Here’s your weekly reminder to breathe. It’s been a busy week and I realized how much I was holding my breath as I was working—don’t be like me. :) Practice breathing through your nose. Take 5 minutes to slowly inhale and exhale through your nose after reading this email. Your body will thank you. Noticing your burnout flags. I’m taking a week off of work next week. It’s been about a year since I’ve taken a real week off of work. I’ve grown Lightward Empowerment since January of last year and now have a podcast, 14 empowerment clients, and am creating a collective space with Lightward Together (you should join, it’s really dope). I noticed that my Enneagram 3 personality really dove into growing my business this past year. I did this to ensure I stayed mentally healthy, being in quarantine, and also because I was and am really excited about everything I’m creating. And I realized last week that I’m approaching the borders of burnout. How did I realize this? I became more strict, and I clenched onto all of the things I’m doing, including trying to be healthy (nutrition/workouts)—I began operating only with my head, not my heart. A healthy Abe means I’m operating from my heart, first. I realized I was not letting go of the grip of “achieving” even though I was becoming really exhausted. So, I am taking my own advice and taking next week completely off—not thinking about anything work related. I’m excited! What are the red flags that tell you it’s time to slow down? Are you ignoring them for the sake of pushing through? Do you need a break and haven’t allowed yourself to really rest? My red flags, that inform me that I’m moving towards burn out, are (1) not caring, or feeling apathy, and (2) being really really strict with myself—like my body is holding its breath, feeling so tense. We are not machines, nor will we ever be. By you listening to your body, mind and heart when they tell you that you need to slow down and rest, you choose sustainability. You choose you. You cannot keep going and going and going without rest, my friend. So, take a moment right now to gauge where you’re at. Are you operating at full capacity because it’s where you’re naturally at, or are you forcing yourself to be there, even when you know you aren’t at 100%. You can’t work out in the gym for 20 days at a high intensity without getting hurt, and you absolutely will not be performing well. So rest. Loosen your grip. Recharge. Then continue going. Notice what your burnout flags are trying to communicate to you. I love you. I believe in you. -Abe PS. I’m giving a keynote speech tomorrow about how holistic wellness should be a top priority for those in activism. Wish me luck! One of the things I am talking about is that sustainability is super important and should be on the forefront of our minds at all times. I’m taking my own advice. ;)
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