someone else. Sadly, the wellness industry isn’ t impervious to the stress, overwhelm and burnout epidemic. And just like that yoga teacher, if your job involves supporting others to achieve a new level of wellness, then it becomes doubly important that you take care of your own wellbeing first.
Yes, I’ m aware this is what you promote to your customers and clients, but it bears repeating because learning to put yourself first— unapologetically— tends to be the tallest, widest and most difficult wall I see my clients learn to climb on their journey to embodying greater wellbeing.
Here are five things you must do to learn to scale that wall and combat the stress, overwhelm and burnout in your own life.
Know what drives you. In other words, select, define and get connected to what you value most in life. Whether you know it or not, your values are always at work in the background and, in many ways, shape your experience. If how you’ re living is out of alignment with a core value, you will experience stress and overwhelm.
taKE actioN: l make a list of your core values, then whittle it down to three to five you would be most willing to stand up and fight for in life. l Next, define what each value means to you. l Jot down what you require to fully live each value. l Identify any areas of your life where some tweaks might need to be made to live closer to those values.
learn what you need. In the early years of my coaching business, I was shocked to discover how few people are really dialed into their core needs. These are the needs that keep you physically, mentally and emotionally thriving. It’ s usually this disconnection that makes it hard to choose self-care activities that make a meaningful impact on our stress levels.
taKE actioN: l Take a moment to get centered. l Bring to ion of your best self. l Notice what characteristics he or she has. Is she smiling, laughing or perhaps more serious? does he seem open or more reserved? l Then, identify the feelings that go along with those characteristics. do you detect joy, friendliness, compassion, etc.? l Ask yourself, what do I need to feel like my best self? l Jot down your answers.
accept that you deserve this. It’ s one thing to know what drives you and to know what you need. It’ s another to believe that you are not only within your right, but also that you have an obligation to meet those needs. For many people, this could be the hardest challenge of managing stress and beating burnout. Just think about how many articles you’ ve read about the power of saying no, and yet most of us still struggle with it.
taKE actioN: l Explore any limiting beliefs that might be getting in the way of putting you first. l Create a list of what you would be able to do for others if you actually had a full tank. l Finally, look for examples of people you respect who take care of their needs so they can take care of others.
Enlist support. One of the first things I have all of my clients do is build a support team. Think about it, if you are going to make any change happen, it’ s always easier with a group of loving and supportive people to bolster you when things get tough. What usually surprises my clients is who makes it on their list.
taKE actioN: l Choose up to five people that you are close enough with to share your mission openly. l make sure you choose people who really have your best interests at heart. l don’ t forget to include at least one person who will hold you accountable when you aren’ t doing what you said you wanted to do. l Finally, reach out and ask them to be on your team.
create a ritual for action. Nothing will keep you stuck in overwhelm and burnout like not doing something about it. To get unstuck, you want to create new rituals that fuel your tank and bring you back into alignment.
taKE actioN: l Identify the top areas that need an adjustment or realignment. l Reassess your core needs and look for strategies for how to fulfill them on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. l Engage your support network. l Set a plan for consistent but stress-free action.
Becoming savvy at self-care is how you better manage stress and overwhelm and boost your resilience in daily life. When we approach self-care from having done the deep work above, we learn to fill and refill our tanks in a sustainable way, which allows us to make an even greater impact in our families, with our clients and in our communities.
Your clients need you, your community needs you, so you need you to be wellfueled. Don’ t worry about doing this perfectly. Don’ t worry if you find that you fell off the wagon. Don’ t worry if you need to adjust and readjust. Just keep going. Allow yourself to be healed so that you can help others heal. n
July 2018 ■ PULSE 31