Re-igniting Your Inner Fire: Basic Tips
Will any of these solve your problems? Probably not. Will they help you feel better, grounded, and clear your head? Most likely.
We all have unique needs and preferences. The following are suggestions to explore. Get to know what works for you in which situations.
GET MOVING
This is somehow the most challenging and also the simplest strategy for me. When it works best, it helps me get unstuck and clear my head of all the mental clutter keeping me in a state of decision paralysis. At a minimum, it helps my body feel good and sleep better. Things I include here are:
Go for a long walk or hike
Swim
Dance (note: shaking your limbs or jumping around counts as dancing here. Don’t overthink it. Do what moves you and feels good.)
GET CLEAN
Take a salt bath
Indulge in a long shower
I know you know how refreshing a good shower or bath feels. Or the sense of ease and openness of a clean home. Long showers and baths can be a luxury, but it’s a simple enough indulgence to incorporate into a daily or weekly routine.
Cleanse your home/room
Cleaning the house can be a chore - or a procrastination activity - but it can help clear out stagnant energy and offer a sense of accomplishment. If cleaning the whole house or apartment feels overwhelming, focus on one room or space.
GET STILL AND/OR QUIET
Stillness can be hard. Sitting meditations don’t work for everyone. The key here is giving your brain and body a break from the constant input of thoughts, messages, and general noisiness of your daily grind. Give your mind and senses a break from overstimulation and let them bask in one thing that soothes them.
Try a body scan meditation
Engage all of your senses
Go lay down or put your feet on the grass/dirt/sand
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
This one is often most critical and also the most challenging. We don’t always have the time or resources to move outside of our typical environment. Sometimes, even when we have the time and resources, we don’t feel like we have permission to use them. Give yourself that permission. It’s okay. Changing things up, even for a few hours or a day can be just the re-set you need. Get creative and work with what you have.
Take a day trip out of the city
Go to a neighborhood you’ve never been to and spend the morning/afternoon there
Physically shift your perspective: if you’re low, get high (ex. go to the mountains) and if you’re high, get low (ex. go to the valley or the sea). Or, you know, stand on a chair (safely) or lay on the floor. Whatever works.
Use your PTO/take an actual vacation - if you have the means, use them! What are you waiting for?
If you’re struggling with serious or chronic burnout, all of these are temporary fixes. They can help you cope with what’s going on, but resolving it may require deeper work and/or systemic change. Only you can know what you need and what will get you there.
If you need someone to light up the path back home to yourself, you know where to find me.
