- boredom
- frustration
- irritability
- feeling inadequate, trapped, overwhelmed, etc.
You have plenty of company if any of this hits home. Many of us push ourselves beyond our limits for weeks at a time. I know I’ve done it. But our bodies – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – do have limits and we will break down in one way or another when we push ourselves too hard.
This is really a self-defense mechanism we should be thankful for. Better a temporary case of burnout than a heart attack or prolonged disease. If we can listen to and appreciate the signals we’re getting when we’re on the edge of exhaustion, we can change what we’re doing to ourselves and not have to go through something a lot more unpleasant.
When you make a habit out of listening to your body and learn how to managing your stress accordingly, you just naturally learn how to pace yourself, and even how to enjoy things along the way.
The body is really very patient with us, but it will get our attention one way or another. If your body’s been talking to you lately but you’ve been ignoring it, try Henley’s One Minute Vacation:
Here’s how it works: close your eyes and think of your absolute most favorite vacation spot – it can be a lovely white sand beach, a gorgeous mountain path by a stream, or rocking on a chair at the family’s cabin in the woods. Choose a spot and sharpen it’s image in your mind’s eye. Check out all the details you may not have remembered. Now turn on the sound: notice what background noises are present in this place. How about the sensation of the temperature on your skin? How does it feel to fully surround yourself with a favorite place?
Once all the “dials” have been set, give yourself a full 60 seconds to enjoy it – literally set a timer on your watch or cell phone! I guarantee if you try this exercise at home, you will be amazed at how LONG one minute actually feels. I have taught this many times, and afterwards, everyone blinks their eyes as if they had a long sleep, yawns, stretches and have a softness to their faces – it works!
Enjoy yourself! And don’t forget to breath.
-Tracy from Harmonic Relaxation