As a former sexual abuse trauma counselor for children and teens, I had a choice to make. I could make some major changes in how I took care of myself or I could live a life full of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, inflammation, poor coping and numbing, and damaged relationships. For burnout prevention, good health habits are key.

Burnout is a term that has been thrown around a lot in the last few years, but in the helping profession, it is seen as a very serious issue that can require a long, slow journey to heal. Research in the field of mental health shows that the probability of burnout for professionals is pretty bleak: “as many as 2 out of 3 mental health workers may be experiencing high levels of burnout.” Burnout is also a state that does not happen overnight. It is a slow, divisive, and non-discriminating process that will steal your joy, passion, and energy.

It can feel selfish as a helper to express when we need time to take care of ourselves. We have dedicated our time and energy to helping others. But, we also know (and we often say it to our clients) that if we don’t help ourselves, we can’t help anyone else. In the medical field, we are seeing that burnout occurs due to not only the high demand of people in need, but also due to the high expectations that are placed on doctors and nurses to be able to push through and handle erratic hours, inconsistent meal times, and the physical demands of the job. However, anyone in a helping and wellness role is also at risk for burnout if helping others takes priority over self-care.

Coaches and practitioners can fall into the same personally unhelpful patterns of putting the needs of others over their own. Taking time regularly to check in, notice what the body is asking for, and scheduling self-care time will allow all helping professionals to keep going at optimal levels.

Practicing the daily habits of dinacharya is an effective way to overcome and prevent burnout as we engage in the crucial practice of uncompromising self-care. Studies done on burnout recovery/prevention and the recommendations made for doctors, nurses, and mental health therapists all fall into line with these habits of dinacharya. Giving ourselves permission to focus on getting our minds and bodies back into sync with nature’s rhythm is just what the doctor (or mental health professional) ordered.

Let’s take a look at the recommendations for burnout recovery and prevention and how those recommendations align with practicing the ancient science of dinacharya:

1. Get enough sleep. When I was acting as a sexual abuse trauma counselor in a residential treatment facility for youth, I was emotionally and physically exhausted every day, but I could not sleep. My nervous system was fried and my poor sleep hygiene habits made “winding down” nearly impossible. Going to bed early teaches us ways to honor the body’s natural ways to get ready for sleep and how to support those rhythms.
2. Make exercise a priority. Moving the body can help the mind and the body cope with mental, emotional, and physical stress. Exercise can balance anxious energy, clear stagnation, clear the perspective, and allow a time-out from everything else that is going on. The habit of Breath Body Practices teaches how to vary exercise modes and intensities to meet the individual’s needs.
3. Eat whole, nutrient-filled foods. Plant Based Diet teaches us about using food as fuel and focusing on feeding our cells with prana-filled plants and well-sourced, organic meats if meat is in our diet. In addition, Earlier Lighter Dinner teaches us to work with our body’s ability to digest and assimilate the food we take in and the habit of Healthier Eating Guidelines educates us on eating seasonally and giving our digestive system a break between meals.
4. Meditate. When our nervous system is fried and our minds seem to be in overdrive, meditation can seem challenging, but imperative to help reboot. The good news is that there are many different types of meditation, so again, we want to find the version that fits best. Research shows that the benefits of meditation are many, including rewiring the brain, reducing inflammation, and directing us toward more happiness.
5. Take a break from technology. Creating a night time routine in alignment with our body’s need to wind down from stimulation and meditation both correlate with unplugging from the constant influx of information, expectations, and blue light that come from our society’s addiction to technology and screens.
6. Look for opportunities for self-discovery and nurture a positive view of yourself. In the habit of Self-Massage, we are learning how to literally get in touch with ourselves and to become friends with our bodies. We are learning self-love and nurturing ourselves with both self-compassion and oil. With the habit of self-massage, we have an opportunity for self-discovery built right in to our daily schedule.
7. Setting boundaries, use support, and reframing one’s view of the work to find more meaning can all be addressed in the habit of Easeful Living. As humans raised in our competitive and judgmental society, we often take on the belief that things “have to be” difficult and that we will be “good enough” when something outside of us occurs or deems that we are. Recognizing how we make things harder on ourselves can shift everything. Giving in to impossible expectations, allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of, and putting the job before ourselves can lead to burn out quickly. We can begin to isolate and feel like no one else could possibly understand. When we are burned out and feeling fried, it can also be difficult to see that we are making a difference in what we are doing and to find the meaning in continuing at all. Taking care of ourselves first, reaching out to make connection with others, and reframing our perspective around finding value in our work all come when we believe that we can live with more ease.

Regardless of your exact role as a helping professional, we must attend to our own needs to be able to effectively attend to the needs of others. In addition to the habits of dinacharya, things like spending time in nature, scheduling time for activities that bring joy, and connecting with others who can relate to what we are experiencing are all helpful ways to stoke the inner fire of joy and health without burning it out.

We must remember that burnout didn’t happen overnight and it certainly won’t be resolved overnight, so using the practice of Kaizen allows us to take it one step at a time to and recognize that the small changes will add up to big progress. If you are experiencing symptoms of burnout, you are not alone and things can get better. Take some time to look at your daily habits and make one small change this week toward supporting your own natural rhythm.

As a mental health therapist, a yoga teacher trainer, a coach, and a human, I have found that a cleanse for the mind can be extremely helpful in dealing with everyday stress. If we are not able to cleanse negative and unhelpful thoughts from our minds, they too, like the doshas, can build up over time and lead us to a place of dis-ease.

In my own life and in all of the roles I hold in guiding others toward greater health, I turn to mantra as a regular practice to cleanse the mind and the thoughts.

While the word is subject to different interpretations, the word mantra is believed to come from the roots Manos meaning ‘mind’ and Tra meaning ‘vehicle’ or ‘that which carries across’. So, I describe a mantra as a “mind train”. When my mind is spinning, I simply place it on a mind train and send it off in the direction that would be more helpful for me.

In mental health therapy, I explain this concept as a way to take a time out from the frantic energy of the mind that contributes to anxiety, fear, panic, and depression. When we can focus completely on repeating a sound, word, or phrase over and over, we leave no room in the mind for worry, criticism, judgment, shame, rumination, etc. that can so frequently become the norm.

A mantra can be a sound, a word, or a phrase that is repeated over and over to help keep the mind focused where we want it. Our thoughts are energy and they create vibration in our bodies and our lives. That vibrations affects our happiness, and our mental, physical health and our ability to cope. When we use mantra to direct our thoughts to more helpful and healthy places, we can change our entire experience of what is happening, our perspective, and our ability to respond in the moment.

When repeating mantra, it can be said out loud, as a whisper, or silently in the mind. It can be practiced any time and any place without anyone even knowing if needed. Mantra is a powerful support that we can lean back on when we feel out of control or when we don’t know where else to turn. It can bring the peace needed to pause and then decide where to go next in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Finding a mantra that feels good and that represents your intention around what you would like to shift is important. We can really use any language that we prefer. Here a some short mantras to consider:

1. Just This– This mantra is used with the breath, inhaling and thinking “just”, exhaling and thinking “this”. It is a way to practice mindfulness and to stay in the moment when our minds are fighting to wander out of the body and out of the present. This mantra helps me to stay focused and present when I feel overwhelmed.
2. So Hum– This mantra is also used with the breath, inhaling “so” and exhaling “hum”. So Hum can be translated as ‘I am that’ or ‘I am that which I am becoming’. This mantra reminds me that I am in forward motion toward who I want to be and it is all already inside of me, I simply have to tap in to it.
3. Om– This mantra is the ultimate default mantra. You can never go wrong with repeating or chanting Om. Om means all the things. It has been defined as the vibration of the universe and all that is. Om is calming and helps me to feel in touch with the power of the universe.
4. 2 word intention– This mantra consists of choosing 2 words that would represent something you are wanting to grow in yourself. For example, while writing this blog, I used the words “creative and present”. On the inhale, I repeat “I am creative” and on the exhale, I repeat “I am present” in my mind. This type of mantra helps me to affirm who I am growing in to in each moment.

Consider trying a thought cleanse with mantra. As with other practices, mantra can take time to become automated and we must think of it as an added support rather than an additional task that we must master. Be gentle with yourself as you try on different mantras. Notice how you feel as you are using one and afterwards.

It may be that you find one mantra to stick with for a 40-day practice, or it may be that you use different mantras depending on the situation. However you choose to use mantra, you can begin to experience the power of directing your mind where you want it to go when you want it to go there.  

Check in with me and let me know how it is going or if you have a favorite mantra that you are using.

A week away from the stress of daily living. Time with friends. Time outside.

Vacation helps us to recharge and feel great in our bodies and our minds. To settle and feel more at ease.

This summer, my husband and I were fortunate enough to go on vacation with some friends to an island on the East Coast. We ate fresh seafood and produce, lots of vegetables and lighter fare. We got daily exercise by walking for miles on the beach, playing for hours in the waves of the ocean, and riding a bike along the trails. We played games with our friends and had quality conversations away from electronics. We went to bed early and experienced sound sleep after a long day of outdoor activity. And I rose early in the mornings to sit outside in silence and listen to the sounds of the island.

It’s really no wonder that this type of vacation helps us to feel so great. With a laid-back schedule of space and freedom, we are resetting our nervous system to match the rhythms of nature by allowing ourselves to step out of our busy schedules and fall into the calmness of just being. We are typically also more mindful on vacation to enjoy every moment, to soak up time with those we are with, and to purposefully check out from the stress of work and home. Our bodies and minds get time to expand, release, and relax.

But alas, all vacations must come to an end.

What if we could give ourselves a vacation from the stress and anxiety that comes with daily living without going anywhere? By mindfully planning the habits we practice daily, we can do just that. If we set our schedule up to support aligning our habits with the rhythm of nature, our nervous system can feel better every day and we can experience less stress and anxiety. Mindfully creating our daily schedule can set us up for happier and healthier lives in which we experience more of that refreshed vacation feel every day.

Routine is a great way to calm the nervous system. Patterns in our schedule help the brain and body feel more secure and stable by knowing what to expect and reducing the amount of decision-making involved in daily living. It’s almost as if we can approach our nervous system like a child. Too many decisions and too much stimulation will frazzle and fray our nervous system. We can actually fall victim to decision fatigue and by the end of a long day or by the end of the week, we are making poorer decisions and giving in to things that are not moving us closer to our goals. This, along with the responsibilities and stressors we are faced with as adults, can push us over the edge and into desperate need of a break. If we can automate our habits, we free up energy that we would be using to make little decisions and this freedom adds up. We are also guaranteeing ourselves a better chance of continuing with the choices we feel good about rather than rolling the dice on whether or not we will follow through when we are mentally and physically drained.

As a mental health therapist, my patients are often puzzled when I start digging into their daily routines and prescribing schedule changes to support mental health. There are small adjustments we can make to our schedules to enable increase in daily peace. We must be able to step back and assess if our schedule is working against how we want to feel. Because our identity is so closely tied to what we do repeatedly day after day, it is of utmost importance to create a schedule that will allow us to find ease in our minds and bodies. We have the ability to feel our best if we take the time upfront to do the planning.  

Eating our meals at the same time every day and drinking only water between meals can make a huge difference. When we eat our meals at regular times, our bodies can stop wondering when the next round of nourishment will come and how to allocate the nutrients from the last. Fasting between meals can help the digestive and nervous systems to have time to rest and restore, setting us up for optimal digestion, absorption, and elimination along with more peace of mind in the absence of constant internal stimulation. The adjustment of transitioning from a grazer to an intermittent faster can end up being more of a mental challenge than a physical one, so mindfully noticing the stories we tell ourselves is also helpful.

Next, setting our bed and rise times for the same time every day can help to reset our circadian rhythms. This enables the body and the brain to know when to rise and shine so that we awake ready to face the day and when to reset and rejuvenate so that we experience restful sleep. Consistent bed and rise time- even on weekends- can help us to more easily get out of bed in the morning every day rather than depending on caffeine so heavily or battling with the snooze button for the first few days of every week. Our bodies weren’t created with a workday/weekend schedule in mind, so winding down at the same time every day can help us to more easily fall asleep and feel more rejuvenated the next day.

It may sound boring to settle into a rhythm of eating and sleeping at the same times every day, but the calming effects on the nervous system are well worth it. And we will find that we have more energy and better concentration to boot. Getting our bodies realigned with their natural rhythms can help us live with more joy and the enthusiasm of feeling good every day. What’s boring about that?!

For this vacation effect, we don’t even have to save up money or count down the days. We can start immediately and feel better in our bodies, minds, and lives right now. Join a group who is already working on the habits, start a book club, or try reaching out to others who are interested in shifting the way they feel as well. Start with small changes and see how you feel. Think about how your daily schedule is different on a vacation or how your ‘perfect’ day would look and take steps to make that a reality.

See what changes you can make in the next week and what works or what doesn’t. Comment below and let me know how it’s going. I will be trying right along with you.