Do you desire one or all of these ingredients?
– Perseverance.
– Focus.
– Clear mind.
– Inner Peace.
– Feeling balanced.
Who doesn’t! They are the bringers of success and contentment. So, how do we get them all?
Not by working harder. Not by being busier. Not by adding a competitive sports class to your already overfull schedule.
I am an fan of simple solutions and effective strategies. And there is a simple solution to the tendency to burn yourself out. If you feel burned out, it means that your system is overheating. What do you do when your phone overheats? You put it in the shade to cool down. Much like the phone, your system – your body, your mind, your soul – needs a cool down.
If you feel burned out, it means that your system is overheating. What do you do when your phone overheats? You put it in the shade to cool down.
If you feel burned out, stop fueling this process by adding more dynamics, more competition (sadly, even a lot of yoga classes became competitive), more coffee, more Netflix, more drinks, more fried food. It’s all adding to the heat inside that burns away your power.
Begin to devote your time to cooling stuff like breaks, silence, gentle stretches, meditations, dancing, singing – whatever brings you joy.
Also, dare to do noting. Appreciate yourself while doing nothing (you are giving your body and mind what they need). Don’t pressure your mind to shut up. Let it be. Just let it be. Know that balance comes when you stop pushing and forcing. Stop feeling bad about being exhausted or abstracted or in-efficient, because your energy is low.
Begin to feel good that you now decided to stop this. Feel good about your decision to care about yourself more. Feel fantastic and proud that you are allowing yourself to rest in the shade.
What are the most effective ways to cool down and give your desperate system a chance to re-energize?
Leave blank spaces in your schedule. Please resist the idea of filling them with choirs or watching TV. Leave them blank and do nothing. 5 minutes. Everyone has 5 minutes.
And every time you take 5 minutes doing nothing, be very proud of yourself. High five yourself and congratulate yourself. Appreciate each break, no matter how tiny it may seem. It is not tiny. It is a big deal for your system.
Whatever you can do now, has value.
Your system is unbelievably clever and efficient. It will take advantage of every cool down you give it.
In the end, it’s all about balance. I love to watch Netflix (and I can’t wait for the new season of Stranger Things and Modern Family!!), I love my coffee…but I learned to support my system by balancing out my active lifestyle. For me, mint tea, green juices (I love algae and dandelion), Yuna Earth and meditation does the trick.
But what about fitness training?
How does your training support you when you feel exhausted and burned-out?
During an intense phase, instead of doing heaty trainings, go for a walk in nature or do a gentle stretching class.
Do a gentle stretch, free from competition and free from the pressure to be flexible and you’ll be amazed at the nurturing effect. As soon as you allow yourself to melt into the floor for some minutes, you can watch your system come home to a deep stillness within. You can smile at your mind as it gladly leans back and becomes silent (because it wants to be calm as much as you).
Discover how doing nothing or very little – nothing sweaty, because this is heat again – is more powerful than anything.
This is why Tom and I created Yuna EARTH practice. Earth is all about doing very little physically and giving your system what it needs to balance out life’s beautiful craziness as well as the energy draining hustle of everyday life in a society that overvalues achievements and competition and ignores the importance of true health and wellbeing.
Enjoy Yuna Earth with me in your home right now!
Comment below and share your views, worries, stories, positivity and thoughts with me. Or send me a DM on Instagram @suzannefreiherz
Photo by Nick Fewings.