Do you ever feel like you just don't have enough time to "get it all done" every day? Do you find yourself putting off too many of the little things, and sometimes the important ones too? Are you on the road to burnout, or have you already arrived?
If you're like most people, you probably wish you had more hours in the day to take care of everything on your "to do" list. In order to have optimal health and happiness, we need margin. Without it, we feel "compressed, stressed, pressured" and just plain unhealthy. Excessive or prolonged stress in any part of our lives and/or relationships leads to compression, dis-ease and sickness.
So, here are some important tips on how to "lighten your load", decompress, and create more margin in your life! Take one or two from this list today and see if it makes you feel a little "less stress".
MARGIN CREATING – BURNOUT BUSTING TIPS
1. Schedule regular social activities
Remember when you used to spend time with people you were neither working with nor sleeping with? You watched movies, ate meals, played games, and went on trips. You were active and you had fun!
You can regain some of that emotional fulfillment by contacting some of your old pals and scheduling regular activities.
2. Follow a fitness plan
If you want to avoid burnout, resurrect that New Year’s Resolution and figure out what it takes to get you exercising on a regular basis. Apart from all the physical benefits of exercise, you’ll enjoy the mental satisfaction of knowing that you’re taking good care of yourself again.
3. Pursue a hobby
Pick a hobby that has little or nothing to do with what you spend most of your week doing and pursue it with passion! A hobby that uses an entirely different skill set can provide your heart and mind with a satisfying break from the weekly grind and set you on a good path for increased productivity.
4. Volunteer
Nothing brightens the soul or warms the senses like giving to another for no reason other than to give. If you’re feeling run down by life, seek out somebody less fortunate than yourself and work to help them.
5. Write a manifesto
Have you forgotten what you want out of life? It’s easy to lose track of time and even easier to forget about what makes us glad to be alive. What can you do to bring back that focus? Take a day or perhaps an entire weekend and write a manifesto, a declaration of purpose, for yourself.
6. Ask for help
Whether your struggle is with a particular part of a project or with something general, like time management, asking for help will get you to a solution faster than you could ever hope to alone. If you want to avoid burnout, you’ll need to swallow your pride on occasion and reach out for help.
7. Make others laugh
You’ll find it hard to be glum and entertain unhappy thoughts when the people around you are excited and happy to be near you.
8. Make an escape list
An “escape list” is a list of everything you’d need to do in order to escape a situation that’s driving you nuts. In a work context, your escape list might include things like turning in a final presentation or asking for a raise.
9. Embrace a morning ritual
Are you starting your day on the wrong foot by waking up late, rushing about, and skipping out the door at the last minute? Try slowing down your morning instead.
10. Stop making excuses
Once you’ve given up on blaming others you’ll start seeing more of the good in your life.
11. Be accountable
The trick is find somebody you can trust to give the down and dirty on what you’re trying to do and how you’re moving forward. For best results, have your accountability partner NOT be a relative or somebody you’re dating. They typically won’t have the capacity for objective review of your progress. People who love you will often make excuses for you, and you want to avoid excuses at all costs.
With all that being said, sometimes one of the best things we can do is . . . to do less. Take something off of your list of "to do's" that really isn't required for life to go on, and just rest. Sometimes "sleep therapy" is just what the doctor ordered!
In a busy, stress filled, sometimes painful world, where we focus on doing more and better, sometimes we have to pull back and just do less in order to recharge, regenerate and rest, . . . so that we can be at our best.
At our offices in San Diego, we help people with compressed spinal discs do just that. We create more "margin" between the bones of the spine in order to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves, thereby reducing pain, improving function, and restoring lives. If you know anyone who is suffering with chronic or severe back or neck pain, check out our website at: www.SouthCoastSpine.com or give us a call at: 619-472-2225 to see if we can help "decompress" the stress . . . and restore optimal health, wealth and happiness.
Yours in great health . . . and lot's of margin,
Dr. Bruce Bell, D.C., Q.M.E., Qualified Medical Evaluator, American Academy of Spine Physicians, Director of the South Coast Spine Center in San Diego
619-472-2225 www.southcoastspine.com
P.S. Here's a list of recommended decompression specialists and their websites across the country:
1] Dr. Eben Davis, San Francisco, CA www.executiveexpresschiro.com
2] Dr. Steve Shoshany, New York City, NY www.livingwellnewyork.com
3] Dr. Nona Djavid, Newport Beach, CA www.wellnesschoicecenter.com
4] Dr. Ron Spallone, Lakewood/Denver, CO www.denverchiropractor.com
5] Dr. Kathy Hunter, Simi Valley, CA www.gladback.com
6] Dr. Andrea Mills, Lancaster, CA www.natural-arthritis-relief.com/serngeti-chiropractic.html
7] Dr. David Livingston, Delray Beach, FL www.delraybeachchiropractor.com
8] Dr. Nav Gill, Central Connecticut, http://www.neckpainsupport.com/
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