Burnout Recovery & Stress Relief

Reader, would you believe me if I told you that it had been almost a year since I posted on Instagram? Shortly after I found out I was expecting, I decided to take a step back from creating and sharing content. I needed to do (a lot) less and if you know me, you'll know that social media is usually the first thing to go when it comes to simplifying my schedule. Taking breaks from social media have shown me that there's a lot more that I would rather give my attention to than scrolling,...

Learn more about my stress-reducing workshops! Reader, many professionals create their own unique cocktail of work stress in the final quarter of the year. They could be working to the point of exhaustion, leaving little time to take the breaks they need . . . Working late, rushing their work to meet deadlines, or overloading their bandwidth because their boundaries have been pushed to the side . . . Bottling up all their stress, instead of leaning on the people in their circle . . . you and...

Reader, during these last few months of my burnout recovery journey, I've fully embraced the idea that less really is more. Because between you and me, I really, really, really needed to overextend myself less. I needed to overwork less. And overschedule myself less. And overachieve less. I needed to feel less overwhelmed, exhausted and disconnected. And most importantly, I needed to repair my relationship to labor and productivity. What is toxic productivity? Through the mindful practice of...

Who are you outside of what you do Reader? If you are a seasoned member of the Gmichelle Wellness community, there's a good chance you've heard this question before. (I ask it often!) It's important to check-in on this part of the burnout recovery journey, as many professionals find themselves over-identifying with their professional roles and titles. What's fueling your burnout? The trouble with over-identifying with your profession is that you could risk losing who you are in the process....

In the spirit of transparency Reader, my creative energy these days has been low. Typically, I'm full of ideas and bursting at the seams to share my thoughts (and opinions on the things!) with you. But on my own burnout recovery journey, I've had to learn to be honest with myself around when my energy is low. I'm still learning to challenge my inner critic and swap out negative self-talk with self-compassion as often as possible. I'm still unlearning toxic productivity while living within a...

Read my blog on reducing meeting fatigue Reader, I just can't tell you how often I hear "this could have been an email" in reference to causes of burnout in my workshops. Many professionals are spending large parts of their day in back-to-back meetings. And while meeting with the people you work with is necessary and important, this day and age, the more time spent in meetings isn't necessarily equating to an increase in productivity for many people and organizations. In my Google-ing on this...

I know you've been there Reader. Your alarm goes off and you realize you just didn't get the quality sleep you needed last night. You wake up feeling groggy, tired and off. Your energy is low and honestly, no amount of caffeine will substitute being able to crawl back into your bed and restart your morning. Hey, low energy days happen to all of us. But instead of normalizing that we don't wake up refreshed every morning, we are often taught to just push through the tiredness. The expectations...

Reader, just how much of your week is dedicated to doing things that feel obligatory? Seriously. Think about it. This is a question that I too have been sitting with on my own burnout recovery journey. Many of us busy, hard-working folks are good for checking items off the to-do list, making the most of every waking minute and habitually overscheduling ourselves to make sure that we are always being "productive". What is toxic productivity? It's possible that we can become so responsible and...

Many organizations are fully aware that their staff are burnt out, but struggle with knowing what to do about it. Fortunately, that's where I come in. I've created a series of workshops, designed to help your organization recover and prevent future experiences of burnout, chronic stress and capitalist fatigue. My series of workshops tackles some of the most challenging parts of recovering from burnout, such as: Discovering practical ways to manage stress Developing assertive boundaries Making...

Reader, there has been a lot going on this month and we're only barely halfway through the first month of the year. With inauguration day on the horizon, I wanted to check in and see how you were doing. (And it's on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day too? Whew.) I'll tell you what, this week I'm spending less time in front of screens and more time taking naps, learning a couple of new recipes and diving into my latest book from my local library. Here's your gentle reminder to join me in resisting...