In a life that demands 110% of your energy and attention--especially if you feel like your job is sucking the life out of you--you need an oasis to rejuvenate yourself on a daily basis, while you figure out what you want instead. That’s what Burnout Busters are--powerful, compact tools to reduce stress, calm your mind and body, and connect you to your wiser, more creative self.

Today’s Burnout Buster will not only change your day, it can change your life, one step at a time. It's called, “Just Enough.”

Say you’ve made a commitment to yourself to move your body every day. Maybe, ideally for you, that means a 45-minute walk, or a 30-minute run, or that hour and half yoga class.
 
But...your day doesn’t go as planned.
 
You’re on deadline at work. A family need you weren’t expecting comes up. The sun is going down so flippin’ early! Your plane/train/traffic/meeting made you late.

And so, since you don’t have time to do your *ideal workout* you give up on it for the day. And maybe the day after that. And the day after that.
 
In the meantime...

• Your body doesn’t feel very good. 
• You’re beating yourself up a little bit.
• You’re starting to resent the person or thing that kept you from it.

 
The exact opposite of what you were hoping for.

Now time feels like an adversary. If we let it, “not enough” (time, money, patience, happiness) can become our marching beat. “Not enough. Not enough. Not enough. Dammit. Not Enough”
 
Meanwhile, the negative soundtrack takes up a lot of space in your head and only adds more stress.

It takes what you do have and runs it through life’s Incredible Shrinky Dink Maker, but not with happy results. 
 
What if, instead of fighting against time, and deciding we don’t have enough, we were able to turn time into our ally?
 
Here’s a powerful little tool I learned from Dr. Kathy Cramer, founder of the Cramer Institute for leadership development and architect of Assets Based Thinking.

It's called "Just Enough."

Whenever I remember to use it, my mindset makes a powerful shift from “Aw, h*ll!” to “Oh, hey!” (Kind of like that mind shift from “If Only...” to “What If?”)

1.  Acknowledge. “Okay, so right now I don’t have enough time/money/energy to do _______ like I wanted to.”
 
2.  Return to what you desire. “But that doesn’t mean I have to give up on _________ entirely. I really want this for myself.”
 
3.  Ask. What do I have just enough time to do?
 
For example, if you want to move your body everyday, it could look like this:

• I have just enough time to walk down the bike path and back for 20 minutes.
• I have just enough time to do a quick round of yoga sun salutations.
• I have just enough time to climb a few flights of stairs in the hotel.
• I have just enough time to put on some music and dance to one song (here’s my go-to happy song--Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti).

 
4. Act. Seize the moment and give yourself the gift of Just Enough.
 
Immediate result: You have moved your body and I’ll bet you a dark chocolate peanut butter cup that your body and mind feel much better.
 
Deeper result: In that moment, you have said, “Yes” to what your heart desires.
Your inner self now knows you are committed to what your heart desires. You are building self-trust. And that strengthens your trust muscles to do it again. And again.
 
This is a simple example for enhancing your health and reducing your stress on a daily basis. And day-by-day that builds toward a happier, healthier life.
 
But I propose that it also applies to inviting more of what you love in your life, especially if right now you’re still spending a lot of time and energy in a job or commitment that’s sucking the life out of you. (We can change that. I’d love to help you.)
 
Today, what do you have “Just Enough” time/money/energy/ideas to do that will move you one step closer toward work that you love and a life that energizes you?
 
Take that one, small, warm step. You’re telling your heart “Yes.” You’re building self-trust for bigger leaps.
 
Declare it in the comments on the blog and then let us know how it goes!
 
Xoxo,

You're doing good things. You're still performing.

But your energy's lower than it used to be. You're a little bit cranky about the to-do list. You're fantasizing about how you can get out of ________ (insert your dreaded event here). Wondering what happened to your mojo. (You used to rock this job!) 

You know the feeling... Burnout. 

Burnout can mean a lot of things. 

It may be your body's signal that it's time for you to graduate from something you've outgrown in your life so you can embrace something new. It may mean that you need to make more time for self-care. 

Either way, we want you feeling better (1) so you can enjoy your life to its fullest, and (2) so you have the clarity and vision to create the changes you want in your life. 

We'll have lots of articles in the coming months exploring what's underneath that burnout and what it's telling you. But today, I'm introducing a new series to help you start healing from burnout right away: Burnout Busters. 

This first Burnout Buster will not only change your day, it can change your life: The Gratitude Shift

1. Gratitude and positive thoughts flood your brain and body with happy hormones. (Who doesn't love that?)

2. Gratitude reduces stress, boosts immunity, improves relationships, and has all sorts of other health benefits. 

3. Gratitude trains your brain to see the positive. This builds new neural pathways and opens your awareness to see positive solutions and new opportunities. And Girlfriend, if you are burning out, you need this! Now.

There are lots of ways to practice gratitude. Here’s a quick one I learned from Deepak Chopra recently. It only takes about 3 minutes. You can even do it in a meeting (just look attentive once in a while. Hee hee!)

1. Write down three good things in your life right now. It could be as simple as the steaming cup of coffee in front of you, or the plant on our desk.

2. Pick Thing #1 on your list and send thanks to it. (Not thanks for, but thanks to. I know it sounds kinda nutty, but just try it. It's seriously fun. )

3. Imagine that Thing #1 is aware of your thanks and receives it. Imagine it smiling and beaming right back at you. (Honestly, tell me this doesn’t feel good!)

4. Repeat with Thing #2 and Thing #3.

It feels good doesn’t it? 

Anytime you’re starting to feel burned out today, pick another thing and send thanks to it. Because you deserve to feel good and to heal from burnout, Love. (Tell us about it in the comments below).

Much love,

Katie

P.S. Extra Credit Challenge: Practice this exercise every day for a week. Notice any changes you feel and experience. You in? Awesome! Declare it in the comments!