Looking around your friend group, you are likely to know firsthand at least a few people who are experiencing devastatingly high levels of burnout. You may even be experiencing burnout firsthand. A recent study I read cited that thirty-two percent of women and twenty-eight percent of men are experiencing chronic stress levels. We can attempt to talk about prevention until we are out of breath, but the reality is many of us are exhausted, depleted, and just running on chronic levels of emptiness. Which really begs the question: how do you change the script? 

Many people have tried going on vacation, which is only fleeting because it’s only a brief reprieve and then it’s back to the daily grind. The image that comes to mind as I’m describing this is the movie Pleasantville. When the movie is all black and white. (side note, I don’t actually remember the movie here, so bear with me).  But as the color begins to come on to the screen. That’s the opposite of exhaustion and burnout on some level. The monotony of burnout just sucks all the joy out of life. 

Let’s just take a brief inventory of what you’ve attempted in order to address your burnout: yoga, journaling, exercise, more sleep, less work, better boundaries, vacations, better hydration, more downtime, etc. In reality those are all such good things, so please know you have done such good work. However, what if the real answer for lessening your burnout is to cultivate more joy? 

Cultivating more joy in and of itself is such a rewarding task, it’s as if someone relit the light inside of you. Can you remember a time when you lost your passion for a while? But once you refound your passion, how fresh and new everything felt? THAT’s what joy does. It’s how crisp and alive everything feels to me. Webster’s dictionary defines joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight. 

In my experience cultivating an increased amount of joy is such a great antidote for addressing burnout, fatigue, and even some depressive symptoms. 

1. Give Yourself Permission To Experience Joy: Many times people don’t feel they deserve to feel joy for a myriad of reasons, and therefore subconsciously block joyful or happy experiences. We frequently find that having a discussion with our clients about whether they believe they deserve to experience these positive emotions, feelings,  and sensations. No matter how hokey it feels in the moment, making room for these things really does go a long way and promote

2. Practice Gratitude: There’s been so much research on the healing aspects of gratitude. Find a format and philosophy of engaging in a gratitude practice that really works for you. Some people benefit from starting their day meditating on a few things they are grateful for, others end their day making a gratitude list, and some people really enjoy utilizing a gratitude app on their phone or other devices. We are not here to tell you what your gratitude practice should look like. We just want to encourage you to practice gratitude in some small way. Maybe it’s on the way to work, maybe it’s in the shower, maybe it’s as you are laying in bed at night. You can also involve your loved ones and children in your practice if that feels safe. My husband and I regularly share five things we are each grateful for as we are going to sleep most nights. It’s one of my favorite ways to connect. 

3. Develop the Art of Self-Compassion: If you are already feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or even a bit depressed odds are self-compassion is majorly needed. And yet it can feel so impossible to be kind and loving to yourself.  But how does your dog treat you and think about you? How does your best friend treat you? How would you treat a little child? All of those are great filters for how to treat yourself. That unconditional positive regard. That limitless belief in their ability to do anything! What would shift if you began seeing yourself the way other people see you or treating yourself as wonderfully or kindly as you treat other people?

4. Remove Sources of Negativity: Let’s just be brutally honest for a quick second. It’s everywhere. It’s absolutely an epidemic. We are constantly bombarded with negative suggestions every time we move or breathe. I’m not even sure at this point if it’s possible to completely eliminate all sources of negativity in your life. Maybe we need to start with overt negative influences. For example, many of our clients expressed so much relief when they stopped watching the news. Other clients report a huge decrease in burnout when they stopped mindlessly scrolling on social media. Taking a social media detox is a great way to remove sources of negativity. Maybe even go so far as to mute people on social media or in real life who are constantly bombarding you with negativity. If they aren’t supporting you, why do they get an audience with you?

5. Connect With Nature: How often do you just go outside and breathe? Being outside and just enjoying nature is so crucial to your Central Nervous System. Enjoying time in nature reduces blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension as well as the production of stress hormones. In addition to contributing to our physical wellbeing, being present in nature helps us to feel better emotionally. Please keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, it can be something as simple as just standing outside and breathing. Keep it simple and allow it to become a habit. 

6. Create a Self-Care Routine: How many times have you committed to increasing your self-care and then it still is on the very bottom of your to-do list and never even gets looked at? Frequently, people get overwhelmed by complicating self-care and thinking it has to be a big production. The reality is that anything can be self-care. Also, starting anywhere is better than not starting at all. Implementing self-care is not easy, but if you can make it simple it can reduce barriers. Some simple suggestions include focusing on enhancing your quality of sleep, getting some amount of exercise daily, practicing saying both yes and not to yourself and others, increasing your organization in one area, cooking one meal for yourself, reading a book (or beginning a book, or even read one page a night), listen to music, have lunch in a park, engage in something creative, and plan something social if that’s helpful for you. 

7. Introduce More Play: How often do you intentionally play? Adults regularly get so busy with work, tasks, and obligations that they lose sight of the importance of play. Play helps to improve relationships and enhances your connection with others. While sharing laughter and fun creates empath, compassion, intimacy, and trust with others it also does a great deal for us personally as well. Play helps us to regulate our central nervous system, it can trigger the release of endorphins, promote the overall sense of well-being, improves your brain function, can help prevent memory problems, makes you more productive, and helps you to loosen up in stressful situations. At The Mental Wellness Center, Inc. we’ve been playing a bit of a hide-and-seek game with this little joy doll, from the movie Inside Out. It’s a blast to watch everyone’s interactions. 

If you feel like your lack of joy needs professional help, please check out our list of providers here: https://www.thementalwellnesscenter.com/providers and contact us to set up an appointment at 309-807-5077 or email us at Info@TheMentalWellnessCenter.com