Avoiding Burnout: Get Moving!
Part 5/5 of our weekly articles about ‘burnout’
Physical activity clears your head. I can’t stress this enough; this truism is invaluable for anyone who is in danger of experiencing burnout.
Author: Esther Kimmel
The previous entry concluded with a prompt to formulate concrete goals and to tackle these on a day by day basis. Get moving both mentally and physically: In the last part of the series, I want to again call your attention to this very important point.
The connections and interactions between body, soul, and psyche are diverse. Physical activity can help you to learn and process information. Psychological problems take a toll on your body but, by all means, it is also possible to heal the body by way of the mind and soul.
These shoes (and feet) are made for walking!
Our bodies are meant to be active: to move, to get out of breath, experience cold, wind and rain. As spiritual beings, this physical activity deficiency sometimes manifests itself as sadness or a sense of meaninglessness whose origin we assume is to be found in the spiritual sphere.
Physical activity relaxes tension; it stops the ever-turning carousel of thoughts and brings things back into a harmonious balance. And the beauty of it all: It works without having to consciously do anything. Don’t waste this potential.
Healing the body through the spirit
Some of the straightforward methods that draw on the wisdom of our body are incorporated in Indian yoga teachings. Practicing yoga, which includes physical exercises, breathing exercises and meditative exercise, directly — and very efficiently — targets positive mental effects.
But any other kind of sport is also suitable for rebalancing mentally: running, swimming, biking, riding, climbing, chopping wood — it doesn’t matter what you’re into. All you have to do is do it and the rest takes care of itself!
Tweet this with one click: “Physical activity relaxes tension; it stops the ever-turning carousel of thoughts and brings things back into a harmonious balance.”
The ball is in your court
While it may take some courage to admit that you are suffering from burnout, this predicament is no longer considered tabu. The burnout stories by the literary figure, Frank Schätzing, who processed his experiences in the novel Limit (published 2009) and Schalke soccer team coach, Ralf Rangnick, have sensitized the public for this topic. Miriam Meckel, a communications researcher, editor and TV presenter, dealt with her burnout in a book titled Briefe an mein Leben (translation: Letters to my life). It is currently being turned into a made-for-TV movie by the German public broadcaster ZDF. The recognition that only those who take care of themselves can be productive over the long run is slowly catching on.
With this appeal for more attentiveness and solicitousness — for oneself as well as for one’s neighbors, friends and colleagues — I would like to conclude the issue of burnout. Talk about burnout and, if necessary, get help in a timely manner!
