I think I speak for most of us when I say it has been an exhausting past few years. All of us have experienced so much upheaval and uncertainty in both our personal and professional lives that many of us are suffering from burnout. Medical professionals define burnout as a response to prolonged stress that leaves you feeling emotionally and physically drained and exhausted. If you find yourself constantly fatigued, emotionally numb, and unable to keep up with life’s incessant demands, you may be suffering from burnout.
Being “burnt out” can negatively impact performance and productivity. So what do we do about it?
Unlock the Power of Rest
We all know that getting enough sleep is vital to helping us perform at our peak abilities. But sleep specialist Dr. Matthew Edlund found in his research that a full night’s sleep by itself is not enough to keep us energized all day. Instead, we need cycles of rest throughout the day to keep up our energy and focus. If you’ve ever wondered how you can get a full eight or nine hours of sleep at night and still be exhausted by the afternoon, this is why.
Four Types of Rest you can do in 1-5 minutes
If you’re experiencing burnout, it’s likely your days are already pretty packed. Where am I going to find the time to rest in the middle of the day, you might be asking. In his book The Power of Rest—which I highly recommend—Dr. Edlund defines four types of rest that can be done in one- to five-minute increments throughout the day to help you reset and keep going
Physical Rest: Physical rest is just what it sounds like—the act of physically resting your body. You certainly don’t have to take a full-fledged nap to achieve this in the middle of your workday. Taking a break to simply sit still, enjoy a cup of tea, or eat a snack for one to five minutes can have an enormous impact on your energy levels.
Mental Rest: Most jobs today require constant intense focus. But just like any other part of the body, an overworked brain can get tired and cease to function as well. Mental rest is the act of shifting your focus to another topic for a brief period. If you find yourself starting to glaze over while working on a project or feel like you just can’t put a coherent thought together while writing an email, take a moment to think about something else—anything else. Come back one to five minutes later and you’ll be able to return to your task with renewed energy.
Spiritual Rest: Dr. Edlund defines spiritual rest as time meditating, praying, or my personal favorite….reflecting on an existential question, like pondering the cosmos. There have been days where I had only a few minutes between presentations, and in just two minutes of pondering the cosmos, I found myself remarkably refreshed.
Social Rest: Humans are inherently social creatures. Sometimes when we’re really concentrated on our work, we can go for long stretches of time without having an interpersonal interaction. If you find yourself overwhelmed in the middle of the day, try calling a friend or having a chat with someone in your immediate space. It doesn’t have to be a long conversation, but it can be enough to recharge you and get you through the rest of your day.
The antidote to burnout is rest. Even if you have a busy schedule, short interludes of purposeful rest can be a game-changer for your productivity and well-being. Over the next few days, try stopping a few times a day for one to five minutes and rest physically, mentally, spiritually, or socially. See how your performance changes from this simple act.