Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic stress. It can affect your health, productivity, and happiness. Mindfulness is a practice of paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and openness. It can help you cope with stress, reduce negative emotions, and enhance your well-being. Here are five mindfulness techniques to prevent burnout.
Breathing exercises are simple and effective ways to calm your nervous system and relax your body and mind. You can do them anytime and anywhere, whether you are at work, at home, or on the go. One example of a breathing exercise is the 4-7-8 technique. To do this, inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. Repeat this cycle four times and notice how you feel.
We unnecessary complicate the breathing techniques. Simple conscious breathing not only helps in managing stress but ensures complete wellness - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual too . Breathing involves Inhalation and exhalation ??. Breathing is automatic it is controlled by our Autonomous Nervous System; but we as humans are gifted that we can do breathing Consciously also. Everyone has observed that when we are under stress our breathing pattern changes. Under stress or anxiety our breathing pattern is shallow and fast - number of breaths per minute increases .When we are relaxed our breathing pattern is slow and deep . I recommend people to do conscious breathing through the nostrils. Within few minutes they feel relaxed.
A body scan is a mindfulness technique that helps you become aware of the sensations in your body. It can help you release tension, pain, and stress. To do a body scan, lie down or sit comfortably and close your eyes. Start by focusing on your feet and toes, and notice any sensations, such as warmth, cold, tingling, or numbness. Then slowly move your attention up to your legs, hips, abdomen, chest, arms, hands, neck, head, and face. As you scan each part of your body, breathe deeply and gently, and allow any tightness or discomfort to soften or dissolve.
Oftentimes our bodies can warn us of impending burnout, but we've become so conditioned to ignore or override these bodily sensations that we completely miss them. Introducing a body scan practice is an easy way to help us tune back into our body and bring awareness to bodily sensations that are trying to signal a stressful state. A body scan can be as short as 30 seconds or as long as 45 minutes (or more!). Traditional body scan meditations will invite you to mentally scan your body from head to toe, bringing non-judgmental awareness to each body part and noting any sensations (colors, temperatures, textures, etc).
Mindful eating is a mindfulness technique that helps you enjoy your food and nourish your body. It can help you avoid overeating, bingeing, or emotional eating. To practice mindful eating, choose a food that you like and pay attention to its appearance, smell, texture, and taste. Eat slowly and savor each bite, without distractions, such as TV, phone, or computer. Notice how the food makes you feel, both physically and emotionally. Appreciate the food and its source.
You would be really surprised to know mindfulness is a state of no-mind. Seems contradictory, but this is the truth. What is mindful eating? Can you eat with mind? To actually eat the food, mind has to be kept aside. You taste the food & instantly your mind jumps & say oh! Salt is less, oh! It is spicy oh this that. After that we pick up phone or start talking & at the last bite we come back to food. In between we had no idea, who ate. Mindful eating means when there is no mind coming in between you and the food. Not a single word should interfere between you & food. Even if you say food is tasty, you are not having food mindfully. Like word Apple is not ?? Same way you describing food is not real food. Eat without labels.
A gratitude journal is a mindfulness technique that helps you focus on the positive aspects of your life and cultivate a sense of appreciation and happiness. It can help you reduce stress, boost your mood, and improve your relationships. To keep a gratitude journal, write down three things that you are grateful for every day, either in the morning or at night. They can be big or small, such as a sunny day, a compliment, or a hug. Try to be specific and detailed, and explain why you are grateful for each thing.
What is there in life that is not grateful? My mind My eyes My phone Internet Your hands Your eyes Your mind My body Your body Cosmos The seasons The flowers Life as a whole What not is worth grateful for? But we become grateful only and only when we gain something. Gaining something we lost or gain some thing new. But in hard times we are never grateful, rather we are prayerful at that time. Can we be grateful in our roughest time? Can we tell god, thank you for the miseries you have given me? No no one says so. And unless you say so you are not eligible to show gratitude. It would be false. A plastic rose.
Meditation is a mindfulness technique that helps you train your attention and awareness. It can help you reduce anxiety, depression, and anger, and increase your clarity, creativity, and compassion. To meditate, find a quiet and comfortable place and sit with your back straight and your eyes closed. Choose an object of focus, such as your breath, a word, or a sound. Whenever your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the object of focus. Start with a few minutes and gradually increase the duration and frequency of your meditation sessions.
When stress is high, bring self-compassion into your meditation. Acknowledging you are struggling and offering kindness to yourself because you are struggling can enable stress to drop away.
All the above are important for implementation in addressing the burnout. However, the crucial root source that has triggered the Burn Out Alarm to go off, must be addressed. The BURN OUT ALARM SIGNAL like the RED ROBOT, serve as an ALERT to the Body that it needs ATTENTION. The Body cannot function as a ROBOT that is not serviced regularly to enhance performance. We as humans or rather vessels we tend to forget that we are not indispensable. It is only the Infinite Spirit that has chosen to manifest Self in the chosen vessel that is indispensable. Life is a gift that needs to be honoured as we chose to experience and experiment with it in the body we have chosen. Yielding to messages issued by the Body and acting swiftly is CRUCIAL.