In December, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Qasim Virjee, CEO of Startwell, a beautiful brick-and-beam coworking space in Toronto. On The Gathering podcast, we covered a number of topics dear to my heart – approaching D&I to emphasize inclusion; my experience with ADHD; what working as a recruiter during the pandemic taught me about our discomfort with our humanity, and use of “the office” as a vehicle to compartmentalize our lives. Just casual stuff. (The full episode is here.)

We also talked about burnout, which I was suffering from at the time.
(I didn’t mention that part.)

My burnout wasn’t new – I had been trying to understand it for the past few years, reading books (like Emily Nagoski’s brilliant “Burnout”), tracking my energy levels, sleeping more consistently, and exercising.

The sum of these changes was too small to make a lasting impact, because I wasn’t addressing the root cause directly. We’re wired to survive, not to thrive; humans have a tremendous capacity to accelerate when we should be hitting the brakes. Until we run out of gas.

The key to addressing burnout is building stress resilience through daily habits that support the nervous system. For me, the missing piece was to address it threefold: body, mind, and soul. Humans are holistic; we can’t really expect to address one (or even two) of these areas in isolation. Here’s how to address them at once.

1. Stress lives rent-free in the body.
   Exercise kicks it out.
   
   Understanding the stress response cycle is key to healing burnout. We’re physically wired for threat detection; our bodies can’t tell between a tiger that needs to be outrun, and a hostile email that needs to be answered. The rush of hormones from either event will stay in (and poison) our systems if not routinely flushed.
   
   Find exercise you like, and do it daily. 30 minutes 3-5 days a week is recommended, but studies have shown that just 10 minutes of walking can boost your mood. Whatever it is, make sure it’s not another dreaded “to-do,” but something you look forward to.
   
2. The mind is mission control for the nervous system.
   Meditation keeps it under control.
   
   The profound benefits of meditation have been well documented for good reason. Thanks to the magic of neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt and rewire itself – we have in our heads all the tools we need to rebuild our body’s stress-handling system.
   
   Meditating 10 minutes per day is recommended to feel the benefits of regularly moving from sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system activation to parasympathetic (“rest and digest”). The key is to do it daily, so find a tool that works for you.
   I’m a huge fan of Headspace and Insight Timer.
   
3. “All work, no play” is a lopsided disaster.
   Play restores balance.
   
   As kids, we run around, we make stuff up, we sing, we climb, we windmill our arms because it’s fun. As adults, we sit still, we wear uncomfortable pants, we pile on the pressure. We’re hesitant to do anything that doesn’t achieve a result. The irony is that we do achieve results, but they’re not what we aim for: we’re burned out, we’re gassy, we’re stressed.
   
   Rediscovering the simple magic of play can change your relationship with life. What did you do when you had no “to-do”? Any time we take the “goal” out of what we’re doing, and feel the surge of joy that results – that’s play. Here’s how you can find it.

One final note: of course, there’s no quick-fix for burnout, and everyone has a unique set of contributing circumstances. Severe burnout could require professional help. You deserve support. Don’t suffer in silence.