Dealing With Burnout

Recently it’s been raining a lot where I live.   All of this precipitation has had me thinking about the benefits that rain brings to what it touches. Rain brings fresh life, growth, and replenishment to the Earth.  

Without it, cracks, wear and tear, not to mention dryness, beckon for relief.

How about looking at that as a metaphor for our lives, and the contrast between vitality and burnout?  Making the comparison, it’s easy to see that replenishment is essential.  
 

Here are my top three ways to avoid burnout.

1. Have fun and do what you love – If you’re like me, you don’t often think of fun as being productive.  That mindset needs to change.  If we resolve to be on when we are supposed to be on and off when we are supposed to be off, then we can use play and relaxation to refuel us.  Otherwise life becomes a treadmill.

2. Rest - Similarly, rest is essential for avoiding burnout.  My grandma had seven kids and taught school.  You could say she didn’t have time to rest.  In her mind she couldn’t afford not to rest.  Shortly after she got home, she napped 30 minutes a day.  Naps will help you clear your mind and reset so you can power through again.

3. Serve – Maybe your burnout is caused by spending too much time on yourself.  Have you considered volunteering?  Your time, energy and experience can certainly benefit others.  Also, by getting outside of yourself, you actually begin to relax.  Then your subconscious produces ideas you couldn’t have come up with, no matter how hard you tried.

Give it a shot, I’d love to hear how it goes. What are some of your favorite
“off-the-clock” activities?

As author Seth Godin put it, “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.”