A really great article that sums up burn out came up in the Harvard Business Review. The author, Monique Valcour gives a clear and robust overview of what burn out is, and how we can build resilience to combat it.
Valcour advises prioritising taking care of yourself to replenish personal resources, and mentions good sleep habits, nutrition and exercise as ways to achieve this.
Building resilience is about taking care of yourself emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. And this week I want to look at the physical part.
Sleep, food and movement. I am no PT or nutritionist or knowledger of sleep, but I do know personally, and from talking to many clients, that the impact of not prioritising these can be destructive.
Movement, in any form, helps our bodies to deal with the build up of cortisol and adrenaline, the hormones released when we experience stress. You don’t have to run 10 miles everyday, but using your body in some way is a super effective way to build and maintain healthy internal balance. And it releases lovely endorphins as well which help you feel good.
Sleep and nutrition are also really important. I know sometimes I can become unconscious about what I eat, and it leaves me feeling sluggish. Fuelling and nourishing your body with food and rest make dealing with challenging work and life experiences that little bit easier.
One thing that is worth noting here is our gremlins’ ability to lay into us if we don’t manage a great nights sleep or we eat something a little unhealthy. Physical self-care is all about gentleness and self-compassion. No one goes for every run they plan, no one avoids every food that is unhealthy and no one gets soundless nights sleep every single night. This is about being conscious and paying attention to these areas, and doing all we can to support ourselves physically, from a place of gentleness and self-compassion.
And with that I’m going for a nap! I spent three hours awake last night because of noisy neighbours – if you haven’t seen this hilarious video before check it out, it sums up my experience completely!
With love as always, Hannah
*Image by Matic Kozinc www.unsplash.com