How are you? Tired. Busy. Meh.
The go-to answers that I hear (and give) so often.
So many of us are chronically burned out. There is just so much - the bills, the kids, the groceries, the taxes, the phone calls, the never-ending to-do list…
Even when we do find a way to take time off it barely makes a dent in the exhaustion. And then we have to catch up on all the stuff we missed while we were off and the to-do list gets even longer...
The prescription that we are given to heal from burnout is always some version of “work less” and "rest more."
But what if you can't work less?
What if resting makes you more restless?
Are we just supposed to settle for being tired and busy forever?
I definitely don’t think there is a quick fix to the burnout epidemic, but I do think we can do better than telling people to “work less” and “rest more.”
Here are the perspectives about burnout that I bring to my work:
Burnout is NOT a personal failure - it’s a complex systemic issue (it’s really not about better self-care, it’s about better community care)
Understanding your nervous system is key to receiving more rest, pleasure, and beauty in your life (if you are in fight-or-flight and you sit down to meditate it will VERY LIKELY make you even more anxious and/or cause you to dissociate/disconnect even more from your experience because that’s how our nervous systems work)
Your energy is meant to be used up in a way that is specific and unique to YOU (if you are working in a role that excites you, have a business offering that really lights you up, or are able to express your creative self more fully, you will likely be less burned out even though you are expending a lot of energy!)
p.s. I would love to practice yoga with you! Check out my free practice bundles HERE.