Beat Burnout: 3 Daily Habits to Find Calm
Burnout is characterized by emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion from prolonged stress. It drains your energy, erodes passion, and negatively impacts your health and productivity.
If you feel like you’re perpetually on edge, overly fatigued yet unable to rest, or just emotionally tapped out, it’s time to interrupt the burnout cycle. Implement these three research-backed daily habits to restore calm and recover from burnout holistically:
Anchor Your Morning with Breathwork
How you begin each morning powerfully sets the tone for your day. Start on a calm, mindful note with a simple 5-10 minute breathwork practice.
Sit comfortably with your spine upright. Inhale smoothly and deeply through your nose, allowing your belly to expand as your diaphragm drops. Exhale slowly and smoothly through pursed lips, pushing all air out of your lungs.
Continue this belly breathing for at least 5 minutes, focusing your full attention on the breath. If thoughts intrude, gently return to the sensations of inhaling and exhaling.
This centering breathwork instantly engages the parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” nervous system, signaling your body to downshift to a state of safety, balance, and restoration. Practiced daily, it builds resilience against stress.
Unplug and Immerse in Nature
Chronic stress often goes hand in hand with information overload from endless digital stimulation. Set firm boundaries and take brief tech breaks throughout your day.
Spend a portion of your lunch break away from screens by stepping outside. During warmer months, sit on the grass or take a barefoot walk. Stand near a window and drink in the sunlight and fresh air in cooler weather.
Even 5-15 minutes immersed in the natural world is deeply rejuvenating. Research shows interacting with nature balances hormones, lowers blood pressure, reduces rumination, and boosts immune defenses. Make this a daily ritual.
Consistent Relaxation Practice
Carve out time each evening to actively calm your nervous system. This will allow you to wind down and transition into restful sleep, which is critical for recovering from stress.
Try gentle movement, stretching, breathwork, mindfulness meditation, nature walks, Epsom salt baths, sipping herbal tea, using essential oils, reading fiction, listening to binaural beats, or slow journaling about emotions.
Experiment to find which practices resonate most. The key is choosing something enjoyable that clears mental clutter, settles your body, quiets your inner critic, and counters the day’s stimulation. The more you consciously relax, the better you’ll sleep, and the less stress will impact you.
Final Thoughts
Start with as little as 5 minutes daily, then gradually increase your relaxation time. Prioritize self-care to come back from burnout. Be patient and trust that regular small steps will restore your sense of calm. You got this!
