How to Break Free From Burnout & Reclaim Ease

Jonathan Fields (00:00:37) - Have you ever felt the weight of exhaustion and overwhelm, kind of crushing your spirit day after day, especially in the domain of work? Those moments where even the simplest tasks, they feel like you're climbing Mount Everest when you find yourself trapped in this relentless cycle of work and responsibilities, wondering if there is an escape from such a soul sucking experience. Well, today we're diving into a topic that affects so many of us, and I'm raising my hand right here, me included the all consuming phenomenon that silently drains our vitality and passion. It's the experience of feeling utterly depleted physically and emotionally as we push ourselves off into the brink and often in the name of something we're not even really all that connected to.

Jonathan Fields (00:01:25) - There is a word for this overwhelming state, a word that captures the essence of the exhaustion and disillusionment and that is burnout. But here's the thing. Burnout is more than just a buzzword. It's an experience that can leave us feeling lost, disconnected and devoid of purpose. But the good news is that we are not powerless in the face of burnout. There are strategies, both conventional and unconventional, that can really help us reclaim our spark, restore our energy, and find balance once again. And by the way, we're also going to talk about what I even mean by balance. Today, we're diving into the world of burnout, and we're going to uncover strategies, dig deeper, challenge the status quo, and explore some pretty fresh new perspectives that promise a way out of this abyss. So buckle up, open your mind, because we are about to embark on a transformative quest to conquer burnout and reclaim that vibrant, joyful life that you deserve. So excited to share this with you. I'm Jonathan Fields. And this is sparked.

Jonathan Fields (00:03:14) - Before we dive into the strategies to tackle burnout, let's take a moment to truly understand what are we talking about when we're talking about burnout? I mean, we hear the term burnout thrown around so casually in conversations these days. It's all over the media, the news in the context of work and the rapidly evolving, often groundless, high stress state of work. And it's become synonymous with stress or fatigue. But it's important to realize that burnout is actually so much more than just being tired or stressed out. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, and it's characterized by three main dimensions.

Jonathan Fields (00:04:02) - Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion increased mental distance from your job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to a job and reduced professional efficacy. So in simple terms, burnout isn't just about being exhausted. It is a state of chronic physical and emotional fatigue, coupled with kind of a profound disillusionment with work. It's like you're running on empty, feeling disconnected or even cynical about your work, and it seems like you're not making the impact that you used to. And what we need to understand is that burnout isn't just having a bad day at work. It's a persistent, draining state that can seep into every aspect of your life, affecting not just your work, but your health, your relationships and your overall well-being. But here's the important bit. While it may seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially when you're in it, it's not as heavy as burnout can feel. There are ways to work with it to reverse it, to find some balance. However, you might end up defining that and recover your energy, your passion and your joy.

Jonathan Fields (00:05:15) - And I'm going to lay out a whole bunch of conventional and unconventional strategies. But before we dive into them, I think it also makes sense to explore how burnout shows up in our lives. And this is pretty important because sometimes we're just so caught up in the whirlwind of responsibilities that we don't even realize we're headed down a path of burnout until we're deep into it. The truth is, burnout is it's complicated. It doesn't fit neatly into a box, and it can manifest differently for each person. So let's dive into a few other signs that you might want to be on the lookout for. The first step to reclaiming our sense of balance from burnout is to recognize the signs. So let's unpack those. So one sign of burnout is a change in sleep patterns and you might be finding it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep constantly turning things over in your mind. Or on the flip side. You may find yourself sleeping more than usual but still feeling fatigued. And sleep disruptions are a common manifestation of burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:06:23) - It's a bit of a vicious cycle. Lack of quality sleep can exacerbate feelings of exhaustion, irritability and lack of focus, which then makes work a lot harder. And you see how that cycle goes. Another telltale sign is physical and emotional exhaustion. Now, this isn't the type of tired you feel after a long day's work or a workout. This is an unshakable, deep set fatigue. It's waking up in the morning feeling like you haven't slept at all. You may even find yourself feeling emotionally drained, easily irritable or unusually tearful. It's like the life force within you is slowly ebbing away, leaving a feeling of just being perpetually worn out. And burnout also manifests in many people as a growing detachment from work. So you might notice a sort of a creeping cynicism or a lack of enthusiasm about things, tasks, projects, activities, teams, endeavors that you previously enjoyed. And you start to distance yourself emotionally and mentally from your work. It's kind of like a fog settling in, distancing you from the job, the colleagues, even your clients.

Jonathan Fields (00:07:35) - It's not that you don't care. It's that you feel like you can't. And another potential red flag is a noticeable decline in your performance. Now, I'm not talking about the occasional off day or even we all have those raising my hand so many times on that one. But when burnout sets in, it feels like we've kind of lost our grip on our skills, our productivity, our focus dwindles, the quality of our work might decrease and it just kind of feels like we're not meeting our own standards and expectations. It's almost as if our professional efficacy, that feeling of competence and successful achievement in our work has slipped away. Another sign can be physical symptoms like headaches, backaches, frequent illness or digestive issues. Our bodies have a way of mirroring our emotional state, and chronic stress can manifest in physical discomfort. So don't ignore these signs. They are your body's way of saying it's time to slow down, figure out what's happening and take care. And for some, you also may notice an increased tendency towards substances like alcohol or caffeine as a coping mechanism.

Jonathan Fields (00:08:54) - This can also be a red flag that you never want to ignore. There's a difference between having a glass of wine or a cup of coffee in the morning after a long week, or when you're getting ready for your day and feeling like you absolutely need it to get through the moment. And finally, feelings of self doubt or a sense of failure can also be signs of burnout. You might start questioning your abilities and contributions, wondering if what you're doing is enough or if it's worthwhile at all. Burnout, It turns out it can manifest as almost like the ultimate self. Gaslighter. It's important to remember that this self doubt is a symptom of burnout, not a reflection of your true capabilities or worth. So if you've been nodding along, thinking check, check. You might be experiencing burnout. And if you are experiencing any of these signs, don't panic. This isn't about making you anxious or fearful. It's about equipping you with an understanding and potentially a set of tools and strategies to recognize when you're on the road to burnout so you can take steps to navigate back towards a more balanced approach.

Jonathan Fields (00:10:05) - This is about your wellbeing and there are strategies that we can implement to pull you back from the brink of burnout and towards a more sustainable way of living and working. But remember, recognizing these signs is not a cause for despair. It is a call to action. It's the first step toward reclaiming a sense of balance and agency and control and returning to a place of vitality, engagement and productivity. And remember, if you are experiencing the signs of burnout and they feel like they're actually making it hard to do the things you want to do or function in a healthy way. It is always a good idea to not just explore and follow along with some of the strategies we'll talk about, but also reach out to a qualified mental health professional to help you understand what's really happening and how best to work with it. And that brings us to some of the common mythologies around burnout as well. It's crucial to understand that there are some misconceptions and myths about burnout that can serve as barriers preventing us from recognizing the issue and taking appropriate action.

Jonathan Fields (00:11:15) - And one of those misconceptions is that burnout only occurs in high stress jobs or professions. And now it's true high stress environments can be a breeding ground for burnout. But the reality is that burnout can happen to anyone in any job and any life situation, whether you're a high powered executive, a teacher, a stay at home parent or volunteer, you are not immune. Burnout. It's more about how you handle stress rather than the amount of stress you're under. I have had my fair share of experience with burnout in the past life at the hands of a relentless job where the stress just never ended. The hours were interminable, and I'd lost the thread of why I was even doing it. Working to the bone with no sense of purpose or window to take care of my mental and physical health was devastating and pushed me into a state of profound burnout. But in truth, I have also created that very experience of high level, sustained stress and burnout many times by my own hand, even in businesses that I started that were literally wrapped around wellbeing.

Jonathan Fields (00:12:28) - As an entrepreneur, even though I love much of what I do and there's passion and purpose in the mix. There have been times where I pushed myself to the point of not just overwhelm, but emptiness and burnout. And I'm always trying to tap into the signs for when I'm going there so that I can pull myself back sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much. But increasingly I get there more quickly. And thankfully I know the signs well enough now to have a better sense for when to pull out, when to ask for help, and who to ask for help and do some serious reimagining. Now, another misconception about burnout is that seeking some level of ease or balance means dividing your hours equally between work and personal life, as if there was some realistic way to do that, if only it were that simple, right? The truth is, this notion of balance, it isn't a matter of mathematics. It's about fulfillment and harmony. It's about ensuring that all aspects of life, work, family, health, leisure and personal growth are given the attention they deserve and the ideal balance.

Jonathan Fields (00:13:41) - It's different for each of us depending on our personal goals or values or circumstances. And balance is also very much a moving target. It's much harder to strive towards some formulaic version of balance on a daily basis than it is to create a longer term window that allows for both experiences of intense effort and also intense recovery and regeneration over a longer window of time. In fact, research from Ellen Ernst, Kozak and Cynthia Ozick suggests that work life balance, a term that I don't always love, by the way, isn't about an equal distribution of hours and the research. They define it as satisfaction and good functioning at work and home with a minimum of role conflict. So it's more about the quality of time and less about the quantity. There isn't this magical thing saying, I'm going to do X number of hours of this X number of hours of that. And there also isn't this thing that says it's always going to be this way every day of the week for months and years. We know that we will have seasons where we have to go hard into something because that's what it requires.

Jonathan Fields (00:14:56) - But we also want to know that over a longer measurement window, we build in seasons moments, windows where we get to pull back, recover so that we're always returning that wellbeing pendulum back closer to the center. And this means it isn't necessarily about clocking out of work at the eight hour mark or ensuring your personal and professional lives get exactly 12 hours each. It's about integrating all parts of your life in a way that leaves us feeling fulfilled and satisfied. Honoring and acknowledging the realistic demands and zooming out and taking a longer term window. Look at the notion of balance. So the next time you find yourself stressing about not splitting your time evenly, remember. Balance isn't a perfect 5050 split. It's about finding that blend longer term window that works for you, extending your time horizons, knowing the effort and recovery pendulum may swing to either side and stay there for a window of time. But over the longer time, you've created mechanisms to bring yourself back into seasons of recovery, reconnection and regeneration. And that is the beauty of it.

Jonathan Fields (00:16:11) - It's not a one size fits all scenario, but rather a deeply personal and ever evolving journey. And that brings us to why we even care about burnout. And I think you probably have a pretty good sense because it can have a profound effect on our ability to live good lives. But let's dive a little bit deeper here. It's really important that we understand the potential toll that burnout can take on us, not just in the realm of work, but infiltrating literally every corner of our lives. We're talking about the cascading effects on our physical health, our mental well-being, our relationships, and, yes, even our capacity to just simply enjoy life. And you may be wondering, well, how does this look in the real world? Let's break it down first. We'll talk about our physical health here. So if you've ever felt that constant fatigue, lack of energy, or maybe even those nagging headaches, that just won't go away. That's your body screaming, Hey, I'm not okay. Now, of course, there can be multiple contributors to this experience, but often we don't think about burnout as being one of them.

Jonathan Fields (00:17:20) - And burnout we know can cause very real physical symptoms, and that's something we can't ignore. One study published in the Journal of Occupational Health found that individuals experiencing burnout were significantly more likely to develop physical illnesses ranging from heart disease to Type two diabetes. And when we move on to our mental wellbeing, the picture doesn't get a whole lot rosier. Burnout is a very real concern for our mental health. We're talking about heightened feelings of potentially anxiety, depression, even a sense of dread. When you think about work, it's like trying to climb a mountain with a backpack full of rocks. It just weighs you down. In fact, the Journal of Applied Psychology confirms that burnout is strongly correlated with a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety and depressive disorders. And then there is the impact on our relationships. And now here's the thing. We're not just talking about your relationships at work. We're talking about all of your relationships, our connections with others. They're so integral to our happiness and overall well-being. We know that the research is crystal clear.

Jonathan Fields (00:18:35) - The depth and quality of our relationships is likely the single most important factor in determining a life well lived. But burnout. It doesn't just stay neatly contained within our work lives. It spills over often with profound effects into our personal relationships as well. So if you've ever felt burned out, you know this, you have lived this, you'll know exactly what I mean. You come home after a long day and you're feeling really burned out, but maybe you don't have language for it, but you have the feelings and all you want to do is just crush conversations with your loved one, your partner, your kid, your closest friends, your parents, whoever it may be. They feel like extra work. You might feel disconnected and irritable or just too tired to be present, making it really tough to connect with others and tough for them to connect with you. In fact, they may not even really want to be around you. And the folks on the other side, they just really feel it. In one study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers found that burnout not only diminishes your own life satisfaction, it also really negatively affects your partners.

Jonathan Fields (00:19:49) - It's a sobering thought, isn't it? The ripple effect of burnout can stretch far beyond your own experience touching the lives of those we care about. And if you think about if you happen to be a parent or a caretaker or a guardian or in any role where others are looking to you as a model of how to step into work and life. You're also modeling burnout as an acceptable approach. So it's also about the messages that we are non-verbally telegraphing to those around us and into our relationships without even intending it. So how do we guard our relationships from the impact of burnout? Well, we'll talk about a whole bunch of strategies. But before we get there, just specifically to relationships, I think it also really starts with acknowledging that no matter how busy or demanding our days are, our relationships deserve time and attention. It sounds like an additional task, maybe. Well, it's not. It's about integrating connection into the very fabric of our daily lives. Building what I call circuit breakers, Moments and mechanisms that are designed to regularly have us pull out from wherever we are.

Jonathan Fields (00:21:05) - Zoom the lens out and check in and say, Am I doing okay? Is this okay? How's my state of mind? How's my state of body? How are my relationships? And am I in need of hitting reset? And finally, the impact of burnout on happiness or joy and or satisfaction of life. If you're burnt out, even things that you love to do can feel like a chore. It's kind of like sunshine that gets replaced with a perpetual cloud cover. Studies like the one published in the Journal of Happiness Study show a significant inverse relationship between burnout and life satisfaction. So there it is. There is this ripple effect of burnout, far reaching, pervasive, impacting all aspects of our lives. Living in burnout affects our ability to live good lives. But remember, it's not all doom and gloom. We are here to tackle this together, to explore some strategies backed by science, to help us reclaim that sense of agency and control and more balanced joy. Because that's what this journey is about creating a life filled with purpose and health and happiness and more.

Jonathan Fields (00:22:20) - And before we get there, I think we also need to just talk briefly about how the society that we live in, the social circles that we're part of and the work cultures that we inhabit can also impact how we perceive burnout. Now, isn't it kind of fascinating and a bit daunting too, how societal pressures and expectations and work cultures can add fuel to the flame of burnout, that hustle culture that glorifies constant work? This societal norm that equates busyness with importance. The culture within a work environment that says work all the time, show up all the time. If you clock out early, then you're giving up and you're wasting your potential or your possibility of, quote, moving up the ladder or even that well-intended friend applauding you for burning the midnight oil, it all builds up. Our phones are buzzing with notifications at all hours, blurring the boundaries between work and rest. And they just deepen into that hustle culture that glorifies long hours and overwork, painting burnout as a badge of honor. And they're not entirely wrong.

Jonathan Fields (00:23:35) - A study from Harvard Business School found that people who are always reachable by their managers report higher levels of stress and lower levels of job satisfaction. So it's like we're caught in this relentless cycle of proving our worth through productivity, but also leaving us drained both physically and emotionally. And you might be wondering, well, how exactly does this affect us and what can we do about it? And research shows, again, a direct correlation between societal and cultural pressures and burnout. One study published in Frontiers of Psychology pointed out that individuals who experienced high levels of societal burnout reported lower life satisfaction and higher mental stress, in essence, societal expectations and pressures. And we can translate this into local and familial and workplace cultures can lead us to overlook our own needs and well-being, culminating in burnout. It is a bit unsettling. BUtrillionEMEMBER While we may not change society or culture overnight, we do have control over our own actions and responses. And it starts by setting boundaries and prioritizing self care, redefining what success and balance means for us personally and as we navigate this, let's also be kind to ourselves.

Jonathan Fields (00:24:59) - And remember, it's okay to step off that always on treadmill. Our worth is not measured by our productivity. We're much, much more than that. And the quality of our lives, our ability to live good lives is not about how many items we have checked off on that punch list. So now, before we drop into a series of specialized burnout strategies, I want to also share a bit of another take on burnout that you've probably never heard about before, and it comes from the research that we've been doing where we have developed the spark type assessment, and it's based on the discovery that we all have within us a set of almost primal impulses to exert effort or to work in very particular ways. And these impulses, they also have wrapped around them a set of behaviors and tendencies and preferences that form like personalities or personas or archetypes. So we call these the archetypes for work that sparks you or shorthanded as spark types. Now, back in 2018, we built an assessment that spark a type assessment to help people understand what is my spark type, what is my profile, what is it made up of? What are the different impulses in me that when I align what I do with these impulses, everything changes.

Jonathan Fields (00:26:27) - And since releasing that assessment in 2018, more than 800,000 people have completed it, generating over 40 million data points, making it one of the world's largest studies on work life satisfaction. And in a follow on survey, we discovered that the more you do the work of your archetype, the more likely you are to say that you experience, meaning that you have easy. Access to that blissed out flow state where everything just feels like it's as it should be. Where you lose yourself, you lose time, that you are energized and excited by the work that you do, that you feel like you're fully expressing who you are and what your potential is, and that there's a strong sense of purpose, not just in what you're doing, but in life. And here's the thing. The opposite was also true in our data. The less you do the work of your archetypes, the less likely you are to say that you've experience meaning and flow and energy and excitement or express potential and purpose. In fact, it's more likely that there's a lack of meaning, a lack of purpose, no energy or excitement.

Jonathan Fields (00:27:39) - Everything is a bit of a grind. Rather than being in flow and you feel stifled. What does that sound like to you? That sounds a whole lot like burnout to me. And now, in 2021, we released version 2.0, The Spark a type assessment, and we introduced an additional metric that we call your anti spark archetype. This is the type of work that for you almost always feels like the heaviest lift. It just takes a lot more effort to do than anything else. And when you do it, which sometimes you have to do as part of your job or your devotion or your role, it requires a lot more motivation and a lot more recovery time after you do it, even if objectively from the outside looking in. Other people who don't share your anti archetype don't think it's such a big deal. And while we don't have definitive data on it yet, that is soon to run. I increasingly am believing anecdotally and through our use cases that we're experiencing consulting that there is a connection between having the work of your anti spark type be central to the work that you're doing and the experience of burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:28:53) - It kind of makes sense if the work that is the heaviest lift, the most depleting and requires the greatest recovery is actually a substantial part of what you are tasked with doing on a daily basis. It just makes sense that it would increase the likelihood that you would walk through that experience with higher and higher levels of depletion, stress and eventually burnout. So more to come on that as we deepen into the research. And I look forward to sharing the actual data with you when we actually do those studies. But for now, if you are curious about what your sparking type and anti spark archetype are and it may help explain a lot to you. You can go ahead and just take the spark or type assessment. By the way, it's publicly available. We have included a link in the show notes, so you can just go find that link, click on it. It takes about ten 12 minutes and you will discover yours. Okay, Now, beyond discovering your spark type profile and seeing how much it gets expressed, and also how much of your anti spark type is required of you.

Jonathan Fields (00:29:57) - Let's dive into a series of general strategies designed to help move you out of a state of burnout. So we're going to start with five fairly conventional strategies. These fall somewhat under the umbrella of well, I kind of knew that, but I also probably completely stopped doing it if I ever even began. So they're good reminders. And then I'm going to walk you through about ten more that are a bit less conventional that you might want to explore as burnout solutions. As always, there is no need to do them all. That may well just add to the overwhelm and stress if you think you have to literally do every single one. Just listen. Take note of any that feel accessible to you and experiment with some blend that just works best for you. So grab a pen and paper and let's get started. We'll start by exploring five conventional strategies that can help bring burnout to its knees. So let's dive right in. The first strategy is pretty straightforward. Time management or time optimization. So effectively, managing or optimizing time is essential for preventing burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:31:12) - When we manage our time and our energy well, we can prioritize tasks, set realistic deadlines, and create a schedule that allows for breaks and self care. So some ideas to help you do that, or one really just start by assessing your current workload and responsibilities and prioritize tasks based on both importance and urgency. You may want to put down your device while you're doing this, and we'll get to why that's important shortly. Step two Set realistic deadlines for each one of these and create a schedule that allocates dedicated time for work, breaks and self-care activities. Make sure that when you are doing this, you build this around your ability to live the life that you have, your personal constraints, your personal resources, the amount of time that you have and any obligations or responsibilities or devotions in your personal life that will consume meaningful amounts of time. One of the things that tends to blow up any time management approach is that we don't bake it in to the larger context of living our lives and all the different things that can come up there.

Jonathan Fields (00:32:27) - And then when they do come up, which eventually they do, it blows up not just our personal schedule, but our professional one as well. And you can use productivity tools if you feel that that's helpful. Dear friend who has been on this podcast and who is a regular collaborator with me, Charlie Gilkey has a fantastic methodology that he lays out in his book Start Finishing, and I cannot recommend enough checking out that book and diving into it. If you really want to understand how to build a more holistic approach to really not just getting the right things done and work, but creating a way to manage your time and energy that feels organic and productive. So number two on this sort of the more conventional things list is prioritizing and committing to a healthier lifestyle. This sounds well, of course, obviously this will help. But how many of us actually do it? We know about it. We talk about it. We give lip service to it. But do you actually operationalize it in your life as a core priority? Taking care of your physical health plays a crucial role in preventing burnout, engaging in regular exercise in whatever form is accessible and available to you, eating nutritious meals, prioritizing sleep, practicing relaxation techniques.

Jonathan Fields (00:33:54) - All these things can significantly impact your wellbeing. So here are a couple of ideas. One Establish an exercise routine that suits your preferences, abilities and schedule. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week. But if you can't fit that in and sometimes that's a lot of us for a serious window of time. Anything is better than nothing. Start with three minutes. Move to five minutes. Do it at your desk, whatever you can to in any way that is available to you. Mobilize your body. It makes a difference. Instead of just throwing together meals, whatever comes your way, thinking about it as an afterthought. Realize that old thing that we got told when we were kids. You are what you eat. It actually is to really elevate, prioritize what you put into your mouth and into your body. Nutrition is critically important. And three, make sleep a priority here. Sleep is the key that turns on and off. Every other health function, and that includes both physical and mental health.

Jonathan Fields (00:35:09) - So often, again, we think of it as an afterthought, making sleep a priority by creating a calming bedtime routine, ensuring comfortable sleep environment, setting a bedtime alarm rather than a wake up alarm. Because when you go to sleep on a regular time and then you end up waking up earlier, that ensures longer, deeper sleep. So the third thing that you want to talk about here and sort of the conventional responses to burnout is the power of social support. Building a strong support system of friends and families and colleagues can provide valuable emotional support and understanding, really helping to prevent burnout. Knowing that you're not alone, knowing that there are people that you can turn to, to share what's going on in your mind and your body and your heart, and knowing that there are also people who are looking out for you. And if they see you kind of going off the burnout rails will reach out and say, Hey, I think we need to do something about this. It can be transformative in your ability to build, stop yourself from deepening it to burnout and more effectively pull out of it when you find yourself in it.

Jonathan Fields (00:36:23) - So think about identifying people in your life who provide positive support and understanding. These can be friends, family members, trusted colleagues, and then share your experiences, your concerns and challenges with them openly and honestly, and seek their advice and guidance or simply a listening ear if that's all you need. Really want to deepen these connections by regularly engaging with your support system. So instead of just randomly once or twice a year, just check in with a small number of people and it may be helpful to let them know as well that you are here in the same way for them. So there's mutual trust, vulnerability and revelation there. And you can even and I would suggest this schedule regular meetups, phone calls or video chats to maintain the connection and offer support to each other. So moving on to the next more conventional approach. And that's all about boundaries. Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life is so crucial for preventing burnout and maintaining a healthy work life approach. So if you want to deepen into boundaries now, I could go into some of the techniques here, but I have to tell you, we have had two stunningly powerful and really actionable conversations about the specifics of boundary setting on our Sister podcast, Good Life Project with Nedra Glover and Terry Cole.

Jonathan Fields (00:37:57) - So again, we will drop links to those two episodes into the show notes so you can truly understand what effective boundary setting looks like. And then finally, when it comes to the more conventional approaches. We have self care. I know it sounds so silly. Prioritizing self-care activities that nourish your mind, your body and soul is vital for preventing burnout. Things like activities that bring you joy or relaxation or rejuvenation. This could include reading. It could be taking a bath, practicing mindfulness, engaging in creative hobbies or passions, or just spending time outside. Scheduling regular self-care into your calendar. Treat it as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself. My team knows that when they look at my calendar, they will see numerous times a week, 90 minute blocks in the color green that say hike. And they know that in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, I will be out doing that because that is one of my primary forms of self-care. So those are the five core, more conventional approaches to really pulling yourself out of burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:39:13) - And again, a lot of these are things that we've known, but we kind of we haven't done anything about. Or maybe we never actually engage in these activities or these practices before. If you feel yourself sliding into burnout, if you have in the past and you're at risk of doing it again in the future because you don't have effective skills and strategies and practices in place, consider all five of these in a meaningful way. But I don't want to stop there because there are another ten or so short and sweet ones that I think we can add to this conversation, each of which can make a genuinely meaningful difference in contributing to pulling out of burnout and rebalancing life. So you really find energy and joy and a positive state of mind again. So the first one of these less conventional strategies is the old digital detox. In a world where technology is deeply intertwined with our lives. Periodic disconnection. It is just so crucial for reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality. Studies have shown that constant connectivity can lead to heightened stress levels, so those levels can also, over time, lead to burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:40:28) - So here is how you can implement a digital detox one. Designate specific time periods or days for digital detox. This means no screens, no social media. Can you even imagine? And no wait for it Emails. I know if you're Gen Z, you're probably like an email, no problem. But it also means no DMS. It also means no messages. It might freak you out. And the interesting thing is the more this freaks you out, the more likely it also is a sign that you need this. Communicate your boundaries with friends when it comes to the digital detox and not just friends, but family and colleagues so they understand your availability during your digital detox. And by the way, if a day is just too long for you, you cannot fathom being able to do that. Start with a half an hour. Then. Add 30 minutes, then add 30 minutes, then add 30 minutes. And what you'll find is soon you work yourself up to a half a day and then eventually you'll work yourself up to a day.

Jonathan Fields (00:41:35) - It's a slow process because you have to train yourself to exist in that space of not constantly being interrupted and often having demands piled on top. And you also need that time to train those around you to understand what you're doing. It's important and to respect the boundary of allowing it to happen. So use this time in the digital detox to engage in activities that bring you joy and rejuvenation. Things like reading, going for a walk, spending quality time with people you just love. So second, less conventional strategy here is to explore deep work. This is a notion that is attributed to Cal Newport. Deep work is all about intense focus on a single task without distractions, and it allows for greater productivity, reduces burnout associated with constant task switching. Here is how you can embrace deep work. And by the way, deep work isn't just about work. This can be about something you're just deeply passionate about on the side. So find a quiet and distraction free environment where you can fully immerse yourself in whatever is your subject of deep work.

Jonathan Fields (00:42:53) - Set a specific time block for your deep work. Whether it's 20 minutes, use the Pomodoro Technique, 25 minutes or a longer duration based on whatever your preference and the task requirements are. And during your session, do what you can to eliminate all potential distractions like turning off notifications, closing unnecessary browser tabs. I even have applications on my devices that will stop everything from coming through. This can be incredibly powerful. And again, a reminder this can be about work, but it can also be about you just wanting to paint for 25 minutes or just breathe for 25 minutes or literally just be bored and sit in stillness for 25 minutes. The power of that in our lives can be incredible. So strategy number three on the less conventional side, and we'll categorize this as purposeful leisure. And this strategy involves consciously choosing activities during your free time that contribute to your well-being. That could be engaging in hobbies that encourage creativity or spending time in nature. These things can significantly reduce stress and increase happiness. So if you're leaning towards, well, passive consumption or scrolling a stream on something or bingeing media, think about something different.

Jonathan Fields (00:44:18) - There's a ton of research that shows those may be enjoyable, but they're often also depleting and non enriching and non supportive of a life well lived. So here are a couple of ideas on how to practice purposeful leisure. One Reflect on any activities that might bring you joy and fulfillment. Identify hobbies or interest or outdoor activities that align with your values and contribute to your well-being. And then prioritize and schedule regular time for purposeful leisure into your calendar. Yes. Bake it into your calendar the way you would do anything else. Because if you don't, as we all know, it just won't happen. Treat it as an essential part of your self-care routine and then engage in these activities mindfully, fully immersing yourself in the experience and savoring the moments of joy and relaxation they bring. So next up, we have nature therapy. This is a favorite of mine, also known as forest bathing or in Japanese children. Yoku spending time in natural environments has been shown to reduce stress, hormone production, lower heart rate and improve feelings of well-being, basically countering the state of burnout.

Jonathan Fields (00:45:33) - Here's some ideas around how to incorporate nature therapy in your life. One. Find green spaces, parks or natural areas near you. It could be as simple as a local park or a nearby trail. And again, set aside regular time to immerse yourself in nature, whether it's a short walk during a lunch break. If you feel like you can't actually allocate more than that or a weekend hike, prioritize these moments of connection with the natural world. And while you're in nature, really tune into your senses, observe the colors, listen to the sounds, feel the textures and breathe in the fresh air. Be present and allow yourself to fully experience the beauty around you. I was doing this on the trail just the other day. I was like, Oh, I'm out of nature. It's beautiful. It's so lush. We've had a ton of rain out here in Colorado. Everything is so green. And then I realized also I was kind of mouth breathing, like closed my mouth and start just taking these deep savory inhales through my nose.

Jonathan Fields (00:46:38) - And all of a sudden it's like the sensory input exploded. And I started to the aromas of the greenery all around me was incredible, especially because it was shortly after rain and everything just pops arithmetically after that. So really tune in a sensory way to the experience of nature when you do this. And that brings us to our next possible intervention. And this is a basket of interventions. So many of them have been scientifically shown to increase happiness and decrease depressive symptoms. And here are a couple of ideas that are fairly straight forward, short and sweet, but can make a real difference. One Consider starting a gratitude journal each day, writing down three things you're grateful for, whether big or small, that practice has been shown to shift your focus to the positive aspects of your life. Another great, positive psych based strategy is savoring. Take a moment to fully immerse yourself in moments of joy, savoring the insight, sounds and motions associated with them. So often good things, great things, exciting things, new things, fun things happen to us and we just acknowledge that they've happened and move on and we lose this incredible potential that human beings have to linger in them to appreciate them, to really savor and relish them.

Jonathan Fields (00:48:00) - That gives us almost like an afterburn effect that compounds on the positive impact of the initial experience. And as we've talked about, relationships, really reconnect with relationships. Relationships across every domain of research and pretty much been shown to be one of the most, if not the most important part of living a good life, but also of countering things that might cause you stress or upset, including the effect of burnout. So moving on to our next less than conventional approach. And this is a bit of a simplification of the broader just commentary on boundaries. And it's really simple. Learning to say no. Learning to say no is a crucial anti burnout strategy. Recognizing that time and energy are finite resources, that our priorities are crystal clear, that our values are crystal clear, and that based on understanding our values and priorities, we have a better sense of what we would say yes or no to and why. And by saying no to the less important tasks or engagements, to the less values aligned tasks and engagements, you can prioritize what truly matters to you.

Jonathan Fields (00:49:25) - So a couple of things on learning to say no, really. One. Learning to say no is about first reflecting on your values and priorities. Identify what truly matters to you and align your commitments according to that. And that would be your work commitments, your personal commitments, your social commitments, your well-being commitments, your spiritual commitments. All of it. First, get real about what is important to you in your life. That becomes a compass to learn what to say, yes or no to, and then practice setting those boundaries. And as again I described, we have two fabulous conversations over on Good Life Project, specifically about boundaries with very specific language and even scripts. And we'll link to those in the show notes when it comes to this. Now let's move on to another strategy, and that is the power of what we call micro breaks. I do this throughout the day. I'll be working on a project and I will be three hours into it and really deep, intense creative work. And maybe there's another 2 to 3 hours left on what I need to do.

Jonathan Fields (00:50:37) - But what I'll do is I have mechanisms in place that literally will stop me from working and remind me to zoom out and just ask myself, how am I doing psychologically, emotionally? How am I doing? And what I often realize is that I'm pushing myself to the point of burnout. So building micro breaks into the way that you work can be incredibly empowering at. Building in the pause is needed to rejuvenate and keep refreshing yourself and stop you from tipping into a point of burnout. Taking short frequent breaks throughout the day can help maintain a high level of mental energy and productivity while reducing feelings of stress and exhaustion. And you may be thinking to yourself, Well, that all sounds well and good, but I don't have time to do that. In fact, most of us do have the time. And here's why. If we do not take micro breaks throughout the day, our productivity and efficacy begins to plummet. We may not realize it. In fact, often we don't because we're sitting there, we're doing the work, we're in front of our screens and we feel like something is coming out, so we must still be there doing our best work.

Jonathan Fields (00:51:51) - All of the research that I've ever seen shows, that is absolutely not true. Our productivity, our creativity, our ideation capabilities are insight based problems. It all falls off pretty precipitously when we do not take breaks. So the beautiful thing is taking breaks not only makes us feel better, lets us restore and rejuvenate, keeps us from dropping into that place of high stress, exhaustion, overwhelm and burnout. It also lets us step back into the work that we're doing with a productivity, creativity, problem solving, resets or functioning at a higher level. So the breaks literally pay for themselves by letting us step back and get a lot more done at a higher level after when we do it and feel better along the way. A little bit counterintuitive, but that is in fact the way that it works in US human beings and that moves us to our next strategy, and that is cognitive restructuring. Now this is a technique that derives from CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy, and it involves identifying and challenging, distressing thoughts that contribute to stress and imbalance.

Jonathan Fields (00:53:10) - And this is one of those techniques that gets to how we process the experience of stress. And here are some basic steps on how we can practice cognitive restructuring. One. Pay attention to your thoughts and notice any negative or distorted thinking patterns that contribute to stress and burnout. Now, when you notice these, challenge these thoughts by asking yourself if they are based on evidence or are they true, and if so, what evidence is there to support it? Or if there are alternative perspectives or stories or frames that may be more realistic, more positive, more possibility filled, less stress inducing, and more empowering? And then replace the negative thoughts, the negative assumptions, the chatter, the spin with more positive and balanced ones. Focusing on reframing your mindset and adopting a more constructive perspective. Because again, as I said in the very beginning, we tend to think that burnout is all about our circumstances. It's just overwhelming. But in fact, burnout isn't just about the potential for stress that our circumstances deliver. It is about our ability to then work with those circumstances.

Jonathan Fields (00:54:35) - It is about how we process and translate high pressure into the experience of stress or not. And part of that is about the stories that we tell, the assumptions that we make about the circumstance. We have the ability to change those stories and assumptions. So these skills help us do that. And that brings us to we're heading towards the end of our different strategies here. This is something that I've talked about a number of different times on the podcast, and it's built around that notion of the growth mindset, a concept coined by psychologist Carol Dweck. Having a growth mindset can really help us deal with setbacks and challenges more effectively. Again, this is rewiring the inside, reducing feelings of burnout even when there are things going on around us that are requiring us to work at high levels and the stakes are high. So again, part of it is about changing what's happening in the outside. But a big part is about changing how we process the circumstance in the moment on the inside. So how can we begin to cultivate a growth mindset? A couple of steps.

Jonathan Fields (00:55:44) - One starts with embracing the belief, the understanding that abilities and skills can be developed through effort, practice and learning. It's not that we just have what we have, and when we hit the edge of it, we're busted. It's that we can actually always continue to develop abilities and skills through work, through practice, through learning. Step two is really embracing challenges, not as something that must succeed, but as an opportunity for growth and learning rather than viewing them as threats or failures. When we elevate learning rather than success as the primary metric by which we judge a particular endeavor, it changes the nature of the endeavor for us. And you might think, but success really does matter. Like that is why I'm here. Maybe that's what I'm hired to do. And in fact, that may be the metric that you're measured by on a job performance level. But what we know through the research is that if you push directly towards that, all sorts of psychological overlays start to happen. That may well make it less likely that you get there.

Jonathan Fields (00:56:55) - But if instead you know that this is the thing that you're working towards in the background, but you really tell yourself, I'm elevating growth and learning as my primary metrics along the way, you end up doing all the things and staying in the state of mind that then allows you to function at a much higher level and very likely move towards whatever that metric of success is a lot more effectively by simply adopting a growth mindset and it is much more pleasant and less stressful and burnout inducing along the way. And cultivate a mindset of curiosity and willingness to try new things, take risks and learn from both the successes and setbacks again. It's all about elevating learning here as the primary metric, and the last of our ten less convention ones is the power of volunteering and altruistic activities. You're probably thinking to yourself, I'm already so burned out, I've already got so much to do. How am I going to have time for volunteering or altruistic activities? But as we talked about in the beginning, burnout is not entirely about the circumstances or the inability to actually have a second to breathe or do anything more.

Jonathan Fields (00:58:08) - In fact, often it's about the way that we step into it. And if we reimagine it, if we look at all the strategies that we explore, we will find that we will actually have more than enough energy and time to then say yes to volunteering and altruistic activities. Now, why does this matter? Why is it a potential? Why is it potentially effective in the context of burnout? Because research indicates that helping others can trigger what's known as a helper's high or a givers glow, releasing chemicals in our body that boost our mood and provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment that can often counter the very negative experience of burnout. So some ways that you can engage in volunteering and altruistic activities. First, identify causes organizations, anything that aligns with your values and interests, research local volunteer opportunities or find ways to contribute your skills or talents and then dedicate regular time to engage in volunteering or acts of kindness. This could literally be as simple as lending a helping hand to a neighbor participating in some community event on a Saturday morning, or joining a local charity.

Jonathan Fields (00:59:18) - And again, you think to yourself, but isn't this committing me to something even more? The thing is, if we integrate it with all the other strategies, we will have now reimagine the way that we actually work. Carved out more time to do this. And the counterintuitive thing here is that certain activities will actually increase the energy that you have. Increase your state of mind and your state of body and give you the capacity to then do these things and also feel psychologically and physically a lot better. So approach the activities with an open heart and a genuine desire to make a positive impact, really just embracing the joy and fulfillment that comes from giving back and knowing that experience is going to give back to you too, and very likely have a countering effect to any feelings of overwhelm, stress and burnout. And a bonus 11th here. I'll circle back to our conversation around the spark types and the spark a type assessment. Take just about ten minutes or so. Click on the link in the show notes to discover what your spark a type profile is learning.

Jonathan Fields (01:00:27) - What are the impulses that really energize you and animate you, and what are the ones that deplete you and empty you out. And then once you do that again, it's free. There's a link in the show notes. Then take a look at your work and make a little bit of a contrast and see how much does your work let you express the work of your spark types? And also, how much does it require you to do the work of your anti archetype? See what kind of reimagining you can do. This may be incredibly helpful in understanding why you're feeling the way you're feeling. And as I mentioned earlier in our conversation, if burnout is causing severe distress or impairing your ability to function in life in any meaningful way, it's essential to not just explore random strategies or different strategies, but to really consider seeking support from a qualified mental health professional. So. This wraps up, I guess it's five conventional strategies, ten less conventional strategies plus one bonus. So we've got 16 possible things that you can explore to counter burnout if you're thinking yourself well.

Jonathan Fields (01:01:41) - You've just added to my potential for burnout by telling me there are 16 things that I need to do to actually get rid of burnout. As I mentioned earlier, this is just a broad list. It's an inventory of possible strategies to consider. You may want to revisit them, take some notes and just say, well, what feels interesting to me, what feels doable to me, what actually feels fun to me, what might add joy to the experience of life? Sometimes we realize that we can't easily change the fundamental way and structure of work. Maybe we don't have the agency or the power or the control to do that in the moment that we're in, but we can often tweak it in nuanced ways that really make it better. And we can adopt some of these strategies which will help transform how we internally process whatever those circumstances are that are causing burnout so that it is not only much more tolerable and survivable, but it can actually become something that is manageable and enjoyable and eventually even nourishing and energizing. That is the part that all of us do have control over.

Jonathan Fields (01:02:56) - Take your time. Be gentle with yourself. Go one step at a time and know that this feeling of burnout is not something that you need to live with. There are plenty of things that you can explore that will make a really big difference. So I hope you found that useful. Remember finding a life that feels more gentle, more easeful, more energizing, more joyful is an ongoing journey, and it is important to just experiment with these strategies to discover what works best for you. Thanks so much for joining us. I am so glad to be able to share time with you and I'll see you here next time.