When it comes to burnout, taking a quiet five minutes a few times each day–or even just once–sheds a light on your outside world over time starts to help you make sense of how you got here, where you wish to go, and how to conserve the little energy you do have to create a beautiful life for yourself on purpose.
Beauty in Burnout daily offers four five-minute activities every day for 21 days. It is not designed to become just another thing on your to do list—rather, each activity is designed to help you actively put down things that you discover are weighing on and draining your energy.
If four five minute breaks over the day can’t happen, simply start with the goal of one five-minute activity a day, let it take four times as long, no problem, but do put a drop in the bucket every day and at a minimum, simply commit to doing one activity a day to attend to your burnout.
Over these short daily activities, you’ll gently start to unravel the tension that has built up over time, and start to notice a little more headspace, clarity, and calm, even in the storms you may be facing. You’ll start to access an inner reserve that is always there, always free, and only requires you to train a little in how to connect, align, and flow with it.
How to Attend to your Burnout Each Day:
For each of the activity types here, consider identifying an existing routine in your day where it would be simple to tack on this five-minute training. This is the simplest way to build a new habit. For example, putting a big container of good water near your bathroom each morning, simply never flush without a big swig and your bladder will keep you on a wonderfully consistent hydration schedule!
- WALK or READ
Listen to each daily training while walking by selecting the “WALK” icon for the day. Take a drink a water then step outside and walk around the block while listening with headphones.If you cannot go outside, pace inside by a window or walk in place. If you cannot walk, rock. If you cannot listen, see the “READ” icon for the day to take in the day’s training instead.
- SIT
Click the “SIT” icon when you have five minutes in a quiet place you won’t be disturbed to check in with yourself. Each Sit will guide you through different strategies that will keep you interested and learning as you get to know your inner workings better.Sit on the edge of a bed, chair, or stool straight up tall like a puppet string is being pulled up right at the top of your head, then relax everything else and rest the backs of your hands on your thighs. Make sure your kneecaps are lower than your hips, perhaps sitting on the edge of a taller chair or stool if needed. Firmly planted feet, firmly planted sit bones, wide open chest, strong and lifted head and relaxed shoulders–sit like royalty, you are, after all, the sovereign of your life.
It’s nicer over time if the sitting spot can be the same place each day–even just the side of your bed, your office chair, and yes, it can definitely be linked to the loo if that’s all the time you’ve got. No shame–the bathroom is where many using this tool find they have the needed privacy and quiet. It’s honestly one of the easiest ways to tie this habit to something you do each day without fail—no matter how heavy your load, your body won’t allow you to skip this daily activity.
- ASK
Click the “ASK” icon when you have five minutes in a quiet place you won’t be disturbed for a moment of self-inquiry. Here you will clarify for yourself what matters to you, identify blind spots, and make better sense of your past experiences with maturity so you can “take the lessons with you but leave the hurts and tensions behind.”You can answer the questions in the app, tap away in another notes or journal app, or keep a paper Burnout journal for this process if you prefer hand writing. Whichever you choose, you are encouraged to find and write words around your experience rather than just inquire mentally about things. Write things down. Getting clear on which words ring true to you or keep showing up in your responses will help you understand things more clearly.
If you do record your thoughts in the app, what you share is private and protected by our privacy policy and is never shared or sold. You will choose in the first activity whether you want to allow Beauty in Burnout to view your answers to better customize your training to be more helpful to your specific situation.
REST
Click the “REST” button when you are ready to go to sleep and have five minutes in a quiet place to lie down where you won’t be disturbed. These activities are designed to downregulate your nervous system while turning the mind toward thoughts that will contribute to a more restful sleep.
Once you have gathered your kit of strategies and new ways to approach your life that bring a bit more ease, you will have a wide range of ways to handle whatever comes your way. And of course, you can return back to the ones that resonate with you the most and are the most helpful whenever you’d like.
