Welcome to day two 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.
Hey,
And welcome back to the 10-Day Burnout and Exhaustion Challenge.
I'm Cyrus,
Also known as The Mental Level,
And I'm going to be your guide today.
When we're exhausted and burnt out,
We tend to think about it a lot,
But we end up negating the physical ways in which it shows up.
A tight jaw,
A chest that doesn't feel open or expansive,
A belly that we brace.
And these are signals that we start getting so used to overriding that we stop noticing them entirely.
So today's practice is simply about looking.
It's a relief because we don't have to change or fix anything today,
But actually noticing the way shows up in our system physically is gonna lay the foundation for shifting out of it effectively over the course of the rest of the challenge.
So I can't wait to get into this practice with you when you feel ready,
Set up in a position that feels good to you,
Either sitting up comfortably or lying down.
Go ahead and close your eyes.
And take a slow,
Powerful,
Deep breath in through the nose,
Fill up the whole body,
Every cell saturated with that oxygen and slowly let it out through the mouth.
Allowing yourself to decompress as you exhale.
And now guide your attention as if you have an inner spotlight and prioritize the areas of the body we're spending time with.
Over any thinking or distraction,
Let's be really dedicated together to just being here with each area of the body.
Starting with the jaw and throat area,
Notice the sensations with your mental spotlight.
And be curious what you notice at the jaw and throat and how any depletion or burnout is being held in this particular area.
Amazing.
We don't have to change or judge anything.
Noticing is our only goal right now.
So just drop your mental spotlight now down smoothly into the shoulders and upper back area.
Is there any heaviness,
Tightness,
Weight on the shoulders or upper back?
Notice how that shows up on the level of sensation as you feel into it.
And now move into the chest area with your mental spotlight.
Really sense what's going on in the heart and the chest with your full,
Dedicated attention.
Notice how the breath interacts with the chest and the sensations there effortlessly,
Not judging,
Just noticing.
And now drop down easily into the belly area.
Is there any bracing or holding or subtle knots of tension in the belly?
Whether there is or isn't,
Just notice what you notice right now in the belly.
And let the attentional spotlight wrap around to the lower back now.
Feel and sense any subtle ways in which your tiredness or depletion has been hiding out in the lower back as you sense it presently.
If the energy in these areas move simply through noticing them,
If the tension unwinds,
Allow it to,
But we don't have to make anything happen.
The noticing is enough.
And now I invite you to sense your hands.
The vibrating aliveness in your hand.
But also any tension that might be getting funneled into or held in the hands,
Just sensing with a sense of compassionate attention.
And now I invite you to take a slow,
Deep breath down into your hands.
Really channel your energy and breath all the way down through the arms,
Into the hands.
And feel some of that tension drain out and ripple away as you exhale.
And just take a moment to concentrate gently on your hands and the sense of stillness in this moment by resting your full attention on the hands.
Wonderful.
So notice what you noticed in those different areas of the body.
Maybe some held more tension and depletion than others.
And you might notice that exhaustion hides in the plain sight of our body in those subtle ways that it's held that we easily blow past or overlook.
But just practicing noticing it with a gentle,
Sustained attention,
Without needing to change anything yet,
Is already a shift.
Tomorrow we're going to work with the breath as a direct tool for shifting the body out of chronic stress.
We would love if you shared with the community in the forum about what part of your body was carrying the most tension or depletion in your practice today.
And I look forward to practicing with you again soon.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge and have an amazing day.
