Hi friends.
Tell me if this sounds like you.
You're stressed,
You're overworked,
You're feeling anxious,
You're doing the best that you can to push through it but you just don't seem to have the energy to deal with it all and on top of that you can't remember the last time you did something for yourself or participated in something that you enjoy.
If this resonates with you,
You might be experiencing some burnout.
I know from experience that burnout is really hard and it may feel like it's never going to end but I promise you if you just take it one step at a time you will recover and you will feel like yourself again and starting with this meditation is a great first step.
So as you find your comfortable position today,
Either sitting up or lying down,
Do your best to stay awake while knowing that if you're experiencing burnout you may feel unusually tired and sometimes meditation can put us in a state where it's easy to fall asleep and if you find yourself continually falling asleep during your meditation practice,
That's okay.
That might be a sign that is just what your body needs.
Let's start by bringing the attention to the breath,
Not manipulating or changing it in any way.
At first just observe how the quality of the breath is today.
Is it fast or slow?
Is it deep or shallow?
And if you're having a hard time identifying the breath,
It may help to put your hands on your chest or your belly to help follow the rise and fall of your in-breaths and out-breaths as your hands move up and down.
Noticing the pauses in between the breaths,
Each breath slightly different than the one before.
And as you continue to observe the breath,
You may notice that gradually it may become a little slower,
A little deeper than before.
And when you're suffering from burnout,
You may feel that meditation is just another thing on your list that you have to do,
But it can actually be an opportunity for us to rest and take a break from doing.
And during our practice we can observe exactly how things are without having to do anything to change them,
Accepting how things are in the present moment.
And let's move our attention now to the physical body,
Noticing where the body is in space,
In the room where you are,
Scanning through the front,
The back,
The sides of the body,
From head to toe,
Gradually checking in through the body from your head to your feet.
How does it feel to be in the body today?
Sometimes when we have burnout,
We may notice a sense of heaviness in the arms and the legs.
Some people describe a feeling of emptiness in the chest,
Perhaps a coolness in the belly.
And this might not describe you,
So scanning through to see what's here in the body for you today.
Is there tension in the neck or the shoulders?
Is there fatigue?
Without judgment,
Painting a picture of how it is in the body today.
If you notice any particular area of the body that feels particularly tense or fatigued,
See if you can breathe into it.
Inhale,
Sending oxygen to that place,
And exhale,
Letting it go.
And you may also find yourself having thoughts and feelings about the burnout,
Perhaps thoughts about how to fix the burnout or make it go away.
For now,
Let these thoughts come and go.
Continuing to scan through the body and form a picture of how it feels in this present moment without any added judgment.
And as we start to come to the end of this meditation,
If you'd like to continue to rest,
Please do so.
Or on your own time,
Start to bring some gentle movement back into the body.
And if you're lying down,
You may roll onto one side before raising yourself back up to a seated position.
Before you move on to the next part of your day,
Check in.
How do you feel?
Do you have a greater sense of awareness of your energy levels,
Of your physical state?
Do you feel just a little bit more rested?
I'd love to know in a comment down below.
Take extra good care,
And I'll see you again next time.
