“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” – Albert Einstein
If you woke up this morning feeling like it’s yet another day the universe is out to stomp you into the ground, and then it only gets worse from there, chances are you’re burned out.
Your life looks bleak when you’re in the throes of burnout. It’s hard to believe in yourself, or muster up the energy to give two hoots about the state of your spiritual well-being. Cynicism and apathy rule – you’re simply unable to re-connect yourself with your higher power, or God, or whatever you call a spiritual entity bigger than yourself.
And when you don’t practice spiritual self-care, you keep yourself mired in a state of burnout that robs you of your health and happiness. It feels like nothing is going right. Some days you may want to crawl under the covers and not come back out.
It’s hard to live this way; to feel like life is out to get you; to be struggling with burnout. Life seems grim…
But when you shift your focus to nourishing your spirit, you start yourself back on the road to wellness. So, let’s get you started back down that road.
What Is Spiritual Self-Care?
The term spiritual self-care can mean different things to different people. To me, spiritual means prioritizing being loving to myself and others, which means I care about people, animals, and the planet. I understand that we are all One, and I am conscious about honoring this Oneness.
As the Dalai Lama says “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” In essence, to me being spiritual is being kind.
What does it mean to you?
Here are some practices that are particularly powerful and can be effective pieces of a regular spiritual self-care routine. I encourage you to adopt some or all of these activities as part of your regular spiritual self-care practice. Most importantly, choose something that meets your personal definition of spiritual:
Meditate
Quieting your mind through meditation is a centuries-old, proven way to rejuvenate your connection to spirit. A mere ten minutes a day of simple meditation can relax you, cultivate your well-being, and restore a sense of the rightness of the universe.
Quieting your mind through meditation is a centuries-old, proven way to rejuvenate your connection to spirit. A mere ten minutes a day of simple meditation can relax you, cultivate your well-being, and restore a sense of the rightness… Click To TweetPractice self-love
Although you’re born to love yourself, when you’re burned out you lose that feeling of self-love. To get it back, focus specifically on ways to show yourself some love. Be at least as kind to yourself as you are to others. Talk to yourself like you would to a beloved child; or, treat yourself to something you enjoy but have been putting off, such as a massage or a leisurely bubble bath.
When you take steps to show you love yourself, your feeling of self-cherishing will snowball.
Surround yourself with people who uplift you
You’ve probably experienced people who drag you down, right? You dread being around them because they make you feel worse than you already do (even when you didn’t believe it was possible to feel worse!). But you also know the glorious feeling of being with people who support, cheer, and uplift you.
Go get you some more of that goodness! And along the way, give back to them because you’ll set up a circle of reciprocity that will buoy and nurture you in your darker times.
Simplify your life
You’re bombarded with messages urging you to buy more, make more, and do more more more more until you feel both frantic and flattened. When you look around and see unending things to care for, places to be, and a sky-high corporate ladder to climb, stop!
Take a deep breath. Then assess your life. Be compassionately ruthless about what is truly important to you. Can you give up stuff? Temporarily stop pursuing your next promotion? Cut back on commitments? Then do so. Simplifying your life will clear your mind, providing room for you to reconnect with your spirit.
Spend time in nature
Scientific research reveals that people who spend more time in nature experience fewer problems such as anxiety and depression – two of the hallmarks of burnout. In other words, nature cleanses you of negative thoughts and heals your soul. Take a walk in the woods or go for a hike in the hills. Whatever your preference, get outdoors among trees, flowers, and animals.
Communicate with your body
When was the last time you checked in with your body and asked it what it needs? You’ve gotten used to ignoring your body’s messages, which is why you are struggling with burnout now. Yet as you have probably already noticed, when you ignore your body it always manages to get in the last word.
That’s why I created a self-care practice where you connect with your body and strengthen the muscle of listening to what it needs. And I would like to gift you my “From Burnout To Balance: A Simple 10-Minute Daily Self-Care Practice.”
This practice has been shown to:
- Increase mindfulness, well-being, self-confidence, and personal power
- Increase your ability to concentrate
- Cultivate a greater resilience to stress, a positive mindset, and a sense of hopefulness and calm
- Decrease stress and stress-related symptoms like frustration, mood swings, feelings of overwhelm or lack of control, anxiety, depression, low energy, headaches, body aches and pains, muscle tension, chest pain and rapid heartbeat, insomnia, and frequent colds and infections
- Reduce or even stop worrying
When you tap into your body and listen to its universal wisdom, you also create a connection to your spirit; the two are deeply intertwined.
How To Create A Spiritual Self-Care Practice
To get you started on a spiritual self-care practice that works for you and your lifestyle, here are steps you can take:
#1 Choose an activity from the list in the previous section
Start with an activity that calls to you! You’ll be more likely to give it priority and stick with it. Start with just one activity so you don’t overwhelm yourself. As you feel more comfortable, add another activity.
#2 Practice the activity
For example, if you choose to spend time in nature, find a nearby place that you can quickly and easily get to. Even if it’s a park near your workplace that you can walk to on your lunch break, the important thing is to do it regularly.
#3 Make a commitment
Put your self-care practice into your calendar. Treat it as seriously as you would any other commitment since this one is for your own well-being. For instance, if you picked being with people who uplift you, schedule a get-together with someone who embodies upliftment and helps you feel good about yourself.
#4 Adjust if necessary
You may need to adjust your emotional self-care practice over time. That’s fine! If something isn’t working for you, choose a different activity. Just be sure to keep your commitment when you make a change, so you continue to heal your burnout.
If you already have a spiritual self-care practice, what do you do? What nourishes your soul? If you could wave a magic wand and take any step to tend to your spiritual wellness, what would it be? Drop me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear.
Time To Get Serious About Burnout Recovery
I know that waking up feeling like the entire universe is conspiring against you robs you of your enthusiasm for life. You go through your days barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Your connection to your spirit was severed, and through no fault of your own you ended up bereft and burned out.
But you don’t have to stay in burnout. You can start right now to care for your spiritual well-being and heal yourself. I’ve given you the tools to get started; now, get going!
And if you want even more support and advice, sign up for my email list so you don’t miss out. I’m here for you.
