Welcome to day four of the Burnout and Exhaustion Challenge here on Insight Timer.
So many of us are always available,
Never switching off and never saying no.
This challenge is a chance to remind your body what stopping actually feels like.
Let's jump in to today's session.
Hello,
And welcome back to the 10 Day Burnout and Exhaustion Challenge.
I'm psychotherapist and meditation teacher,
Terri Cole.
One of the less obvious contributors to burnout is the ongoing cost of saying yes to things when the body is already telling us it doesn't have the capacity.
Over time,
That gap between what we agree to and what we actually have available becomes its own source of depletion.
A couple of days ago,
You noticed where exhaustion lives in your body.
Today,
We're going to ask your body a question,
Not to fix anything,
Just simply to listen.
Let's begin.
Please find a comfortable position.
You can sit or lie down now,
Whatever feels right.
Gently close your eyes if that feels okay,
Or soften your gaze.
Take a long,
Slow breath in through your nose.
And exhale through your nose.
Raise your shoulders towards your ears and then let them drop.
Let your jaw soften.
Let your face soften.
Let your body settle into whatever is holding you.
Take one more long.
Slow,
Deep breath.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
And now I'll ask you to bring something to mind.
Commitment.
An obligation.
Something you keep saying yes to that's costing you.
It could be a person.
A meeting.
A favor.
Or maybe it's a role.
That you've been playing.
Don't overthink it.
The first thing that comes up is the right one.
Let that come into focus.
Now imagine yourself saying yes to it again.
Not thinking about it.
Not analyzing it,
Just imagine yourself saying yes.
And notice what happens in your body.
Notice your chest.
Is there any tightness in there,
Any constriction?
Notice your throat.
Is it open or is it holding something?
Notice your belly.
Is it soft?
Or is it clenched?
Notice your shoulders.
Have they crept back up towards your ears?
The body doesn't lie.
It's been telling you something for a while now.
Are you listening?
Take a slow breath in.
And now just let it go.
Now keeping that same commitment in mind.
I want you to imagine something different.
Imagine yourself saying no this time.
Not out loud.
Not to the person.
Just in your mind's eye.
In this safe space.
Imagine saying no.
And notice what happens in your body now.
Is there expansion or space where there wasn't any before?
Is your chest a little bit more open.
Is your jaw slightly softer?
Than it was before.
Is there any relief?
Anywhere.
Or maybe there's something else.
A flash of fear.
A wave of guilt.
Or a tightness somewhere new.
Whatever comes up.
Your only job in this moment.
Is to notice it.
If what came up was fear.
That's worth noticing too.
Sometimes we call it confusion.
But oftentimes we're really just afraid to know what our body already knows.
There's no right answer here.
There's only information.
Your body is giving you information and it's giving all of us information all the time.
Let's take another long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through the nose and exhale through your nose.
I want to offer you something to take with you.
Silently repeat this to yourself as you breathe.
My body always knows and I am learning to listen.
My body always knows,
And I am learning to listen.
So keep gently repeating this affirmation.
My body always knows and I'm learning to listen and I'll let you know when it's time to come back.
Now gently let the affirmation go.
My body always knows.
And I am learning to listen.
Come back to your breath.
Bring your consciousness back to your body.
Feel your body being held.
By whatever is beneath you.
Notice the air on your skin.
The body has been telling you the truth all along.
And today,
You listened.
The body tends to register the cost of overcommitment before the mind catches up.
This is in the big and the small ways,
The tightening,
The heaviness,
The held breath.
Learning to read that language is one of the most useful things that you can do for your own capacity and to avoid burnout.
Tamar's practice is about something different,
Meeting yourself with kindness,
Especially if burnout has come with self-blame.
What has your body been trying to tell you?
It doesn't have the space for it.
Share what came up for you with the community in the forum.
Enjoy the rest of the challenge.
And as always,
Take care of you.
