Dealing with burnout and fatigue- How your brain needs fun and passion in your life.

I’m going to give you a solution to one of the top issues my clients face as busy women potentially dealing with burnout: How to Have Time for Fun Again.

Here’s the thing, you’re busy—and every year that goes by the more you may feel pulled in a gizillion different directions by friends, family and work commitments and the most common thing to take a hit is having fun. This is something I went through myself as a doctor when I was on my way to burning out and reclaiming my ‘fun factor’ was one of the most important things I did to beat stress and overwhelm and it’s the same with the women I now help. Because having fun and passions in your life is actually good for your brain. It actually activates different neural networks when you do things that bring you radical happiness and joy. And not having a regular injection of fun can make you start to spiral into frequent blue moods, feeling de- motivated or un-inspired and that is the road to burning out!

This is one of the aspects of human psychology that a doctor is probably not going to tell you, because it’s not in their tool box. And because most people go to their doctor these days when they face issues like low mood, anxiety stress or feeling overwhelmed and your doctor doesn’t mention it, you may think that it is just ‘fluff’ and not important. You may think that having fun is a luxury and that you are too busy to make it a priority after all the important stuff you have to jam pack into your day. But this is one of the most important ‘ingredients’ to being truly happy. In fact, the things that most people think will make them happy, like making more money, have only a weak association with happiness. However, doing things that produces a ‘flow state’ in your brain, researchers have shown people find this so gratifying and rewarding that they will do this for it’s own sake, not for what they will ‘get’ out of it, like money, prestige or something in return. In this state of flow, which leading Doctors like Judson from Yale university talk about, is doing something where your concentration is fully in the moment, your self awareness just kind of drifts away and the sense of time is distorted—like you look up from gardening, if that’s your passion-and 3 hours have gone by in what felt like 3 minutes!

I had to start getting this piece nailed myself to beat stress and burnout and getting back into dance was really it—I would have this feeling after I danced that nothing or no one could bother me, I just lost myself for that hour and felt totally rejuvenated afterwards and ready to tackle the world again. I do yoga every day as part of my mind body practice but it is is still not the same feeling for me as dancing. I have to dance.

So, if you can’t remember the last time you really ‘let loose’ and found FUN, FLOW, joy and happiness in an activity you used to love OR a new activity that you know you would love but haven’t had the guts or the time to try yet, you need to get started now with these 5 steps:
1. Get out your calendar or dayplanner/scheduler right now and find 10 minutes sometime in the next 2 days when you are not at work to sit somewhere comfortable and write a list of your 5 childhood hobbies/passions/favorite activities or things you used to do as a kid that you loved. These can also be ‘secret passions’ or things you have always wanted to try but haven’t had the chance yet, like painting, dancing (even at home in your living room) or anything else that seems to call you, even if it doesn’t seem to make ‘logical sense.'
2. pick one of those things (for me, when I first did this exercise, my top 2 were making simple jewellery and dancing) and commit to doing this hobby/passion/quirky thing/activity for 1 hour each week (at LEAST-but it has to be one hour!) and write it into your schedule as if it’s your most important biz meeting
3. Call a friend who ‘brings you up’ and makes you laugh and plan a meet up with them for coffee/lunch/dinner/drinks sometime in the next 7 days, (or if you can’t meet up in person, plan a Skype or phone catch up when you are NOT multitasking BUT calling them on a run or while rushing to work is cheating a bit;). When you meet up with them, tell them about your new ‘passion/fun plan’ so they can help support you and keep you honest to sticking to your goal of doing this one thing you choose at least 1 hr/week for the next 8 weeks.

[DrPreetiSahu]

Oh yes! I recently had burnout and the first thing to go out of the windows probably was gym and singing

[captainzappbrannagan]

Paint nights are a ton of fun. Musical instruments aren't just for band camp, great for mind and relaxation, there's even online courses. Exercise and diet are key, its easier to say than do. Shopping though stick to lists don't buy junk as you will eat it. 1 bag of chips a week for me. Exercise is hard, but routines are easy. Realize the 1.5 month mark is what you need for it to become easy to fit in the week. In lockdown times join a group that meets online many yoga studios have virtual sessions. Be ok with you, however you are. You are not perfect and that's ok, no one is. Think minor changes to things you want if you want them enough you will find a way. If you didn't maybe you tell yourself it was important because society does and realizing that can make less stress right there. Good luck everyone!

[JadeManatee]

Finally...advice that doesn’t deal with all the self care tips like hiking or yoga or spa trips. Those are great but I need something else. This is different and it’s great.

[oddsandendsofstuff]

I am starting to recover from severe burnout...what helps me is working for 90 minutes they sitting or laying down..15 minutes then work another 90 minutes..as self employed I've worked 22 years full tilt..the last 2 years I hit the slippery slope..constant heart psin muscle pain insomnia hatred for my work..I did get into furniture refinishing but I realized I have to recover from burn out as well...8 to 9 hours sleep minimum...two full days off per week...do nothing but rest or read..limit TV or stimulus...its helping a lot

[usagi]

I have a one-year-old baby girl. who is the light of my life but can also be a little terror she gets into everything. she is my little Shadow. and over time I forgot what it was like to have fun. I can't afford to be a stay at home mom. my work schedule is complicated. I also come home to do housework. my only reprieve comes at 8:00 at night when I put her to bed. I enjoyed the video I might put into action some of the things you have mentioned. thank you.

[vitalityfitness]

This is amazing, thanks you. What a way to recalibrate our lives. I SO lost site of this.

[miacooj]

I have no passions anymore, no time, no energy.

[josiahvadeboncoeur]

I am a artist and a drummer. Drums have sorta taken a back seet to my sketching so i cwn improve. But i strive for the sheer joy and happines i derive from playing my drums. Ive tryed so many things and nothing works. I just love to drum, and not being able to as a result of burnout sucks.

[healingdancer]

You are totally speaking my language! Finding my flow seems to be stretching further and further out my reach. I definitely need to schedule in the things I love. Thankyou for the reminder

[personlawschool]

I work and go to law school and am a single mom of a teenager. I've always danced-ballet, hip hop, festivals. Well, today I had no classes or work in the daytime. I put on trance and danced around and it felt great. Also, just going to the salon to get your hair or nails done with no phone and no kids is great.

[TristWallace]

This video saved me. Thank you so much.

[paulag]

Getting back into dancing, that also did it for me :)

When I am busy with my creativity which is singing, my passion, I still feel my chronic pain but the focus is on the music then and it lifts me up a bit in that moment of time.

[elizabethbach]

Yes, this video was good. I like her passion and joy. I am burned out from doing an environmental campaign for 6 years. I think, perhaps, this video didn't quite touch on my exact problems.

[ReadingRhinoPress]

Yes!! Doing something for its own sake--this is how I feel about brazilian jiu jitsu--I must do it at least once a week to stay sane! <3 Great vid!

[pwhite]

After graduating I took time to get back into art and painting, and I gave myself the chance to get into game design and 3d modeling. I didn't ever feel guilty. That seems foreign to me to associate that with fun.

[kaiyim]

Dr Dani,
I'm a new fan!
I absolutely love your passion!

[vitalityfitness]

Honestly I’m too burned out to have fun nothing feels good anymore.

[cpaul]

Tinder and bumblebee will solve burnouts

[Medietos]

Real burn-out demands much more and professional help to improve. A co-work support friend.
Title should rather be: For fatigue.