From Burnout to Bliss
Burnout. My Sleep-Cycle app is gently buzzing, which means I’m out of my deep REM sleep and it’s time to wake up. I quickly glance at my emails – work and personal all combined into one inbox for ease of efficiency.
If this sounds like you, you are not alone. 87 percent of smartphone users check their device within an hour of going to sleep or waking up and 71 percent sleep with or next to their mobile phone on a typical night.
I click on Instagram to see how many people have liked the post that I made the day before as, taking the time to enjoy the fall colors on my hike around Spooner Lake. Most importantly, this has been my self-care regimen while working on my book. I respond to a few comments.
I check the IGTV I did three days ago about the power of mindfulness to see how many views I’ve gotten. Not enough.
I head over to Facebook and scroll down to get a quick glimpse at what my friends are doing, mingled with ads for things I’ve been thinking about buying and now every marketer knows about, and news stories about how messed up our politics are.
On the other side of the bed, my husband is reading the news – on his phone. We haven’t had sex in weeks. Or maybe it’s been months. I can’t remember, my brain’s been in a fog for the past few months, or maybe it’s since COVID started.
We are too tired and too busy making it through the day and we don’t even have kids. We are both burnout, and we are not alone.
Welcome to the United States of Burnout.
A recent survey by Mental Health America states that 75% of workers have experienced burnout. Forty percent say it is directly due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The University of Berkeley says: “Burnout happens when we’re asked to do things we can’t do or facing more daily stress than we can manage. Burnout is more than just having a bad day at the job — it’s one bad day after another, a chronic feeling of exhaustion and stress that doesn’t go away.”
That’s exactly how we feel. Burnout. We haven’t been sleeping well, we are short-tempered and lack focus – all symptoms of burnout.
So, I lay in bed for a few more minutes, and on the way to the bathroom, I take a quick glimpse at Twitter to see if I missed anything overnight that is worth knowing. Do you take your phone with you to the bathroom? At least three in four Americans do according to PC Magazine. At least, I feel good about not taking it to the shower, as 12 percent of people do. Really people? I mean, in the shower?
Reading the daily news summarized by a convenient email service The Skimm and then Back to Instagram, checking LinkedIn, and delete five requests from people I don’t know. I Drag on my yoga pants and commit to doing an 18 min workout with the Nike App, but after battling for a while with the password to get in. Thanks to my LastPass app for helping me out with it. For my daily meditation, I sit on the couch and use InsightTimer. To help my focus on work I go to YouTube and put in flow music even though we are not there yet.
But then I realize, we have no food in the house and I jump on Thrive Market and order some groceries which stresses me out because I can’t really afford them but I don’t have the time either to shop for days and look for deals.
So scrolling through Netflix and I spot a movie, The Social Dilemma I’ve been wanting to watch, so I add it to my Netflix queue and, It takes three different apps to create the perfect filter for my next Instagram. Then, I check my Podcast app and see how many episodes I need to catch up on this weekend when I finally have some time to myself. I WhatsApp my virtual assistant in Jamaica and send a text to my web team in India and then get Siri to send a text message to a friend who’s sick and leave a few emojis on another friend’s Instagram account who I know is going through rough times. It’s 9 am and it’s time to get to work.
To regain my clarity and focus I decide to make a bulletproof coffee. My Human Potential Coaching program trained me in fueling on good fats for my brain health. It’s Friday, and I decided I’m going to take it easy today and give myself some grace and space.
So I log into Instagram one more time looking for inspiration before I get to work.
And I see @nude_yogagirl latest jaw-dropping photo. (I know you are going to click on this. Go ahead. I’ll wait.) My internal dialogue is something between “I need to do more yoga” and “I need to up my game on Instagram.”
The “people-pleasers often start out as parent-pleasers” and IG quote brings home a good message about why I have a hard time saying no to people although my parents don’t qualify as helicopter parents and my schedule wasn’t as full as teenagers schedules these days.
Elena Brower’s “rest. I dare you” message leaves me a little agitated and angry that I won’t have time today for my daily hike with Taz. I want to launch the Unhustle Morning 30 day challenge today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. It’s a deadline I set for myself and I’m determined to stick to it. But it’s no time for mind-wandering through the woods despite all the neuroscience pointing to the fact that it increases creativity and productivity. I don’t have time to rest. It’s not a dare, and simply that I love what I do, I’m sparking a movement and there’s no time for me.
I’m committed to making Unhustle a vibrant community. My self- care can wait. Oh, wait. Maybe this was the whole point of starting Unhustle in the first place. Well, that’s for a different post.
Many brands share soul-touching messages that I “should” be sharing. I see friends going to places that are on my bucket list. I see competitors getting their office lightning perfect and ready for their next big talk, on Zoom of course. The kind of things I “should” be doing but I’m not.
So I feel less and question my creativity, happiness, worthiness. I lose my sense of completeness, inspiration and readiness to put in quality work. In that place of scarcity, fear, and unworthiness, I sit down to work.
Nothing happens. Nothing will.
At least nothing good will come out but stress, burnout, and distracted attention.
“The more virtual we get, the more ritual we need” – Chip Conley
So today I say Enough Already to Burnout.
I decide to change the game. I decide to take control of how I feel and act each day.
It’s time to get back into the Unhustle Morning rituals.
After a couple of years of researching neuroscience, biohacking, mindfulness and rituals of successful people, I have narrowed it down to a few rituals that allow me to live a slightly better life, take care of my mind and body well-being and get my brain to focus.
I called it the S.U.N.R.I.S.E. Method™ after a Baja sunrise that served as an inspiration this past winter.
Every morning, I vary what I do. This is not your typical morning routine. You can make it so, I suppose. One thing stays the same.
I take time in the morning for myself. It’s a game-changer.
Some mornings it’s only 5 minutes. Some mornings it’s 50. It doesn’t matter, But, I do what it takes to feel that my mind and body are fully aligned, alive, and online before I get to work. Since we work from home these days, we can all do this. It’s just a matter of making it a priority and keeping yourself accountable.
The Unhustle Morning Rituals, anyone can do. Including you.
There are no miracles, no secrets. The only miracle is YOU.
The real secret is doing the practices.
These rituals lead to small changes. Small changes, lead to big transformations.
Here are the rituals to help you get more present, calmer, more focused, and more energized – by using the S.U.N.R.I.S.E. method.
S – Sunlight for Sleep
Getting morning sunshine outside helps your circadian rhythms, and as a result, you can sleep better.
U – Unplug
Get rid of all tech in the bedroom and, do not touch your phone until you are ready. This is your digital morning diet.
N – Nature
Take time to appreciate the wonders of nature – the fall leaves, the droplets of water on the grass, the Canadian geese going south, the grass in the park, the blue sky.
R- Read and Write
A few minutes of reading and writing is a mindful activity with many health benefits to improve cognitive behavior, creativity, mood, health, and flow.
I – Intention
Having clear intentions for the day, no more than three each day helps you stay focused on your most important tasks.
S – Stillness – Meditation, Mindfulness and Gratitude
Taking a few minutes for solitude calms the mind and allows you to connect with your soul. Some days, it’s a quick meditation, some days it’s a few seconds of mindfulness outside. Some days, maybe an extra long shower. The science behind gratitude is powerful. It takes 21 days to rewire your brain, so you may as well start today.
E- Energy
Depending on how I feel, I may do yoga, QiGong, do a few stretches, walk the dog, go for a run, do a HIIT workout, or a super slow strength training session. However, Some days, it’s doing 25 squats while I’m waiting for my coffee. It varies. I like to do a bigger workout in the afternoon. Mornings are reserved for deep work after that, I normally finish off my shower with cold water for 5 sec at least – that really wakes you up and boosts your energy and make a brain performance drink that won’t spike my sugar – matcha or bulletproof coffee normally work for me.
This is the Unhustle Morning. It’s simple but, it works.
I vary these rituals based on my energy, mood, and time. As a result, they have been life-changing for me during times of uncertainty and, I hope they do the same for you. It’s a simple and, powerful way to take care of your mind and body in addition, prime yourself to work inflow – as a result, you can accomplish your goals in less time and feel better. After showing these rituals to hundreds of people already, the results have been amazing.
Join our free 30-day challenge in Oct on the Unhustle Facebook Group. I’ll share the science and power behind the rituals. Or if you can’t wait for 30 days, which I totally get, you can grab the fast track 7-day Unhustle Morning online course right here and still get the support you need online.
