3 things your body will thank you for (during burnout)
Speaking from my own experience and having heard numerous stories from friends and clients who have experienced burnout, moving through and healing from burnout can feel like a bit of trial and error.
This is why I wanted to share with you 3 tips that your body will thank you for during burnout, prolonged periods of stress as well as anxiety.
Before we dive deeper into the content, I would first like to share a poem with you called Your home/You’re home by Erin Hanson.
Your Home/You’re Home
If there’s one thing that I may tell you,
Let it be: You are your home,
Your body is the only house
That you will truly ever own,
Maybe it’s got some broken windows
And there are tear-stains on the floors,
Maybe you lock the things you wish weren’t
Behind its many doors,
But there is wisdom on its bookshelves
And a laugh to light the rooms,
There’s a vase upon its table
Where the love you’ve grown all blooms,
Dreams sit on the mantelpiece
Next to kindness and your trust,
Where you use them all so often
They have no time to collect dust,
So please don’t look at mansions
With that envy in your eyes,
There’s more that makes a home
Than its appearance or its size,
Your body is your shelter
So you deserve to love it all,
Don’t let the world stand round outside
And tell you how to paint your walls,
How lucky that you have somewhere
To protect you from the night,
And if there’s cracks left from the past?
Well then they just let in more light.
How does this poem resonate with you? Let me know in the comments below.
You are your home, y
our body is the only house
that you will truly ever own.
and now…. 3 tips:
Walking & nature: Once a person enters the state of burnout, we try to move away from to-do lists and all the “shoulds”. That being said, there is ONLY ONE should. And only, ONE: walking. Walking allows us to clear our mind, and move the body in ways in which we can discharge the sympathetic energy from our nervous system, the accumulated stress which has been stuck in the body and has not been released. I do want to emphasise that going for a walk, does not mean walking down a busy shopping street or browsing through the show-room at IKEA.
Honour your body by spending as much time in nature, in the forest, away from crowds and noise. You can try something that’s called forest bathing, either a guided walk or simply going for a stroll by yourself where you walk quietly, observe the nature and your surrounding, paying attention to your breath and breathing deeply.
Depending on the weather conditions, you may also decide to walk barefoot on grass or your lawn, this will allow you to feel more grounded and present. Activating the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, allowing the body to relax while reducing stress, anxiety and tension. Have you tried it before? Let me know how you feel afterwards, in the comments below.
Nutrition: there are two schools of thought regarding this topic when it comes to recovering from burnout, as well as, stress and anxiety. Some people believe that because burnout is so mentally and emotionally difficult we should just indulge and eat whatever we want, in order to feel better. While I’m not a supporter of strict diets, it is important to remember that in a state of burnout the physical body is exhausted and we should aim to do everything in our power to nourish it properly rather than provoke it even more with stimulants or processed foods which will take a toll on the digestive system.
The idea is to aim for lighter meals which are easy to digest yet give the body sufficient energy to carry out its processes. What I mean by that is, aiming for fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains. And try to avoid or decrease your intake of artificial sugars, alcohol, caffeine, refined carbs and other processed foods. Consuming stimulants will further stress your already depleted adrenal glands, and impact the entire endocrine system.
Similar with heavy meals, when we are in a state of stress our digestion is not working properly and the body turns to fat-storage mode, because the main mission of the nervous system is to survive the threat that we are facing. Hence eating a heavy meal which can take hours to digest, will simply deplete our energy levels, and leave us feeling even more exhausted. So be mindful with your energy and what you consume, this goes beyond food and includes social media, who you spend time with and where you hang out.
Constructive rest: in a state of burnout we know that we need rest in order to recover, but because we are tired and wired, we simply cannot find peace. So instead we create these to-do lists, routines or self-care must-do’s, in order to feel better.
Productive rest is also more than a nap or falling asleep after a heavy lunch. It is something that helps the nervous system feel safe again so that the stress response can switch off and the mind & body can recover and restore finally. Because our nervous system is dysregulated our body is on constant high-alert, scanning the environment for threat, and that’s exhausting.
So the first piece of advice I can offer is: slowing down, in all possible ways. Whether it’s walking, talking, eating, cooking, the way you move, respond, get dressed. Take a moment to observe your pace, how the body moves and intentionally slow it down.
Next, in order to bring more constructive rest into your life, instead of browsing the phone or binging on a Netflix series, try something like Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep), a mindfulness practice, reading a fun book, a guided relaxation for your muscles, sun gazing, a 30-minute power nap etc.
If you are still unsure about how to best nurture your body in order to heal, send me a message and book your first consultation below.