An Ayurvedic Approach to Balancing Burnout
Our modern society moves at the rhythm of speed. Whether conscious or unconscious, productivity is the heartbeat of corporate culture. Value is placed on output, achievement, ambition and doing. This doing becomes exacerbated by technology, social media, and the constant pings that leave our attention scattered. Many would say today’s world is driven by pitta and vata forces - the fire that fuels our movement movement and striving for more. And when it excess, these energetic forces fragments our energy and can leave us feeling drained or depleted. It is no wonder that these collective forces can bear weight on our individual ecosystems.
Burnout is real. The World Health Organization classifies burnout as an “occupational phenomenon…resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It can be experienced in a myriad of ways:
Signs of burnout include:
Feeling drained, depleted or exhausted
Reduced efficacy
Breathing difficulties
Headaches
Sweating
Palpitations
Chest Pain
Digestive Issues
Anxiety
Depression & detachment
Lack of vitality or interest in hobbies
Helplessness
Sources: WHO, Banyan Botanicals
Ayurveda understands burnout to be related to Pitta dosha
Pitta is he energetic force composed of fire and water. The energy of pitta often prevails in the summertime, when the sun is high, the days are long, and excess heat can be felt in the body and mind. While intensity, focus and fire can be productive, too much of anything can cause dis-ease. A pitta imbalance can emerge from such heightened intensity that burns up one’s “Ojas” or immune boosting life force.
Ojas is responsible for the overall health, vitality and resilience of the body. Ojas is the most refined essence of what Ayurveda sees as the 7 dhatus or bodily tissues. Is is the purest essence of kapha dosha (water and earth) and promotes stability in body and mind. Understood in a Western context, ojas is our immunity and ability to defend and prevent disease. It is what enables us to endure change with steadiness, protect us against the negativity of others, and encourage an overall satisfaction of life.
When we experience burnout we deplete our ojas. Ayurveda is an individualized mind-body system of healing, so it’s important to recognize that burnout can appear differently for each Ayurvedic dosha or mind-body constitution.
Burnout by Dosha
Vata individuals {Air and Ether} often feel overwhelmed or scattered from their varying endeavors. When vata folks experience burnout, attention becomes easily fragmented making completion of tasks a drain. Their boundaries can become too flexible, making the art of saying ‘no’ a challenge. Energetically, vata types are prone to short bursts, which can make them prone to low stamina. They tend to keep moving, spread their efforts thin, and spiral out in exhaustion. Imbalances often result in anxiety, worry, overwhelm, insomnia, emotional disconnection, mental fragmentation, digestive gas and more.
Pitta individuals {Fire and Water} are often driven to burnout through their ambition and desire. Their pursuits are often done with intensity at the expense of rest. Addiction to productivity can be stealth, leading to a vicious cycle of doing without a break. Energetically, Pitta types are prone to intensity which can lead them to push too far or neglect their healthy edge. Pitta burnout imbalances often result in judgment, increased criticism, impatience, anger. They can feel overtaxed and wound up with the inability to decompress.
Kapha individuals {Earth and Water} are the least likely to experience burnout due to their generally stable and reliable nature. However, as the dosha that tends to have the most to give, Kapha individuals can end up giving too much - to friends, family, relationships, leaving their own personal energy drained. Energetically, Kapha types have sustained endurance, but may stay committed to a pursuit far longer than what is healthy.
Below are a few ways to balance burnout
Practices for Balancing Burnout
1. Slow down & honor transition times.
We live in a culture of speed.
If you tend to stack things in your schedule back to back, buffer each activity with intentional transition time. Give yourself space between appointments,
2. Simplify your commitments.
Release what is not essential. Examine your work, relationship, family, and financial commitments all contribute to physical and emotional exhaustion. Begin to notice how you manage your energy and start to limit the activities that leave you feeling drained. Practice discernment, especially when exploring activities that are masked in ‘shoulds’ or appear energizing yet require lots of resources. Hint: look at where procrastination emerges. Prioritize activities that elevate and fuel your energy.
3. Set boundaries for your work day.
The boundaries in our world have become increasingly blurred. With influence from the pandemic, the home space also became the work space. With the rise of entrepreneurialism and the gig economy, many folks have become their own bosses, making it hard to designate specific work hours. Workaholism and pitta burnout go hand in hand. Capitalism reinforces the false belief that we need to produce more. Ultimately this is unsustainable for our health and happiness.
Setting boundaries for your workday can look like:
Designating hours you work
Not checking your email first thing when waking up or right before bed
Not responding to people during your weekend or play hours
4. Disconnect from technology
We live in an attention economy. Technology has become embedded into our daily routines. The structure of the digital world is designed to seize our attention {and in turn monetize it}. Studies reveal that people pick up their phone every 6 minutes. Naturally, disengaging from habituated ways of using technology can be a challenge. But the reward is great. Research reveals that when we consciously limit our technology use people experience a decrease in anxiety and depression, improved relationships, better sleep, deeper focus and presence amidst many other benefits (Sources: Forbes, Greater Good Magazine).
Tips for unplugging & boundaries around tech:
Leave your phone in another room - especially during sleeping hours and meal times.
Enable the ‘Do Not Disturb’ function or airplane mode
Remove addicting apps, or move them to the last page of your phone
5. Take pranayama breaks to reset your nervous system.
Breathing is a lost art. Our breathing has evolved and gotten markedly worse since the Industrial revolution. Scientists say that 90% of us are breathing incorrectly, which in turn affects a myriad of chronic diseases (Source: Breath by James Nester). When we are stressed or anxious, our breath can quicken, shorten, and become shallow. Breathing is the quickest way to bring the mind to the present-moment and the body to a place of ease.
4 Pranayama practices that calm your nervous system include:
Nadi shodhana
Sama Vritti
Bhramari
Visama Vritti with longer exhales
6. Prioritize healthy food.
Ayurveda sees food as medicine and the root cause of ‘bala’ or strength that nourishes our 7 tissues. When we are exhausted, it’s easy to seek foods that offer false energy, quick fix or emotional comfort. Avoid or limit caffeine, alcohol and foods with added or processed sugars. Enjoy nutrient-dense organic foods.
Foods that support adrenal fatigue include dark leafy greens like spinach, kale and swiss chard, which provide magnesium (which regulates blood pressure, nerve function and more). Foods with folate such as asparagus. Healthy fats such as avocado are both grounding
Sustainable, wild cold water fish with omega-3’s help decrease inflammation. Pumpkin seeds improve thyroid function.
My two favorite sweet swaps
Instead of coffee → golden milk {a tonic elixir that fights inflammation}, or dandy blend (a chicory-based coffee substitute}. I use oat milk because I find it sweet and grounding. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice - a cooling option for pitta dosha or excess heat.
Instead of a cookie or sweet → a date, a ‘pecan pie bite’ or a date boat!
Dates are revered in Ayurveda as a superfood that builds ojas. They are sweet and grounding, Sattvic in nature which promotes clarity of mind, and considered a nutritive tonic for the nervous system and body. Keep it simple and grab a date. Make a ‘pecan pie’ bite by cutting a date in half and sticking a pecan in it’s center. Or make it fancy by creating a date boat. See recipes here.
7. Call in your herbal allies.
Plants have been used as medicine for centuries. Taking a daily supplement can help support your whole body.
For vata: Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that assists the body in combating stress. It increases muscle strength, supports sexual health, and improves memory.
For pitta: Brahmi is a nervine tonic that rejuvenates the nervous system. Gotu Kola, though tridoshic, is cooling and has an affinity for pitta dosha. It regenerates cells, promotes blood flow to the brain, supports the balance of nervous disorders, irritability and adrenal fatigue.
For kapha: Tulsi, another adaptogen that helps reduce stress and anxiety. Studies show that it increases endurance and has antidepressant properties amongst many other benefits. Of course Gotu Kola is great too.
Sources: Forbes Health, The Herbal Academy, Healthline
8. Enjoy a pitta pacifying yoga practice.
If you tend towards hot yoga or sweaty, strengthening vinyasa - tone it down a notch. Enjoy a slow mindful flow that invokes water and earth elements.
Focus on stability, hip openers, standing balance poses, and forward folds to calm the nervous system.
Enjoy side bending to release heat from the core and gentle heart opening to strengthen compassion.
Try a lunar practice such as restorative yoga, yin, or yoga nidra.
Here is a 50 Minute Mindful Flow for Burnout you can practice on YouTube.
9. Practice Meditation or Mindfulness
There is no shortage of studies that reveal the tremendous benefits of meditation in service of combating stress and anxiety, improving the physical wellbeing and health of a person, and refining one’s awareness. Take time to draw back your attention from the external world and refine your focus. Whether it’s a seated meditation practice or the dedicated attention to what you are doing in the present moment without judgment, both will support relaxation and the renewal from burnout.
10. Abhyanga or Padabhyanga: Practice a grounding self-massage.
The art of self-massage is long revered in Ayurveda. Intentional touch is a practice I often feel we are deprived of in Western cultures, especially as we navigate the pandemic. Touch has a direct affect on the nervous system and can provide deep grounding and relaxation. From the Ayurvedic perspective, the body has many marma points (similar to accupressure points), that hold high concentrations of prana (life-force). When we massage ourselves and add pressure to some of these points, we can enable greater flow of stagnant energy and release of built up tension.
Here is more on how to perform abhyanga. Padabhyanga is the practice of massaging your feet - even more grounding.
11. Reconnect to nature and engage the senses
Earth based interventions and ecotherapy practices are on the rise as our modern world is understanding what Ancient indigenous traditions have known for thousands of years - Nature heals. A mere 120 minutes a week can yield tremendous benefits physically, mentally and emotionally. Try forest bathing, walking barefoot in nature to ground, laying on the Earth, or tracking time to engage your visual, auditory and aromatic senses. They are portals to the present moment. More on nature-based practices for resilience here.
12. Bolster your sleep
Sleep is a place for profound integration and rest. It is a way we digest our day and our experiences, as well as replenish our energy reserves. Incorporating rituals that support sleep hygiene are important. Some of these can look like:
Eliminating technology use and blue light exposure before bed
Minimizing the mental work in the evening
Curbing your intake of stimulants
Enjoying aromatherapy such as lavender and chamomile
Grounding with a weighted blanket
For a deeper exploration of ways to rest well, read on here.