Thriving in Academia: Shift Your Mindset to Conquer Stress and Burnout

It's been a whirlwind of a summer already and we're still in June.?

Here's the breakdown: I was on vacation with the fam for 2 weeks. Got back. Dropped the kids off at summer camp (first time). Now I'm getting ready to leave for 2 weeks to Estonia for?Mindvalley University . A dream come true for me (I'm a nerd).

So fun.

Speaking of fun, one thing I noticed with my clients is that many of them are so busy working and taking care of their responsibilities, that they forgot to have fun.

I just did a keynote for the University of Calgary and some of the educators' feedback stated that they wanted a serious lecture sort of a talk.

Interesting, I thought. That's because as a speaker, I want to not only educate. I want to entertain. I share stories and make jokes. I want people to laugh and remember the strategies I share. But one it's not is a lecture.

Have you forgotten how to have fun? Are you so serious that even when presented with an opportunity to laugh you're cynical? Do you push such opportunities away because they seem frivolous?

Maybe we're too serious, too responsible. Let's take a load off this summer. Let's get back to the joy of living. Life's too short.

Read

My keynote this week was on stress. Here's the deal: In life there are things we have control over and those we have no control over. So what can we do when we're stressed to the max and it's due to things outside of our control??

That's one of the questions a participant raised during the Q&A after my talk. It's a great question.

Then someone else wrote in my evaluation that there are stressors like discrimination that are super stressful and no matter how much we manage our mind, it's not going to get better.

True.

And yet, it's how we think about our circumstances that matters.

So I want to pay homage to the educators this week -- those incredible folks who share their wisdom to make our society smarter, more enlightened, and aren't always acknowledged and treated with the respect they deserve.

This week's article ?acknowledges those stressors that are outside of our control while helping us reframe our thinking to minimize the negative effect they have on us.

Listen

Ever felt like work and play are at odds with each other?

Join us on?this week’s episode of the Decode Your Burnout podcast ?as Mike Montague shares his personal journey of overcoming burnout and redefining the balance between work and play.

From the tragic loss of his roommate to the draining effects of the pandemic, Mike found himself running on empty. Learn why rest alone isn't the solution and why engaging in play is essential for recharging your battery.

Discover the various types of work and play and how embracing your playful personality can transform your life and career.

Watch

Since we're on the topic of play, I thought I'd share a TEDx on the subject. This one is by Stewart Brown from 2008. It's been watched over 2.8M times, so he must be doing something right.?

Check it out here.

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Have a restful weekend!

Dr. Sharon Grossman -?The Burnout Doc

To schedule a FREE Breakthrough Session, go to: https://www.bookachatwithsharon.com/

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To have me keynote your next event, go to: https://drsharongrossman.com/keynotes/