| Start reframing the value proposition of relaxing. In my mental model, I look at relaxation/disconnection like sleep. You can behave as if it’s not important for awhile, but eventually it will catch up. Personally, since I couldn’t see the burnout around the corner, I didn’t have the internal self talk to remind myself that relaxation is not just a waste of time. I’m now working on baking this into my every day life by building habits around it. For me, that looks like: - Mindfulness practice in the morning (using the “Waking Up” app, which has solidified the concepts for me in a way that no other app ever had) - Regular walks in nature - Cannabis + music listening sessions But I can’t stress the value of mindfulness enough. For me it has become a tool to check in with myself more often and to really notice how things are going instead of just getting carried along by the currents of each day. And note this is not the same thing as some common forms of focus/concentration-based “clear your mind” meditation practices. |