My No.1 Tool That Helped Me Overcome Burnout E127
January 9, 2024
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There have been many tools, insights and teachings that have helped me on my recovery journey from burnout. But one of them sticks out for me now when I look back at it. Only recently have I realized how much and why this tool has saved me from being burned out. Let me share this realization with you today.
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Having been burned out was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to me. It was for sure a low point in my life and I felt the worst for quite a while. But what came out of it was the biggest change in my life and I am truly grateful for having had burnout as my wake-up call.
If you ever were burned out or you have the suspicion that you are currently burned out, you know that this is not something that comes overnight. No, we create our burned-out state over a long period of time. It’s not like an infection that you contract and then you fall ill of burnout.
Burnout sneaks silently up on you
It’s more of a lifestyle that you develop over time and you just don’t realize what you are doing to yourself until it’s too late. That’s the reason why over 50% of people in studies confirm that they are either burned out or have already experienced burnout. 50% of the workforce therefore lived or currently live a lifestyle that makes them sick. Shocking, right?
I am not going to get into how burnout is created. I do have a couple of episodes where I talk about that and how I got myself to being burned out. If you want to find out more, then head over to those episodes afterwards.
First of all, I want to share with you today my number 1 tool that helped me to overcome burnout and we will get to that in a minute. Secondly, I want to reflect on what would have happened if I hadn’t changed my lifestyle, my beliefs and perceptions of the world and my priorities.
It could have ended in something more seriously
Burnout was for me my wake-up call and I am glad that it wasn’t any worse than that. But burnout in itself is already pretty serious and if not overcome it can lead to even more serious illnesses. In a nutshell, burnout means that you are living constantly in stress.
And nowadays we know that most of our illnesses are lifestyle and stress-related. I just know I would have probably developed a more serious illness further down the road if I had not been able to leave burnout behind for good.
And that’s where I see the biggest danger. I keep hearing from people that they have burned out “again” as if it’s the annual cold or flu that you might contract. I thankfully just had to burn out once before I changed.
Obviously, I was burned out probably for years. However once I accepted that I was burned out, I did not allow myself to fall back into the same lifestyle patterns that would let me burn out again and again. Now I know too much to ever end up in a fully burned-out state again. I would never let it get that far.
You are missing the right tools if you keep burning out
So if you are someone who keeps burning out, it means you don’t have the tools to overcome burnout once and for all. You find a way to slightly recover but then you move back into your old patterns and end up burned out again. And I’m sorry, but I find that very scary. If you don’t already please take this seriously. Don’t let it get so far that your body has no other chance than to create a serious or even life-threatening diagnosis for you to stop and listen.
I know this is what would have happened to me if I had not stopped and listened to my body when it told me that enough is enough. I’m sure that there is a timeline in which I did not change something fundamentally inside of me to be able to overcome burnout. And I know that version of me has a much darker future in front of her – she probably doesn’t know it yet.
Burnout means being stuck living in survival
If I think back at myself before I accepted that I was burned out, I know I was stuck. I was stuck in living a life filled with stress. But I did not realize. I did not know that that was what was happening to me. That this life I was living was a life constantly spent in survival. My body was only existing in survival.
And that meant that I was only taking, taking, taking from my body. I forgot how to restore and recover myself and most importantly my body. I would switch on the stress response in my body many many times per day – just with my thoughts and perceptions. And with that, I knocked my body and brain out of balance. Again and again and again. And that became my new normal.
Nothing worked as I did not get to the root cause
So all of the tools that I tried before to get back into some kind of balance never worked in the long run. Because I did not know about the root cause which was that my brain and body were now knocked out of balance and that that became my normal way of living. Sounds awful, right? And everyone who has been burned out before and recovered can attest to how awful it truly is.
I had to find a way to restore balance in my nervous system and the rest of my body to be able to live a normal life again. But when you don’t even realize that you are out of balance that’s hard to do. It’s like a fish swimming in the ocean and searching for water.
My No.1 Tool That Helped Me Overcome Burnout: Meditation
Thankfully the right tool for me to restore my balance came into my life without me realizing it. Only looking back at it now, can I see how this tool has helped me the most to overcome burnout – and not in a way you might think. And that tool is meditation.
You might think now that it’s pretty clear why meditation has helped me so much:
- It helps you to relax and let go of stress.
- You get your thoughts in order and can quieten your mind.
- You give your body a rest while meditating and practising mindfulness.
These are all reasons to meditate. These were the reasons why I started in the first place. However, the real benefit of meditation that helped me with my burnout was the lowering of my brain wave patterns.
It’s about lowering your brain wave patterns
I have learned a lot about brain waves in the last couple of years and only now do I understand that this is the reason why meditation has helped me to overcome burnout once and for all. It was not about the relaxation, the quieting of the mind and the mindfulness but rather more specific the lowering of my brain wave patterns away from the stuckness of living in survival.
Remember that I said that I was stuck living in survival before I accepted that I was burned out? And my regular meditation practice allowed me to get out of that stuckness. By repeatedly lowering my brain wave patterns during meditation, my body and brain were able to move from the abnormal way of living into a more balanced way of living.
And yes, you can practice meditation and not successfully lowering your brain waves. Before you even ask, yes this is a possibility. It’s a practice that you need to get used to. It needs training and consistency. Lots of people try out meditation a few times and then give up as it does not give them enough benefits quickly enough. Makes sense, right?
Lots of people are looking for a quick fix which doesn’t exist especially not with burnout.
Learn why and how to lower your brain wave patterns inside Energy Academy
In my program Energy Academy I teach you much more in detail about the different brain wave patterns and which ones you don’t want to be in and how to get yourself out of those to be able to leave this stressful lifestyle behind. And to make out of my number 1 tool the most, all of the meditations in Energy Academy teach you how to lower your brain waves. I have built it into each meditation because I know now of its power and positive impact.
The easiest way for you is to just join Energy Academy and learn this from me and use the meditations to support you, or you try out meditation for yourself. Being able to self-regulate your brain wave patterns and with that your nervous system is truly significant for your health and wellbeing. Now and for the future.
I can just advise you to start today. Today is the new tomorrow. Don’t wait for the perfect time as it will never come when you are already living a stressful and busy life. Nothing changes until you change. And Meditation can help you most certainly to change. I promise you that!
Two easy ways to show your appreciation!
If you found value in today’s episode, here’s what you can do to show your support:
First, consider making a donation to the podcast. Every little bit helps to cover the costs of producing and hosting the show. And ensures that I can continue to bring you the latest insights and opinions on the topic of energy and improving your life.
Second, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps boost the podcast’s visibility and attract new listeners, which helps me create more tailored content for you to enjoy.
So whether you choose to donate, leave a rating and review, or both, know that you’re an integral part of my vision. You are helping everyone who struggles with burnout or high-stress levels to experience how awesome their life can be. So, thank you for your support!
You Might Also Like
- How do you feel about being burned out? Episode 111
- Feeling stuck? Find out why and how to get unstuck! Episode 102
- 4 Often-Overlooked Life Areas that Deplete Your Energy Episode 94
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