Burnout Meditation

Relieve the pressure of burnout with this gentle and soothing guided practice that will help you release tension, call your energy back to you, and relax into positive thoughts. This is suitable for all levels.

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Shana Shrum.

I am a writer,

Performer,

And creative coach.

And today I'll be your guide through this burnout meditation.

Before we get started,

Find a comfortable position for your body.

You may sit up,

Lie down,

Whatever feels most comfortable to you.

When you are ready,

Gently close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in,

Focusing on filling up your belly with air.

Exhale.

Again,

Deep breath in.

And exhale.

Burnout tends to meet us when we are moving too fast for too long.

When we are exporting energy without regard or refill for the benefit of others despite the detriment to the self.

Another aspect of burnout is that we tend to go into survival mode and respond only to what is in front of us,

Becoming emotionally reactive instead of consciously choosing thoughts that make us feel balanced.

For the next several minutes,

We are going to slow down.

There are no deadlines here,

No expectations,

Nothing and no one to meet but yourself.

You are safe here,

Secure.

Repeat,

Silently or aloud after me.

I am safe.

I am secure.

Take a deep breath in.

And exhale.

Feel the space in front of you,

Behind you.

From here,

We are going to gently scan down,

Taking notice of how the body feels.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Notice the top of your head.

Next,

Move your attention to the forehead.

Is it warm?

Cold?

Next to the jaw.

Is it relaxed?

Tense?

Place your attention on your shoulders,

Elbows,

Fingertips,

Thighs.

Feel the seat of your chair.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Notice your knees,

Ankles,

Toes.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

On these next few breaths,

Invite your body to release and let go of any tension it might be holding onto.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Imagine it sliding off your chest.

Exhale.

Imagine it sliding off of your shoulders,

Calves,

Toes.

Like sheets of rain on a window into the floor.

If there is any desire to hold onto it,

Or if it won't release,

Take a moment to send it love.

Again.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Next,

We are going to visualize your energy.

Imagine it is a warm beam of golden light.

Locate the area of your body your energy comes from.

Is it your chest,

The top of your head,

Your hands?

Find it.

Next,

Locate where it is going.

Who are the people in your life that are receiving it?

Creations,

Bosses,

Emails.

Visualize your golden energy flowing outward towards them.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Now,

One by one,

You will retract each of these beams of energy back into your body.

They will be okay without you for a little while.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Imagine each beam of warm golden energy flowing back into the body from where it came.

Imagine it filling you up.

This is your energy and you may wield it however you like by sending it anywhere in the world,

Including to yourself.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Call your energy back to you.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Watch as it wraps itself around the places in the body where tension might still reside.

Feel the strength of it,

The power of it.

Breathe it in.

Now that you have called your energy back,

Take a moment to honor it.

Thank it for allowing you to do all that you do.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Keeping in mind that what we pay attention to grows,

I want you to choose a feeling that you would like to occur.

It could be love,

Joy,

Pleasure,

Delight,

Or something else.

You decide.

If it helps to call up the feeling,

Think of the last time you felt this way.

It could be as simple as the sprinkles on an ice cream cone,

Your favorite smell,

Or spending time with someone you love.

There are no wrong answers here.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale.

Name this feeling.

Imagine yourself floating in a warm pool of water filled with this feeling.

You are completely immersed in it.

Your arms relaxed and supported by this feeling.

Your legs delightfully suspended without effort in this feeling.

Your neck cradled by it.

Invite it into your cells.

Breathe in and exhale.

Breathe it into your being.

Place your hand on your heart.

Now imagine the feeling you are surrounded by fills this heart space.

Feel it pouring in.

Feel it being sealed within your body.

Breathe it in.

When you are ready to come back into the present,

Gently wiggle your fingers,

Your toes,

Move your head around from side to side.

As you move back into your day,

Invite this feeling and your energy to move with you.

Thank you for joining me here.

Reviews

It was a very kind way to release the burdens of everyday life, even just for 10 minutes. :)

A beautiful release. Shed tears of joy. Like the clear air after a storm. 🤍

Thank you for arranging this interlude of serenity to guide through a busy day. Namaste

I really needed this today 🙏 i finished the practice with a smile on my face, thank you

I love this meditation! I wish I had listened to it earlier this day as the burnout was overflowing to anger. Any ideas on how to catch myself before the situation arises?

Love the imagery of the light returning to us. Very powerful.

Wow, I really needed this right now. I feel recharged and lighter to tackle the rest of my day!🙏🏻

Thank you for a short and simple but effective track. I really needed this.

Needed this today. I found the visualization of pulling my energy back in helpful. Thank you for providing this space 💚

I had a very tough day and was feeling very drained. Thank you for this beautiful practice i feel like i got some of my energy back :)

Better than I could have asked for. My energy was so scattered. Thank you for helping guide through the energy recall. Really helped me ground in the moment.

This was the perfect break during a day with a high workflow. Thank you!

Fantastic. Peaceful reconnection to self. Thank you.

Just what I needed. Thank you 🙏🏻 Will revisit this for sure!

I absolutely loved this. Thank you. I will be coming back to it again

Thank you so much. I feel so much more at peace right now .

Thank You 🙏 I just finished a long stressful week and am beginning to recuperate. Your guidance was just what I needed!!

Great for taking a break from life. I would appreciate a longer version though, it felt a bit rushed.

Ah, what a great break from work when I was feeling low energy and as I am recovering from burnout. A great touchstone!

I love the messages!

I have to mention however, that the sound of a sharp exhaling through small, stiff lips does resemble anything else than relaxation to me. The repetition if this sound didn't make the experience easier. Sorry to sound baffoony.

This is a brilliant meditation, I just got a little distracted.