Understanding Burnout in the Body

Hi there. If you're here, I'm guessing that you're experiencing burnout, or a high amount of stress. So first, I want to acknowledge the fact that you're here, curious about how to care for yourself, and celebrate you for taking the first step, which is building a relationship to your body. Burnout can take a toll on us, mentally, physically, and emotionally. In the body, we may experience fatigue, tension, and discomfort. In the mind, we may sense anxiety, frustration, and sadness. So body scans are a supportive practice that allow us to tune into the body and recognize the parts of us that are in need of care or rest. As we scan the body, we're noticing the different sensations and feelings present without judgment. It's usually that judgment that adds more stress to the stress that's already there. Instead, we're invited to notice the body with a greater sense of curiosity and compassion. By doing this, we can start to create space between who we are, and what we feel. So let's give this a try. Begin by finding a comfortable position. You can be sitting or lying down for this practice. Keeping the eyes open, softly, maybe lowering the gaze, or closing the eyes, feeling the top lid meeting the bottom lid. Now feeling the weight of gravity pulling the body towards the earth, noticing the different points of contact. First, we'll begin with a few deep breaths, inviting the mind and body to slow down and ease up. So breathing in through the nose, and breathing out through the mouth. Breathing in, filling the body, and breathing out, letting everything go. And maybe letting go a sigh or a sound on the exhale. Again, breathing in, and breathing out. Great job. Now as we pay attention to the body, the mind will wander, and that's okay, it's normal, and human. So kindly and gently, bringing the focus back to the body and studying the focus again. So bringing the attention to the head and face, and noticing how they feel. Where can you sense any tension or tightness? Feeling into the eyes, the nose, mouth, and ears, and wherever there is tension, taking a deep breath, and softening that area of the body. Now, gently scanning down into the neck and throat, noticing what's present. Tightness, constriction, or maybe this area is more soft and open. Beginning to notice the shoulders and arms, gently and evenly scanning down into the hands and fingers. Bringing a kind, loving attention here, noticing how they feel. And then continuing into the chest and belly, feeling the rising and falling of the breath here, allowing thoughts to come and go, and resting the focus on the body. Now noticing the back, upper back, mid-back, and lower back. Feeling into the length of the spine. The back can be an area where we hold on to a lot of tension and tightness. So feeling into this area, noticing how it feels...