As I consult and supervise with clinicians across the
country a theme that regularly comes up is that of fatigue. Some call this fatigue all the classic signs
of burnout; dread going into the office, tired of doing what your doing,
frustrated with clients, frustrated with self, and just plain weary. Approaching this topic as most supervisors
would, I look for a personal balance for the clinician around self care. What I have found is a pattern of what I coin
Binge Resting. When rest is explored a
little more I hear things like “I’m just holding on till summer vacation”, or
“I have a weekend planned in the mountains”, or “If I can just make it till….” The pattern appears to be work, work, work
till exhaustion, binge rest, work, work work till exhaustion, binge rest,
etc. The end result is never feeling
rested. It has become quite the phenomenon
however, and one that if we look at it clinically, is just as unhealthy as all
the other things that can be ‘binged’ on.
So we have to challenge ourselves to think about it in a
clinical way. If you ate the way you
rested, what would that look like? If
you drank the way you rested, what would that look like? If you shopped the way you rested, what would
that look like? And so on and so on….
You may find alarmingly that your rest life fits into one of the
following categories: anorexic resting, binge resting, balanced resting.
What is healthy rest?
Other cultures do this well. In
some cultures there is a mid day ‘siesta’ or ‘rest time’. In other cultures one day a week is devoted to
rest. Individual rest life can be
personalized. Below are some things to consider when
examining your ‘rest life.’
1
-- * Examine your priorities:
What are your priorities in life? Does
your current work life, play life, social life, rest life fit nicely with those
priorities? Or are they in conflict?
2
* Get a clear picture of balanced rest.
How would a balanced rest life look in YOUR life? If it were possible to imagine having a
balanced rest life, how would you know it was happening? What would be different? How would you see
yourself being with others? What would be present if stress and anxiety were
not there anymore? How would I know by looking at you that you were a rested
person?
3
* Set
small goals: Start daily. What
is one thing you can do each day that would be restful? A space of time where you are not DOING
anything (including watching t.v. or reading books).
4
* Consider
starting a daily mindfulness or Prayer practice for at least 30 min.: Research supports the use of mindfulness and
prayer in the reduction of stress, anxiety, and burnout. There are many user friendly apps, books, and
videos on how to do mindfulness exercises with guided options for first time
attempters. There are also books and videos
on centering prayers which act in the same way as mindfulness exercises.
Our
goal driven, product driven culture lends itself to setting anorexic and binge
resting as the norm. As a profession
that works to help promote health and balance, I challenge us to set a new
standard of balanced rest. Begin by 1) examining
your priorities, 2) get a clear picture of what balanced rest would look like
for you, 3) set small goals, and finally 4) consider starting a daily
mindfulness/prayer practice.
