A Life Hack for when we’re Burnt Out & Broken Down – By Uma Panch

Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment

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“Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment.” ~ Rumi

Yes, I am a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, and success coach, and many who know me say I am a “mindset alchemist” and strategist. But, as your fellow human being, I have been through some rough patches in life.

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Been there, done that!

However, my approach to these curveballs is different than that of others.

We all have goals, we all dream, and we all set targets and benchmarks in our lives. Just like everyone else, I love and cherish the feeling of accomplishment when I achieve my goals. But along with the wins, I have had my fair share of life crises, obsessive negative emotions, stress, anxiety, and exhaustion.

As a highly goal-driven and ambitious person, I was only ever doing, doing, and doing, and forgot about being. I did not realise that I was a human being, and I needed to be and stop doing the doing thing—because there was a point in my life when I was burnt out and broken down.

I know what a burnout does to us and how it affects our life. In my case, it resulted in physical and psychological complications, and little did I realise that my mindless lifestyle was the precursor for my stress and anxiety. Even the World Health Organisation has classified burnout syndrome as a health and mental condition.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~ Viktor Frankl

I realised that I had to stop beating myself with an excessive workload and take stock of my lifestyle instead. I knew I had to slow down, but I was afraid to do so because, in my mind, slowing would mean a lack of productivity and performance. I wanted a holistic and alternative approach to life so that I could be a high performer without the cost of stress and anxiety. I wanted to experience overall well-being and live a quality life. My quest and research led me to mindfulness, and that was the game-changer.

Mindfulness helped me enhance my ability to be fully present with a heightened sense of attention, awareness, and taught me to not get overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around me. Before I became “mindful,” I used to feel proud that I was a multitasker—but by multitasking, we pressurise our brains to overthink and over-perform, which leads to stress that, as a result, spikes our cortisol levels. Now, I do not multitask and can engage in effective attention-switching with the power of mindfulness. Regular and systematic practice strengthened my mental muscles and improved my focus, concentration, and creativity.

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Present and Now

I was no exception to the never-ending trail of thoughts and regrets about the past and worries about the future. I had compulsive negative thinking that created a series of unfavourable incidents in my life. It was through my conscious choice of being in the present that I could overcome obsessive negative thoughts.

Mindfulness changed my life for good, and I am sure it will change yours as well.

Acceptance

Having navigated through several life transitions and crises, I could not accept the disappointments, failures, and losses. I was continuously rebelling and resisting the new reality, and it doubled the pain. When I surrendered to what is and let go of what was, my life started to shift for the positive. Now, I acknowledge people and circumstances without wishing them to be any different.

Compassion

We are unpredictable beings. We can become our biggest enemy without even knowing it. Growing up in a cultural construct where there is a constant fear of being judged, I became highly critical of myself. I used to blame myself for any failures or setbacks I encountered. When I stopped being so self-critical and became compassionate with myself instead, my self-love and self-worth improved.

By embracing a mindfulness lifestyle, I have been able to achieve more while keeping stress at bay. As a mindfulness advocator, practitioner, and trainer, I help people overcome overwhelm, depression, achieve peak performance, and boost their overall well-being. I teach the principles of mindfulness through simple and practical strategies to integrate it into their daily lives.

“The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of Mindfulness.” ~ Milarepa