Overcoming Burnout & Aligning with Breath

Our body, mind, and spirit are constantly experiencing the wonders and stresses of everyday life. When we have sufficient time and energy to meet those experiences, our self can exist in a state of balance. However, if our ability to complete the items on our to-do lists becomes compromised, it’s likely burnout is soon to follow. Overwhelming our schedules or staying in toxic environments has a profound effect on our wellbeing.

The human body can endure a lot of stress, inflammation, and general irritation before shutting down. While many of us may have experienced burnout on a number of occasions, it’s actually a late-stage reaction to profound imbalance. If we want to reduce the likelihood of reaching that point of forced healing, we have to commit to taking care of ourselves.

What is burnout?

According to the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, burnout describes a severe stress condition that leads to severe physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. It’s not the same as ordinary fatigue or general tiredness. Burnout isn’t remedied by an extra hour of sleep; rather, it can lead to serious health consequences if left untreated.

Career-induced burnout is the most common form of exhaustion. But, it’s entirely possible to be left feeling empty from prolonged stressful familial or academic responsibilities. Some signs of burnout include fatigue, isolation, fantasizing about escaping, and constant irritability. Feeling ill for unusual periods of time, detachment, hopelessness, and a complete loss of motivation are also warning signs. In so many aspects of an individualist, production-orientated society, it’s easy to get lost in excessive drive and ambition. But, breathwork and mindfulness practices offer us a pragmatic approach to restoring balance to our life.

Aligning body, mind, & spirit with breath

Eventually, we will need to assess how the most significant commitments in our lives, like work and finances, contribute to physical and emotional exhaustion. Simplifying our schedules is the first step towards self—care. Taking time to eliminate nonessential extracurricular activities, nourishes the entire self. We must prioritize healing practices, such as breathwork, meditation, and movement to refuel energetic levels. Even dedicating a few minutes daily to mindful breathing practices helps unravel built-up stress in the spiritual and physical body. Additionally, reconnecting in vulnerability with loved ones is a great method for healing the energetic depletion from burnout. Spending time in nature, focusing on nutrition, and sufficient sleep habits won’t hurt your self-care either!

Final thoughts

Burnout is serious and, despite what hustle-culture perpetuates, will not go away on its own. Grounding ourselves with breathwork and reprioritizing intersectional health can help us heal from burnout and prevent it from happening in the future.

Learn More

Whether you are local to Grand Rapids and can join me at my East Town office The Healing Space or you are somewhere else in the world. Allow me to guide you in this experience of transformative healing.

All of my Breathwork sessions are combined with Reiki Energy Therapy, Crystals, a Holistic Health Consultation & recommendations in-between sessions with healing tools so you can continue empowering your own journey. Learn more about my in-person + virtual offerings HERE.