Feeling like you are running on empty – physically and emotionally depleted? Are you pushing yourself to just keep going when you really want to simply stop and relax?
If this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from burnout. More and more people are finding themselves in a place of exhaustion and burnout due to factors such as working excessive hours, lack of support, poor boundaries, and feeling overwhelmed by both work and personal responsibilities. According to a recent Deloitte Workplace burnout survey, 89% of Americans have suffered from some level of burnout within the last year.
How do you know if you are suffering from burnout?
Common signs include the following:
- Physical fatigue: Feeling like you have to push yourself to get through your day.
- Mental weariness: Trouble focusing on the task at hand.
- Lack of motivation: Wishing you could stay in bed instead of going to work.
- Emotional overwhelm: Fearing that you about to snap because it’s all too much to handle.
As the world intensifies, so does the issue of burnout. One of the best ways to counteract burnout is to go on a retreat at least once a year. Retreats help you move out of feeling exhausted and into feeling more energized and motivated. Here are five benefits of going on a retreat:
- Escape Your Daily Grind:
Retreating from your world into a different physical space helps you leave behind the daily stressors of your life so that they are no longer bombarding your energy field. This helps you leave the pressures of everyday life behind. When you give yourself the gift of this space, you can let go and relax into the juiciness of simply being alive.
- Get Your Needs Met:
So many women, especially Mothers, are focused on meeting other people’s needs like their children, spouse, or clients instead of taking care of their own needs. When you keep giving your energy to others, you get depleted. A retreat allows you to refocus back on you and take action to get your own needs met, recharging your batteries.
- Gain a New Perspective:
Stepping away from your normal daily activities allows you to gain new perspective on your life, and a better understanding about what is making you feel burned out so that you can act on eliminating these stressors. It’s easier to see what needs to change and how to make these changes when you are not being impacted by the pressure of your daily grind.
- Be Supported by a Like-minded Tribe:
One of the causes of feeling burned out is not feeling supported by others. Often burn out happens when you feel you are alone with a ton of responsibility on your shoulders. Thus, being supported by a circle of like-minded people can be very healing because it helps you tap into the knowing that there is support in the world, and that others are available for you to call on if needed. Connecting with others and sharing your story and needs (if inclined) helps you get how similar you are to others and learn how they may be handling similar experiences. We are not meant to be alone and navigate challenges are on own. We are meant to be in community and benefit from the support of like-minded people.
- Recharge Your Physical Body:
When you are facing burnout, your body is physically depleted and needs a serious energy recharge. Spending time in retreat allows your body to relax and begin to recharge. Some of the powerful ways that you can recharge on retreat is having the space to simply be in your body by doing meditate movement practices such as walking in nature or simple yoga, and just being present with what your body wishes and giving this to your body instead of pushing it to show up in certain ways.
Because I’m such a firm believer in the benefits of retreats, I facilitate a variety of retreats. Please click here to learn more about my upcoming women’s retreat.
