How I Stopped Burnout by Tapping Into the Present Moment
Cut overwhelm by cultivating a mindfulness practice and changing our relationship with time
It would seem that the world spins in nanoseconds. Many of us find ourselves racing against time. With time ticking away, we are in a rush to accomplish our goals. Our schedules are packed to the brim. We are often in a frenzy trying to accomplish our to-do list. Or chasing the next big moment.
We define success as the attainment of our goals. But what we could have overlooked is that success usually does not happen overnight. Most people do need to put in work over a period of time. In the meantime, we allow ourselves to be sold on false stories of “fast returns”, “reach 6 figures in 6 months” and “4-hour work week” when in reality, it will take us much longer to be successful.
Our struggles begin the moment we tell ourselves that we can’t be happy until we are “there”. On the racetrack that we put ourselves in, the relationship we have with time is poor. We have trouble prioritising what should come first when everything seems to important. By not having a set of healthy boundaries, we often say “yes” to distractions at the cost of our own well-being.
From Burnout to Breaking Free
I once wished for the miracle of quick results. But my prayers weren’t quite heard. It didn’t matter which God or spiritual being I was praying to. None sent me the gift of instant success.
I was also mistaken into thinking that my days would be one inspired flow and that I would be able attract clients without putting in much effort. My rationale was that as a coach and energy healer, I was doing the meaningful work of “saving the world”. Shouldn’t the Universe support me in my purpose by sending me an avalanche of ready clients and loyal readers? Didn’t the experts say that it would be easy?
Yet, I discovered that nothing happens until I start to put in work. For work, I mean actual effort that sometimes involve sweat and tears. Indeed, going down an entrepreneurial path has been no piece of cake. Plus, I had to work through the discomfort of putting myself out there in order to market my business. As it turned out, the more resistance I held on to, the more delay I would experience with hitting my goals.
From all the stress that I was facing at one stage, I found out that I was in danger of a burnout. I had piled many things on my plate and I was practically swamped. My to-do list just kept getting longer and longer. While I experienced fulfilment in having helped clients, I was drowning in dread and overwhelm from the other aspects of my business.
As I got increasingly unhappy, I began to realise that something has to change. It felt crazy to have started a business in the hope of living a wellness lifestyle but to destroy myself with stress. It was obvious that I needed to work on letting go of old ideas and habits that weren’t serving me. Well, after a search, I found my answers in changing the relationship I have with time and cultivating a mindfulness practice.
Changing My Relationship with Time with Mindfulness at Work
These days, I practice a lot more mindfulness even while I work. I found out how helpful it is to catch up on my breathing throughout the day. Indeed, mindfulness pauses can be restorative in-between content writing or posting on social media. I take in the moment; fully aware to the sensations that my breath brings me. These pauses are especially grounding and helps in easing anxiety.
I pace myself by following through on my calendar and tracking how I am spending my time. If I hit a challenge, I endeavour to give myself extra time and space to work through it. It’s also okay if I don’t have everything figured out and if I need more time to explore or experiment with new ideas.
I also strive to allocate time for breaks. Breaks can be either for quiet time or physical fitness time. For quiet time, I create the necessary space so that I can process my thoughts and feelings and to work through my resistances. Mindfulness keeps me grounded in the present moment. Even while I am doing brisk walking, I allow breathing to be my anchor. It’s how I am able to move ahead more productively and effectively.
Paradise in the Present Moment
As I look back, I recall how it was like when I first started my business. I had once imagined my ideal life to feel like paradise as soon as I’ve attained the goal of becoming successful. Unfortunately, I was defining success on the wrong terms and a desire to have it fast. Not surprisingly, life became one hectic rush to meet unrealistic expectations.
Well, I found out that this was not the way to go. I ended up with more stress and struggle. And so, I’ve had a change in perception over the years. I’ve come to the realisation that paradise isn’t an end goal. It’s not out there, like something external. And we don’t have to go chasing for success either.
Instead, what would help is to view paradise as a state of mind. Paradise is available for us to tap into. There is no waiting needed. The joy, love, peace and meaning that we desire can be found in the present moment. We can give ourselves the permission to enjoy the experience of paradise, even as we do purposeful work in the world.
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