My Key to Burn-Out

the practice that has changed my life

Good morning beautiful fam! I am sipping on my all time fav beverage as of late, coconut matcha. I am truly obsessed.

I woke up a lil extra early this morning to have a slow morning. Slow mornings have become a part of my routine that have honestly changed my life. A couple years ago when I was still at my full time job, I was waking up feeling extremely overwhelmed every single day. I was completely burnt out.

As soon as I woke up I would check my phone and instantly get that pang of anxiety and stress in my chest. Texts from my boss and co-workers, tons of emails, it felt like I had already failed the day before I even started. I woke up in a state of panic and stress, feeling as if I was so behind. That there was already so much on my to-do list.

This was making me operate from a scarcity mindset in everything I did. I was no longer living presently.

That spike of cortisol in the morning was how my days were kicked off most of the time. Because of that, I would feel so exhausted by the middle of the day. That midday slump hiiiiittt and it hit hard. Chronic fatigue and lack of motivation. I became more anxious and depressed. I wasn’t feeling like my best self.

I knew something needed to change. I could not put up with feeling like this any longer. I was not ready to quit my job, and I of course was not ready to give up anything having to do with my passion, but I knew I needed to give myself peace and quiet outside of these two things that were consuming all my time. That is where my slow mornings came in.

What is a Slow Morning?

Since it was these stressful mornings that were kicking off my day, I told myself that once a week I would wake up 1-2 hours earlier than I normally did to give myself time for a slow morning. For me, a slow morning was defined as a couple hours of time to do whatever I needed and wanted, outside of technology and work.

I would give myself that time to tune into what I needed, and to check off that internal to-do list before I was spending all my time responding to what the external world needed from me. In the past, I would of considered this selfish or unproductive, but as I matured I realized that this “me-time” is integral because when I meet my own needs, I can much more effectively presently and graciously meet the needs of others.

Little did I know these slow mornings would completely change my life. I was able to strengthen my intuition, live peacefully and more presently, become more optimistic and full of gratitude. I felt re-inspired and re-energized. More creative.

Because I had become so overwhelmed, my nervous system was completely out of whack. I was burning out. These slow mornings helped me to reset and rebalance my nervous system.

Our nervous systems are directly connected with our gut health, skin health, physical health and mental well-being. By intentionally slowing down, I saw these benefits in all aspects of my life. My reaction to stressful events happening throughout the day was completely different than it was before. I was able to take a deep breath and move one step at a time without spiraling, something that I struggled with before.

The way that we start our day impacts our entire day. That first hit of dopamine and cortisol we get in the morning is what our brain seeks out for every event following. If we go on our phone first thing, we will be seeking dopamine from our phone for the rest of the day.

Instead, I was getting hits of dopamine from things that made me feel good. In turn I was seeking out those healthy methods for the rest of the day. These slow mornings started spreading into every moment. Slow mornings became more slow living. My mindset changed for the better.

I know waking up earlier may seem counterproductive — because trust me more than anything I understand the value of sleep. I think proper rest is the best thing that we can do for our health. Waking up earlier for these intentional slow mornings actually helped me to get more restorative sleep.

I looked forward to these slow mornings so often that I trained my body to go to bed earlier. I would start doing slow evenings, where I gave myself intentional time in the evening to move slowly. I’d go to bed earlier. I would wake up feeling more rested.

I started slow. I told myself one day a week. I made it doable and achievable for myself. But I ended up loving it so much that it became something I did more often, and it changed my life for the better!

If you feel burnt out, anxious, depressed, like time is just flowing by and you’re stuck in this continuous loop, slow mornings could be beneficial for you as well. Try it out.

I challenge you to elect one day of your week to a slow morning. Wake up 1 hour earlier than you normally do. The night before go to bed earlier, do a low-cortisol activity before bed like reading with a red light on instead of scrolling on the phone. Set your alarm, don’t snooze it. Get up when it goes off and don’t check your phone, don’t check your computer. Just tune into your own body and ask yourself what you need in this moment. Is it an elaborate wellness routine? Is it a walk outdoors? Is it just silence with intentional breath work?

Whatever it is, it’s specific to your needs, without external stresses, without technology, without work. Just present time with yourself. Be curious about how you feel, non-judgemental, ask yourself questions. Get to know yourself.

If mornings seem unreasonable for you - instead do this in the evenings.

I have listed a bunch of activities that I love to do in my slow mornings below. I pick and choose. Sometimes I do a bunch of these, sometimes I do one, sometimes none. Find what works for you!

Slow Morning Activities - Mind & Body

MIND

• Gratitude Practice

• Reading

• Deep Breath-work

• Meditation

• Journaling

BODY

• Grounding

• Sunlight

• Being out in Nature

• Legs up the Wall

• Acupressure Mat

• Red Light Therapy

• Deep Stretching

• Movement: Walking, Yoga, Pilates…

• Lymphatic Drainage

• Making Nourishing Bevs

• Making Nourishing Breakfast

• Skincare

• Oral Care: Tongue Scraping, Oil Pulling

• Taking a Bath or Long Shower

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Whatever your slow mornings looks like - whether it is sitting in bed and reading. Going on a walk outside. Dancing to music. Doing an everything shower and full skincare. Just taking time to breathe and write. ANYTHING. This is one of the most productive and beneficial things you can do for yourself. Giving yourself intentional you time. Intentional time to slow down.

For me, this created a positive domino affect into every aspect of my life. It allowed me to slow down, be more present and not take everything so damn seriously.

Overtime it helped me to see life in a more positive lens. Crazy right — how just beginning to prioritize myself a bit more, give myself time to slow down, really impacted me in the best ways! I hope that this practice adds to your life as well.

Maybe it just seems like another chore on your list…but it shouldn’t. View this one differently. Start to change your perspective and internal language. Let me know how this makes you feel and if you decide to incorporate slow mornings. Would love love love to hear all about your experience.

Love you all and hope you have an amazing rest of your week!!! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, etc… & come join the chat! We’re always asking questions and discussing fun things in there. Introduce yourself :) Talk to ya sooooon. Thank you for being here. Grateful for ya. XO - Ella