A 5 Minute Journaling Routine Helped Through Burnout
A science backed tool that can change your life
Burnout. That was my ‘beautiful’ mind state on that 1st January.
New years eve was fun with parties, dancing and friends, yet, I was totally burned out as I started a new year.
I had just let go of somebody I was dating, I was facing the peak of the dark german winter and had to accept a failed business project I invested so much of myself in.
Heavy feelings of boredom, tiredness and just a sense of “Meh“. You know when things start to feel pointless?
This can happen, especially when we work on long running projects and dreams and then, they stall.
You know that feeling hopelessness? The more time, money and energy you put into it, the less things progress 😩
And It’s very common and human to become desperate. Especially if you are like me, persistent, ambitious and passionate about your goals.
At some point we just want to brute force our way into what we want, but it’s not always the solution.
Life taught me: some of those projects will succeed eventually, but some will fail. And we will have to let go of them and even go over a grief period. This is essential as it gives space and energy to new adventures and dreams in our lives.
I went back to the white board to figure out a solution for my burned out and failed project. I was journaling about everything!
As I journaled my thoughts, emotions and beliefs, a few new tools and ideas emerged from my research and journaling.
And today I am giving you one of those tools.
It helped me healing burnout, sleeping better, strengthening my relationships, and it gave me a strong feeling of purpose and new beginnings.
The tool? The Journal of Thankfulness.
Let’s dive into it, and stay here for the science part as well
The Way Out of the Downward Spiral - Healing the Burnout
The Journal of thankfulness consists in writing down 3 things you are thankful for every morning.
My journal from this morning.
As I started using this tool on a daily basis and the the weeks and months passed, I started to feel reinvigorated, encouraged, and with new ‘fresh’ vibe, more productive at work, more present with my friends, and more engaged with my fitness.
See? It creates a snowball effect. Now I am more engaged in new projects, spend more tie with my friends, workout more and so on. Those things make me even happier!!!!
Obviously I have problems and challenges just as everyone, but I face them with a different perspective. A more powerful one.
At the end it’s damn simple, you train your brain to think differently, and this manifests in new emotions and behaviours and ultimately results.
Thoughts → Emotions → Behaviours → Life Results
I am sure some of you are sceptical about how can a so simple habit influence your life. Well, it turns out there is some pretty extensive research about it. Here is a summary for you.
The Science of Gratitude (My Summary)
Dr. Robert A. Emmons from the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough from the University of Miami are prominent psychologists who have extensively researched the concept of gratitude. Their research involved instructing participants to write a few sentences weekly, with a specific focus on different topics.
In one study, individuals were divided into three groups. The first group expressed gratitude by writing about positive occurrences during the week. The second group documented daily annoyances or displeasing events, while the third group wrote about events without specifying whether they were positive or negative. After a 10-week period, those who expressed gratitude reported increased optimism and a more positive outlook on life.
Remarkably, this group also engaged in more physical exercise and had fewer visits to physicians compared to those who concentrated on sources of irritation.
Another study on couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person, but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
There is even research showing People who express and feel gratitude have a higher volume of gray matter in the right inferior temporal gyrus.
Takeaways
When you cultivate gratitude it changes how your brain functions, changing its emotional state as well.
More importantly than writing those thoughts down is the practice of being thankful, think of it as a muscle.
Our brains are flexible, with habits such as working out, meditation and journaling we can alter our brains structure! This is pretty damn cool! Very very powerful.
We can train your brain and body to be healthy.
Start small and simple: You can be thankful for your morning coffee for example.
So start today! What are 3 things you are thankful for? Leave your comments of what you are doing to fight burn out and let us know if you journal yourself.
Provocation Of The Week
@levelsio posted this twitter a few days ago:
Here is my reply:
My opinion in one sentence: Europe is too bureaucratic, and does not value risk taking, innovation and self-improvement.
It’s not in the European values, especially not in Germany.
What do you think?
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PS.: You can reply to this email and I will respond. And… Thank you all for reading! Have a good week ahead.