The Restorative Power of One Thing

In an always on, always going world, it can be hard to slow down - harder still to take a few moments and simply care for ourselves. If you're a pro at it, congratulations! If you're like me and you're not, perhaps this post will help you regain some focus in some small way. What I've realized over the past week or so is that a little mindfulness goes a long way. One small deliberate act can pay big dividends if you let it.

The last few months have been incredibly demanding on the work front. My boundaries faded and fell and I devoted my full attention to work (it was the right thing to do at the time, I enjoy my job immensely but this season was tough - really tough). The clear delineation between work and home was gone; I'd arrive home on weeknights stripped of all mental energy only to collapse on the couch. On the weekends, it was difficult to fully lean in on the adventurous fun stuff because I knew my phone would ring and pull me from it. Plus I was so tired I really didn't feel like doing much anyway. This does not make for a balanced life and I crave balance... always.

Recovering from burnout is tricky. We often long for a big swath of time to vacation, or nap, or watch a movie -- it's a little bit of "all or nothing" thinking: if I don't take a vacation, I won't recharge... and when things are busy, how do you take a vacation? I actually did take a week off, enjoyed a lovely vacation and went back to work: I found myself resuming 200mph the first hour of my return. Vacation glow: already a memory. It was a painful and abrupt reentry I wasn't expecting. I quickly descended into the pit of near 24/7 demands. If a week off didn't give me the refresh I needed - what now?

Pulling out of the pit doesn't happen by accident. It happens with purposeful reflection, mindfulness and action. There's a saying I learned long ago that is so helpful: change happens when the pain of changing becomes less than the pain of keeping things the same. Status quo was clearly painful for me; changing for the better seemed existentially necessary. Instead of longing for my next week off, I began to hold myself accountable to doing at least one thing daily that fed my soul.

If you've got time for big things, do the big things. I was looking to start small, so here are examples that worked for me:

• Coffee (without the news on) with my husband before work

• A quick walk outside

• Fifteen minutes reading a good book

• Fifteen minutes of THE BEST music

• Coffee & catch up with a friend before work

• Deliberately putting my phone in another room for an hour (or more!)

• Writing in my journal

• Indulging in a TV show or movie (this is a luxury for me!)

What I found was this: once I started planning these little joys into my day, I craved more. Feeling the lift I got from these little breaks inspired me to work more indulgent minutes into my day. Little by little, I regained my balance, easily leaning into joy and shedding the burdens of 24/7 work tunnel vision.

Regular doses of joy displace the stress more consistently and effectively for me. Maybe it can for you as well? Start with five minutes if fifteen feels like too much! Every other day if daily seems undoable. Be kind to yourself, find what works for you and never give up. The stakes are too high! Joy deserves priority in your life.