Breathing In vs. Burning Out
Burnout is real. It’s a manifestation of having attempted to work at the pace of technology since we began our constantly connected digital-centric lifestyles. According to Good Morning America segment and article by Katie Kindelan, “The World Health Organization (WHO) included burnout in its International Classification of Diseases, or ICD-11, a diagnostic tool for medical providers.” Stress and anxiety are running rampant and this cannot be the new normal! This feeling of digital overwhelm needs to be addressed immediately. I’m trying to do my part by sharing tools for mindful breath in my new book, Breathe to Succeed. I was inspired to share my 30 yrs. of Breath & Mindset practice after seeing this phenomenon of burnout and anxiety on full display at business conferences over the past few years.
“Our minds are constantly distracted. Our attention spans are severely shortened. We want everything on demand. Our inboxes are never empty. Our energy is frequently negative. We’re addicted to social media. We’re sleep deprived and anxious.” Excerpt from Breathe to Succeed
Sound familiar? If so, you probably need to add some mindful breath to your daily routine to combat the effects of life at the speed of business.
Here are 3 Steps for Breathing IN to Ward Off Burning Out:
- Become self-aware of your own signs of stress (clenched jaw, headache, impatience, clammy hands, stomach in knots) and commit to acknowledging them when you feel the onset of physical and emotional signs of stress. Develop a sort of allergic reaction to those signs of stress and don’t let them linger. The second that you feel your energy has gone awry, STOP. Breathe IN a few mindful breaths and breathe OUT the stress and negative energy. It’s science! This works. Here’s an article from Harvard Business Review about the power of mindfulness.
- Find one breath tool that you know works for you (examples are found in Breathe to Succeed book) like Lion’s Breath, 3 Deep Breaths or Alternate Nostril Breath and make it your go-to holistic prescription for wellness and success. Interrupt your old patterns by breathing into positive thoughts and energy…in the moment, whenever you need it most. You can transform your energy with even one mindful breath and a positive thought that directs your body on how to feel. Use a mantra like, “I am calm. I am confident. I am in control of my emotions.” Breathe into that empowering statement. Your body will believe what your mind tells it.
- Set reminders on your phone (because you know you’ll see them, right?!) 3–5x a day to begin to get ahead of burn out and overwhelm. When you get the reminders, tap into the power of your favorite breath tool and take back control from your devices. Find clarity, patience and creativity again and work with full focus and complete presence; mindfully. After just a short while of mini breath sessions, your body will crave the relief and nourishment and you’ll no longer require digital reminders. It’ll become second nature to utilize the always accessible power of your breath to maintain wellness.
We all have the power to choose our thoughts and energy throughout the day, but it seems that this choice has been outsourced to our devices and that’s not serving us well. In fact, quite the opposite. Let’s let technology do what it does best and let’s take back control of where our attention goes and the power to decide to be fully present and mindful rather than on autopilot and multi-tasking. This is the human side of life that needs to be run by YOU. You create your daily energy.Mindful breath is the connector for your mind and body and the bridge to positive, healing and nourishing energy. Breathe in mindfully as often as possible to avoid burning out. You can’t overdose on mindful breath. It’s free. Always accessible and completely sustainable. What more can you ask for?! Let’s get the world breathing more!
