Anyone feeling burnt out?
After two years of a pandemic that still rages on, women losing our rights, the economy declining, continued mass shootings, a war in Ukraine, there is just a lot. A lot a lot. I’ve been feeling tingles of burn out lately. I always know when it is here because I go in to what I call “Turtle mode” where I tuck in to my shell and try to recover.
There are so many articles on this. Ones with titles like “Ten things to do to avoid burn out” or “Twenty tips to kiss burn out good bye”. Sounds like useful info, right? Well…. They all boil down to the same advice – sleep well, eat well, move well, connect with friends, be outside. Things that are absolutely great for taking care of your body.
For me – when I get those things right – I can sustain the marathon of life for a little bit longer, but I’m still depleted. I also need something to fill my cup back up.
For the last few months I’ve been in search of what are my cup fillers? The doses of revival that not only help me through the day, but start filling me up and making that burn out go away. I’ve experimented with wellness treatments, supplements, activities, trips, spiritual practices. I can write a book on all I’ve tried and what I’ve learned.
The most important thing I’ve found is that I need both the sustaining care (move, eat, sleep well) and the doses of replenishment that fill me up again. Some of what I’ve found are great practices, but not ones that fit in to the regular routine of having a full time family and full time job. So, I’ve found the best thing for me during the week are my “cups of caffeine”. Those quick activities that fit into my daily schedule of work, family, and life and give me a big dose of revival.
As an engineer and a leader – my mind is well fed. There is always a problem to solve, a board deck to read, a question to ask or answer. My body gets taken care of by focusing on sleep, exercise, and diet. But my creative side – what I call the heart – gets left behind. What I have found is that when I don’t have my heart, mind, and body all being fed – I burn out. So, that caffeine I need to revive myself from burning out is quick doses of creativity.
I now schedule creative “coffee dates” each day. I may take the time to write something (like this blog post), edit some photos I’ve taken, make a new screen saver for my laptop, or draw a quick sketch on my iPad. 30 minutes later, and I’m feeling abuzz with energy and excitement to get back to my day. Sometimes all I need is a few minutes to watch a YouTube video of someone making something incredible out of clay (I’ve recently started taking pottery classes). All things that feed my heart and get me back into alignment and out of the burn out zone.
Jaime Waydo