Overcome burnout requires fundamental life changes
To cure depression, there are many medical treatments exist. On the contrary, there aren’t’ so for burnout. Why is it so? Because simply it requires you further fundamental changes in your lifestyle. Deep gratitude, happiness, mindful living… Where do you see yourself today?
I have talked with people who suffered from burnout. Many seemed to struggle to get out of the vicious circle. They were filled up with bitter feelings about their job, their boss, their situation. Their sufferings seemed to be a bottomless well from which they don’t know where to start.
I remember a saying from Esther Hicks. She is the author of “Ask and it is given”, a book that changed my life, that I will present to you hereafter. She says: “You cannot get there from here. You can only get there from there”.
What does it mean?
Simply, when we are in burnout, we do need to move to another level of apprehension of the situation, in order to move forward. Einstein once also said: “Problems cannot be resolved from the level of thinking that created them”. Don’t you believe so too?
Burnout, my biggest learning
You cannot get there from here. You can only get there from there”.
Abraham Hicks
When I had my burnout long ago, I realized a lot of things about my life and the way I functioned. Until that day, I had never seen them. My biggest learning I had? That I myself created the situation. Burnout is our mirror. Believe me, it took me a lot of time and courage to be able to accept this fact.
Since then, I have learned to live my life differently. In my relationship with my partner, my children, my colleagues, and with my own self. It was a gradual process to turn burnout to a breakthrough.
During this time, three books helped me enormously. “Mindfulness Essentials Series” by Thich Nhat Hanh. “Living in the Light” by Shakti Gawain. And “Ask and It is Given” by Esther and Jerry Hicks.
Mindfulness Essentials Series (Thich Nhat Hanh)
My overcoming of burnout owed to this. I learned to slow down and regain my lost energy. How? By small practices to appreciate profoundly my existence.
The book of Thich Nhat Hanh is not just another Buddhist philosophy artwork. He will touch you by the simple yet luminous and profound practices of his own life. It is an integral guide about mindfulness living. How to eat, how to sit, how to walk, how to bring love to yourself and others, how to relax… mindfully.
With small sections, elegantly illustrated, you will find simple language yet touchy and profound. “Nothing comes from nothing”. Thich Nhat Hanh will lead you through a voyage to feel the sun, the rain, and hard work in a grain of corn. Appreciate it on your plate when you eat today. He also helps us know that our body does not belong to ourselves. It belongs to the Earth, our ancestors, and future generations. Being a guardian or our body, rather than its owner, we can take care of it better.
I learned that I was in burnout because I did not love myself enough. The book taught me to do it from the most profound level of my existence.
Ask and It is Given (Esther and Jerry Hicks)
The book of Esther and Jerry Hicks has a spiritual depth that can literally help you to create a new life. The simplest thing I learned? I was more powerful than I thought. And there was something I could do about any situation, burnout included.
“Problems cannot be resolved from the level of thinking that created them”
Einstein
Everybody will not read the same thing from the same lines. But the lines you are ready to read might change your life. The message offered was quite amazing while simple at the same time: We come from a source of love and perfect well-being. It brings light on the magic of imagination and emotions, and the importance of feeling good every moment.
There are concrete examples, as well as guidance to move forward on an emotional scale. It was very beneficial for someone who was struggling with emotional exhaustion and desperation like I was at the peak of my burnout. I learned to be grateful for my burnout and moved exponentially out of it with the force of positive energy.
Living in the Light (Shakti Gawain)
I got the book of Shakti by accident, one day when I had a walk through our quartier. Someone offered old books in a box outside her door. I browsed all the books. And simply took this one. It changed my life. And I believe that it “came to me” because I was ready to read it.
Shakti, with her gentle and sincere style, instills in you her profound appreciation and confidence in life. She taught me to accept my intuition and believe in my inner guidance. What I took away, among others was that my burnout, or fatigue, was a guidance. Have the courage to rest, to say no, to be happy alone, is part of the inner growth. She brings to light a way of living which is most fulfilling. That is following our inner energy.
Why these 3 books helped me overcome burnout
To me, moving out of burnout requires firstly a mental commitment. It’s the determination to see the problem above itself. I am a believer that living mindfully and maintaining positive energy are the most important factors. They raise us above our own problems. I share the books that changed my life, “The Art of Mindful Living” by Thich Nhat Hanh, “Ask and It is Given” by Esther and Jerry Hicks, and “Living in the Light” by Shakti Gawain. Read them when you are ready!
Read more:
What are natural remedies for burnout that help?
Guided meditation for burnout – avoid these 5 mistakes and be on the best path