exercise

Handling Burnout

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It is a common problem among workers, who are often exposed to high-stress levels daily. Burnout can significantly impact a workers physical and mental health.

stressed professional woman
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How Burnout Affects the Body

Burnout can lead to several physical health problems, including:

  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Muscle tension
  • Digestive problems
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Increased risk of heart disease and stroke

How Burnout Affects the Mind

Burnout can also have a significant impact on folks mental health, leading to the following:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Anger
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Memory problems
  • Loss of motivation
  • Suicidal thoughts

How Burnout Affects the Soul

Burnout can also have a spiritual impact on a doctor, leading to the following:

  • Loss of meaning and purpose
  • Feeling disconnected from others
  • Feeling isolated and alone
  • Feeling hopeless and helpless

What to Do to Help Relieve Stress from Burnout

There are several things that workers can do to help relieve stress from burnout, including:

  • Take care of their physical health by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.
  • Practice relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.
  • Set boundaries between their work life and their personal life.
  • Seek professional help if they are struggling to cope with burnout.

Conclusion

Burnout is a serious problem that can significantly impact a workers physical, mental, and spiritual health. It is essential for people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of burnout and to take steps to prevent it. If burnout does occur, it is necessary to seek help from a qualified professional.

Here are some additional tips for preventing burnout:

  • Find a job that you are passionate about and allows you to use your skills and talents.
  • Set realistic expectations for yourself and your work.
  • Take breaks throughout the day to relax and recharge.
  • Ask for help when you need it.
  • Don’t be afraid to say no to extra work.
  • Take time for yourself to do things that you enjoy.
  • Connect with friends and family for support.
  • Seek professional help if you are struggling to cope with burnout.

Mental Health Wellness

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You can do several things daily to promote good mental health and wellness. Here are some of the best practices:

  • Practice mindfulness: This involves being present at the moment and paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. It can be done through meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply taking a few minutes to focus on your senses.
  • Exercise: Regular exercise has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase self-esteem. Even a short walk or stretching session can positively impact mental health.
  • Get enough sleep: Sleep is essential for good mental health. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and establish a regular sleep routine.
  • Connect with others: Social connections and supportive relationships are essential for mental health. Make time to connect with friends and family, join a club or group that interests you, or volunteer in your community.
  • Practice gratitude: Focusing on the positive things in your life and expressing gratitude can improve mood and overall well-being. Consider keeping a gratitude journal or taking time each day to reflect on what you are thankful for.
  • Take breaks: It’s important to rest and recharge throughout the day. This can include taking a short walk, listening to music, or engaging in a hobby you enjoy.
  • Seek professional help if needed: If you are experiencing persistent sadness, anxiety, or other mental health concerns, consider contacting a mental health professional for support and guidance.
woman with white sunvisor running
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Getting started with a positive mental health wellness routine can be challenging, but prioritizing your mental health is worth the effort. Here are some steps to help you make it a part of your daily routine:

  • Identify your goals: What aspects of your mental health do you want to improve? Is it reducing stress, improving mood, or practicing self-care? Identify your goals and write them down.
  • Create a plan: Once you have identified your goals, create a plan that includes specific actions you can take to achieve them. For example, if your goal is to reduce stress, you may plan to practice meditation or deep breathing exercises for 10 minutes each day.
  • Start small: Trying to change too much too quickly can be overwhelming and challenging to sustain. Instead, start with one or two small changes you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. For example, you may start by taking a 5-minute break to stretch or take a short walk during the workday.
  • Set reminders: It can be easy to forget to prioritize mental health when busy. Set reminders on your phone or calendar to help you remember to practice your daily routine.
  • Find accountability: Having someone to hold you accountable can help you stick to your routine. Consider finding a friend or family member interested in prioritizing their mental health or joining a support group.
  • Celebrate progress: Celebrate small wins and progress towards your goals. This will help you stay motivated and reinforce positive habits.

Remember that everyone’s journey toward good mental health is unique; finding a routine that works best for you may take time. Be patient and kind to yourself as you explore different strategies and see what works for you.

Anxiety needs to Go

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Anxiety is a normal and natural human emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. However, it can interfere with daily life and well-being when anxiety becomes intense, persistent, and challenging to manage. If you are struggling with anxiety, several strategies may help you overcome it:

  1. Seek professional help: A mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychologist, can help you identify the causes of your anxiety and develop a treatment plan.
  2. Practice relaxation techniques: Techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation can help you relax and manage your anxiety.
  3. Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity reduces anxiety and improves mood.
  4. Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation can increase anxiety, so it is vital to get enough rest.
  5. Eat a healthy diet: Eating a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients can help improve your overall physical and mental health.
  6. Limit caffeine and alcohol: Caffeine and alcohol are stimulants that can increase anxiety. Limiting your intake of these substances can help reduce stress.
  7. Practice good self-care: Engage in activities that you find enjoyable, and that help you relax, such as reading, spending time in nature, or listening to music.
  8. Challenge negative thoughts: Negative thoughts and worry are common in anxiety. Challenging these thoughts and replacing them with more positive ones can be helpful.
  9. Try different treatments: There are many treatments for anxiety, including medication and therapy. Finding the treatment that works best for you may take some trial and error.
nature sunset fashion people
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Remember, it is essential to be patient and persistent when overcoming anxiety. Finding the right combination of strategies that work for you may take time, but with the right help and support, it is possible to manage and reduce your anxiety.

Time to Take Out the Garbage

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

Over our lifetimes, we can accumulate a landfill of garbage in our heads. This is garbage that has taken a lifetime to gather. However, it is now time to empty the trash, let’s go learn how!

Let me share the same advice with you that my mother bestowed upon me. “It took you a lifetime to break your life, have the patience to allow change to occur.”

Christian, Faith, Self Improvement

She is right; it has taken a lifetime to accumulate so much trash, it may take a garbage bag or a hundred to empty out our noodle. The good news is a lot of the garbage can be taken out never to return simply because you are ready for change. You are right?

What exactly are we talking about, garbage?

  • Negativity
  • Fear
  • Hopelessness
  • Self-Loathing
  • Depression
  • Addiction

You get the idea!

Let’s plot out an action plan for change:

  1. Make the decision you want to change your life. Whatever it is you feel you need to change, decide that today forward no more. The new you is at hand.
  2. Organize your life so that you can feel like you are achieving something every day.
  3. Learn how to quiet your mind. This will take some practice but will be the most fantastic thing you can do for yourself. Use headphones, find some relaxing meditation music, sounds, rain, etc. Turn off anything that will disturb you and on get somewhere no interruptions! Cannot stress that enough. Learn to relax and quiet your mind. This will open your mind and allow you to just relax.
  4. Let God know what you desire and ask for the wisdom to find what you seek.
  5. Get healthy. Walk to relieve tension in your body. When you’re healthy, you will be less fatigued. Your body will respond better to change.
  6. Find something that is NOT about you. Volunteer and help others. Doing something that benefits others has an incredible cathartic result.
  7. Learn to be thankful right where you are. Let God know every day you love what you have. When you are okay where you are. God will see that you can have more than you are ready for more in your life. Gratitude is a wonderfully blissful peace in your mind.

Don’t overload yourself. Pick a couple of things and do them consistently. We stop change because we overwhelm our brains. Believing we must do all this stuff to get a replacement now. Slow down, and change will come more quickly.

Someone shared with me, “the state of my house is in direct correlation with the state of my mind.” Look around for clutter. Get the clutter out of your life. No, it’s not organized its confusion. Desk, car, home, or office. Organize!

When deciding what your life should look like take the following OUT of the equation:

  • Don’t have the money.
  • Don’t have the time.
  • Don’t have the resources.
  • Don’t have enough education.
  • Too old or too young.

When framing a new life. Do it from the world is your oyster. You have NO obstacles in the way. I can hear some of you, I don’t have money, I don’t have time!

Learn quickly that in life, you can throw up an obstacle to stifle yourself. If you believe in something enough, PUT FORTH THE WORK TO ATTAIN IT. What you need will come to you someway somehow, even when you see NO idea at all.

Give this to God. Let him see you working diligently, stay in faith. You don’t know how, but you know God will make a way.

Hebrews 11:1-6 King James Version (KJV)

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Do everything you can to make your dreams come true. Cannot sit on your duff and expect God to just Miracle a million dollars in your bank. That is called the lottery!

You must condition yourself to release negative thoughts as they enter your mind. This is a pass you need to fumble. Drop the ball, let it go, don’t even try to catch the negative thoughts. Easier said than done, I get it. However, you can acknowledge the idea with a resounding “Delete.”

happy, woman, life

Meditation helps with this. See yourself happy, loved, and doing the life you want. The big difference in having the experience you wish to versus having a life you are stuck with. None of us are stuck, oh, you might think you are, but you are not! That much I am 100% on.

Question or help:

Robert Bruton Author of Ten Christian Self Improvement Books available at Amazon

Anxiety & Stress Are They Stealing Your Joy

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

Anxiety and stress can have debilitating results. For years I suffered through stress, work-related, home, you name it, I could find a way to stress myself out!

Over the past couple of years now, some fantastic results have passed through my life. Yes, I still stress, but boy can control it been enhanced. I will share with you my daily routine and habits that help.

prayer, faith, hope

First, let me say that if you’re struggling to get help from a licensed health care professional. What I am sharing with you is just daily habits that you can try to see if they help. By no means should you feel this is a cure-al?

Simple daily routine changes can help with stress & anxiety:

  1. Learn to quiet the mind. This is just a simple relaxation method that can help you with a clear mind. When the rhetoric in your head can slow down and quiet. Amazing results begin to appear.
  2. This can be a simple walk around your neighborhood. Or you can join a gym. Working out the tension in your body, getting stronger can help you not get so fatigued that your anxiety just increases.
  3. Take a moment often during the day to just breathe. Sixty seconds to breathe in through the nose and out through your mouth. Nice cleansing breaths.
  4. Regulate your soda, coffee, and high caffeine drinks. For most of us, we don’t need more help to get anxious.
  5. Take the time that’s just for you. Watch a sunrise by yourself. Sit by a creek. Do something that is just for you (retail therapy is a no-no. Credit card debt is a stressor). Go shoot baskets at the park, kick a ball, ride a bike.
  6. Stay connected with people that uplift you. Debbie-downer is not your friend. Choose wisely. Don’t hibernate.
  7. Set boundaries for people that bring stress into your experience. If someone can only talk about negative things. Cut them short (YES YOU CAN) politely excuse yourself from that situation “oh I totally forgot ______” hopefully that person gets a clue. You are not anyone’s sounding board for garbage.
  8. Home or office is a mess. Guess what? That is the state of your noodle. Clean up, organize, and enjoy the environment around you. People often tell me the disorganized desk in the office, “that’s just the way I am.” So, you’re a chaotic malfunctioning human, and we should all get over it? I regularly must organize myself, it’s a habit I highly recommend.
  9. Sit down and prioritize your life. I mean down to the last detail. If you tell me you’re a free spirit, you fly by the seat of your pants. Then I say super if you’re a well-adjusted, NORMAL functioning human being I will shut up. Otherwise, organize based on the importance of what you need to do every day. The reason being, if you have a real sense of accomplishment, wow, is that life-changing! Activity vs. Productivity learns the difference now!
  10. Patience and faith. If you can learn to allow life to unfold (yes you must do the work) knowing full well, you’ll be fine. Even when you can’t see a way, you believe with everything that is you, all will be well. Spiritual connectedness will indeed bring about peace in your life.
  11. Learn to be grateful right where you are. If you want more out of life, you must be thankful where you stand. If you want more from the Universe, why would that occur if you’re miserable where you are (NO, I am not suggesting you be grateful in a situation that is emotionally or physically harmful to you). However, if this is not the case and you’re simply aggravated at your lot in life. Be grateful you have a car that gets you to work, you have a job it may suck, but you have one, a roof over your head, food to eat, your health and clothes to wear.

You can find a million reasons to stay in the crap. I just gave you eleven reasons not too. What’s more, you can do each of these with just a little effort.

The real question now; “What are you prepared to do?” Until you make the decision to change your life, expect the same outcome.

No guarantee this will be easy. Nothing worth having is ever easy. I am going to let you in on a secret. For most of our lives, we’ve been taught to run away from pain. Sounds reasonable.

Ponder this:

When you first go to the gym and workout hard, what happens? Soreness from hell hits you. Can’t brush your teeth, can’t raise your arms high enough. You can quit or go back to the gym and work out a bit more until the soreness subsides.

Coaches will push you beyond your mental and physical breaking points. Why? Your head will quit far sooner than your body or mind can handle. Marathon runners are prime examples. “The wall” as marathon runners will tell you hits about the twenty-mile mark, and your brain says your body it’s time to stop. The physical pain that is causing damage to the point if you don’t stop, you could injure yourself or worse die.

Medical studies have proven this is all in your head. Runners are not hurt, injured, or dying. What is happening is our limiting beliefs take over, and it’s; fight-or-flight.

Before you give up, take one more step. If you took the step, then maybe we can go more. It’s all up to you. The ONLY PERSON ON THIS PLANET THAT CAN SAY YOU CAN OR CANNOT. IS YOU!

Don’t let anxiety and stress take your joy. If you need professional help go, get it. I am putting a resource to help you get started. This is not a paid endorsement, nor an endorsement by me. It’s just a great place to get started.

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National Institute for Mental Health