Feel burned out? Here are ways to enliven and renourish yourself in under five minutes!
If your enthusiasm for anything, even for activities you used to enjoy, is lagging, It may be due to burnout. Office politics, a job draining you, depressing national and international news, overwhelming family responsibilities, financial struggles, an illness, uncertainty and worry, disruptions of life, or a combination of factors has left you feeling like you have little in reserve.
It sounds like you're grappling with burnout, which isn't just about feeling tired—it's a deep-seated exhaustion that saps the joy from activities you once loved. This state often stems from relentless stress, whether due to demanding jobs, the constant barrage of grim news, family pressures, financial concerns, health issues, or simply the unpredictable upheavals of life. All these elements can converge, leaving you feeling depleted without much to give.
Burnout manifests as a cocktail of physical, emotional, and mental fatigue. It's not just feeling overworked—it's reaching a point where you feel swamped, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with constant demands. Burnout can spiral into more serious issues like depression, anxiety, damage to relationships, and a crippled ability to function both at home and in the workplace.
However, there's a silver lining. Recharging your batteries is more straightforward and quicker than you'd think: Introducing small, nurturing practices into your day can gradually restore your energy and help you rediscover the joy in everyday life.
Dealing with both diabetes and anxiety, I've realized that anxiety can strip away life's sweetness, magnifying the impact of stress and accelerating the path to burnout. Despite this insight, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed by anxiety.
Remember, nurturing yourself can be a brief, five-minute act that significantly reduces exhaustion and burnout. So even when you're feeling frazzled or worn thin—and trust me, I've been there—it's crucial to stay connected to your passions and the core truths that motivate your fight as a resilient warrior for personal fulfillment.
Three Quick Ways to Counter Burnout
1. Carve out time for healing moments and self-care rituals to manage your stress:
Taking time for yourself is essential to self-care. This time allows you to appreciate the moment, feel, let go of emotions, forgive, plan to move forward and move on.
Put a reminder on a clock to stop, breathe, and appreciate your life on the hour or at auspicious times every day (11:11, 3:33, etc).
Make small moments count. When emotionally dysregulated, choose what makes you feel most at peace. A cuddle with your dog, a cup of tea, and some breathing exercises. You must give your mind and body a break to reset and return to your core memories (that you are noble, doing your best, love the world, wish things were better, et cetera).
Find quick stress management techniques below.
2. Protect yourself from the damage of chronic inflammation:
Science has proven that chronic, low-grade inflammation is the number one silent killer, contributing to many conditions that have no apparent cause, such as headaches, vomiting, or nervous system reactions such as difficulty controlling body temperature (shivering et cetera), cardiovascular disease, cancer, prediabetes, type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
For those diagnosed with blood sugar problems, stress and burnout also creates inflammation.
Protect yourself from the impairment of chronic inflammation with a diet of antioxidants from a diet at least filled with colorful fruits and green vegetables.
3. Commit to being better at adding the known base ingredients to the recipe for good health: Exercise, eat extremely healthfully (intuitively but gently), and manage your stress!
4 . Manage your stress: Try a mix of the techniques below (add in anything that would help you more.
Simple Stress Management Techniques that Take Five Minutes or Less
Mindfulness and Meditation:
- Smile.
- Hum.
- Hug.
- Meditate.
- Say a mantra.
- Try a full-body mudra.
- Feel into areas of tightness.
- Tune into your inner compass.
Physical Activities:
- Exercise.
- Pull your hair.
- Massage your hands.
- Massage or practice mudras.
- Enjoy a flower garden.
Emotional Release:
- Laugh.
- Real laughter.
- Laughter yoga.
Reading and Learning:
- Journal.
- Research.
- Read a poem.
- Read some poetry.
- Try bibliotherapy.
- Try bibliomancy.
Sensory Engagement:
- Listen to music.
- Appreciate a painting.
- Appreciate the smell of a flower.
- Rub a nourishing blend into your hands and skin.
- Run your hands under cool or warm water.
Rituals and Reflection:
- Have a cup of tea.
- Light a candle.
- Say a prayer.
- Appreciate yourself or the moment.
- Find a way forward.
- Appreciate a flower.
- Appreciate a picture of loved ones or a happy time.
- Love your life.
Interaction with Animals:
- Hug your service dog.
If you have more time:
Self-care and Relaxation:
- Take a nap.
- Take a walk.
- Use a silk pillowcase.
- Take a warm bath.
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- Prepare a healthy meal or snack.
Mental and Emotional Health:
- Set boundaries.
- Journal, then meditate.
- Call a friend or advisor.
- Practice breathwork or Pranayama.
- Take time to sit and wonder.
- Imagine your path to healing and world evolution.
Physical Activities: - Practice yoga.
- Try walking meditation.
- Do something active in nature with a friend.
Personal Development:
- Make a list.
- Make a plan.
- Practice a skill.
- Learn about color theory.
- Organize your finances.
- Organize your space or calendar.
- Hire a mentor or coach.
Social and Leisure Activities:
- Window-shop with a friend.
- Surround yourself with beauty and comfort.
(Inquire for a list of several hundred more!)
For Deeper Healing
Organize your life from the inside out.
Formulate your vision for what you'd like.
Relax into it and elaborate on the vision.
Keep moving toward that vision.
Eventually, the steps will lead you to self-care, self-love, happiness, and self-esteem.
**Hygge (pronounced HOO-ga) is the ancient Scandinavian / Sammi concept of cozy comfort that brings happiness and contentment. Folks in Sweden know something about preserving health and keeping the sunshine inside alive!
To practice hygge, surround yourself with people, activities, and things that make you feel cozy, loved, happy, or content. Go simple: spend time with your favorite people, add a small vase of flowers to your space, get into your comfort shoes when home, eat nutritious and delicious food, or listen to your favorite music. To increase the effect of comfort, Ask: How does this make me feel, taste, smell, or sound? "Engaging the senses with soothing stimulation can be nourishing. It counteracts ongoing stress that the nervous system endures and may help to elicit the relaxation response — the opposite of the fight or flight [stress] response.
