Burnout is the new normal
It’s getting to the point where I’m having daily conversations with not only clients but friends, family, acquaintances down the gym about burnout. It’s like….. ‘Yeah so and so is off work at the moment with burnout’, ‘Yeah, I’ve been feeling pretty burned out this year’, ‘She’s definitely on the brink of burnout’.
Burnout is now common. It’s frightening.
But what’s more frightening is that it’s become the new normal. We have reached a new level or normal - chronic stress. It’s our baseline.
And the problem when something becomes normalised is we no longer see it as extreme - it’s just how it is.
Well, I’m here to remind us that there is nothing normal about this state of being.
There is nothing normal about humans spending more time at work than they do playing, resting, being with their loved ones.
There is nothing normal about humans staying indoors longer than they are outdoors.
There is nothing normal about a human taking their phone to the toilet/shower/bath.
There is nothing normal about a human going thirsty, or hungry, or not having a piss because they are too busy.
There is nothing normal about a human seeing a blue screen before seeing a face when they wake up in the morning.
There is nothing normal about a human trying to raise a family on their own without support of a community.
There is nothing normal about a human being expected to respond to a million forms of communication immediately at any time of the day or night.
There is nothing normal about a human sitting in a chair all day.
There is nothing normal about a human staring so long at a screen it makes their eyes and head hurt.
There is nothing normal about a human being so exhausted they need to use stimulants to get through the day.
There is nothing normal about that pain in your shoulder/neck/back/hip that’s aching for no ‘apparent reason’.
There is nothing normal about a human feeling guilty or a failure because they need to rest.
Modern living is not set up for humans. It’s not fit for human consumption. It is designed to burn us out AND it is designed to allow us to think this is normal.
When our nervous systems have been in a state of chronic stress for so long, we have forgotten what it feels like to really be normal.
Rest is the true normal for a human being.
Stress should be temporary - out of the ordinary. Somewhere our nervous system goes when there is a stressful event and when that is over, we return to our baseline - rest.
Many of us have NEVER experienced this. So there’s a lot to learn.
That’s why I created a place where humans can come back to their true nature - to rest.
The new moon resting sessions are held monthly in Cardiff at Plas pilates These sessions are for you if:
You find it difficult to sit still and meditate.
You feel guilty for resting and not being productive.
You have a sense of urgency and often feel on edge.
Your days have no ‘gaps’. You hop from one thing to the next. There is no breathing space.
You feel overwhelmed with communication from your email, messages, social media…..
You swing between being busy, busy, busy and burnt out.
You keep busy to avoid sitting still with yourself.
You find it hard to unwind and switch off at night.
We have a 2 hour session of gentle movement, breathwork, meditation, music and poetry in a really cosy space. Honestly, it is lush! And you get recordings of our practices so that you can create your own resting routine at home. More info and booking here
And if you don’t live near Cardiff, I created all this in a private audio course for you