I've learned I have to always be on the watch for burnout. Because when it creeps up on me, I don't like the person I become . . . Unfortunately, beating burnout is not a simple as getting a good night's sleep. Once you're operating at that frenetic pace, it starts to become how you define yourself and your worth. You might think, If I'm not busy, it must mean I'm not productive or relevant. That sense of vulnerability is a big reason why people stay on the hamster wheel. To really recover from burn out, we must change not just our schedule, but also our thinking. We mush accept that what we produce and contribute is not our value--and get clear on what is. The people who matter most to me don't love me for what what I do or for what I am doing for them; they love me for who I am. When you stop living on stress and adrenaline, you may feel emotional, spiritual, or physical discomfort. But that discomfort is worth it if you can finally get calm and comfortable in your own skin.
From Brene Brown's column in O magazine:
I've learned I have to always be on the watch for burnout. Because when it creeps up on me, I don't like the person I become . . . Unfortunately, beating burnout is not a simple as getting a good night's sleep. Once you're operating at that frenetic pace, it starts to become how you define yourself and your worth. You might think, If I'm not busy, it must mean I'm not productive or relevant. That sense of vulnerability is a big reason why people stay on the hamster wheel. To really recover from burn out, we must change not just our schedule, but also our thinking. We mush accept that what we produce and contribute is not our value--and get clear on what is. The people who matter most to me don't love me for what what I do or for what I am doing for them; they love me for who I am. When you stop living on stress and adrenaline, you may feel emotional, spiritual, or physical discomfort. But that discomfort is worth it if you can finally get calm and comfortable in your own skin.
0 Comments
From Wayne Muller's book How Then, Shall We Live?:
Accepting who we are, who we have become, our lives, our jobs, our friends, our destiny as it has evolved--this is our fruitful practice. Accepting who we are is a practice of non-harming. Sadly, much of self-help literature contains seeds of harm: We are urged to remake ourselves into someone who will be spiritually or psychologically acceptable, and that acceptance is conditional on our performance in the areas of therapy, growth, or meditation. We are still not accepting ourselves unconditionally, just as we are in this moment, with a full and joyful heart. A more merciful practice begins with acceptance. It begins with the assumption that we were never broken, never defective. By surrendering into a deep acceptance of our own nature--rather than tearing apart who we are--we actually make more room for genuine, rich, merciful, playful growth and change. Today, don't resist or ignore your emotions. Notice them. Name them. Make room for them. Do not judge yourself for having them or imagine that you should be feeling differently. Do not fear that they will harm, overwhelm, or mislead you. Feelings are gift sof Love, carrying important information. Today, you do not need to act on those feelings. Just get to know them.
You are precious, beloved, and adored. Today, feel Love itself, your Maker, communicating that to you, delighting in you, celebrating you. Pause throughout the day and accept the gift of this love, without argument
Humility is good. Excessive self-doubt is self-sabotaging. Today, feel the presence of Love giving you confidence--confidence in your knowledge, your skills, your wisdom, your intuition, your words, your contributions.
Serve Life. Today, make sure that your thoughts and actions serve your life.
Let your schedule serve your life. Don't serve your schedule. Let your to do list serve your life. Don't serve your to do list. Let exercise serve your life. Don't serve exercise. Let your relationships serve your life. Don't worship your relationships. Let food serve your life. Don't live your life in service to food. Let your home serve your life. Don't serve your home. Let work serve your life. Don't let work take control of your life. Let emails serve your life. Don't serve emails. (Add your own here!) Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield names three stages of spiritual growth: the camel (who is hardworking, humble, obedient, and striving for enlightenment), the lion (who has spiritual authority and strength), and the last, the child (full of wonder, innocence, and joy).
Today, be a lion. Accept the authority that Love has given to you. Don't give it away. You have authority over self-defeating thoughts and actions. You have authority over self-doubts imposed by yourself or others. You have authority over your fears. The Bible says that God engraves His/Her law on our hearts. Therefore, wisdom is not hidden, but part of your being. Be still and patient. Listen. Sometimes wisdom will not arrive in words, but in a compassionate feeling or an intuition about the next action. When you hear or read or feel genuine wisdom, it will resonates with your own wise heart. You will feel a sense of recognition. Trust that when you speak to others, if you communicate from your wise heart, it will resonate with their own.
"The Ojibway Indian saying reminds us: 'Sometimes I go around pitying myself, and all the while I'm being carried by great winds across the sky.' Whenever we awaken, we begin to feel ourselves carried by these great winds, by the holy spirit, by the Tao, the Dharma, the sacred river of life. We realize we belong on the earth. Whoever we are is the right person; wherever we are is the right place to awaken, the place we have been given to serve."
From Jack Kornfield's book After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. Today, be mindful of not being influenced by opinions. Listen for Love's direction and follow it earnestly. Don't be distracted by other people's opinions or judgements about your choices. Likewise, let go of your opinions and judgements about others and actively entrust them to Love.
|
AuthorTarn Wilson is the author of the memoir The Slow Farm and numerous essays. You may read more of her work at tarnwilson.com. Archives
September 2020
Categories |