How Somatics Can Help with Burnout

Today I want to talk about burnout. First, I’ll share a personal update from my own recent experience with it. And then I’ll share what helped me the most.

First, the personal update.

Heading Towards Burnout

As many of you know, I took a break from craniosacral therapy this fall. I cut back my schedule and wasn’t taking new clients. While I wasn’t fully burnt out, I was headed in that direction.

Whereas in the past I had so much energy on craniosacral days, that began to fade. On days when I was doing somatic coaching and leadership development, meanwhile, I had all the energy in the world.

It was interesting to notice this difference in how my body felt. And given all I’ve learned about wisdom in the body, I paid attention.

While I didn’t know why I was feeling this way, I became curious about my low energy days. I took it as data and useful information, despite not knowing what it meant. After noticing for a few months what was happening in my body, I decided something needed to change.

How I Changed Course

Instead of making a drastic change, I just made a small one. And I treated this change as a temporary experiment.

All I did at first was I rearranged my schedule. My plan was to try out a new schedule for a few months and see what might happen. I made some of the time I’d reserved for craniosacral therapy now available for my other work. Eventually I did stop taking new craniosacral clients for the time being, but this opened up more availability for my other offerings.

What Happened Next

It was so interesting to notice that when I made this change, I felt energized and excited again. Almost immediately. And my love for practicing craniosacral therapy returned.

In hindsight, I can see my body was just letting me know there was an imbalance in how I was spending my time. It was also reminding me that while I wish things were otherwise, I don’t have infinite amounts of energy. And if I’m going to provide the best work for clients, I have to give my body ample time to rest and resource - usually more than I would like.

Six months later, I’m continuing to listen to my body and trust its messages. Even when I’m not sure how to interpret them, I try to meet my body with kindness.

With spring in the air, flowers in bloom, and burnout averted, I’m thrilled to be taking new craniosacral clients again. And in my leadership work, I’m elated when clients listen to their bodies and let this inform their decision making. It not only supports their wellbeing, but time and again I see how it makes them better at their jobs.

My Invitation for You

So my invitation for you is this - if you’re navigating burnout, consider listening to your body. Respect how you’re feeling. Meet it with kindness. And see if there’s a small change you can make to address your body’s needs.

Will this completely resolve your burnout? Probably not, because burnout is complicated. But I hope these steps can help.

So I’m curious - if you this out, let me know how it goes. Send me an email or share in the comments.

And if you’d like more ideas on how to listen to your body and interpret what it’s trying to tell you, let me know. I’m happy to make a video explaining this in more detail, as it’s not obvious. Or we can find a time to meet to talk about your specific situation in a free somatic coaching consultation.

Regardless, please know that when it comes to burnout, there is hope. Cheering you on!