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Have You Reached Burnout? Sophia Stuart.

By on February 26, 2014
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From Hay House Author Sophia Stuart.

One of the most important things Sophia Stuart learned while on medical leave was how to relax – completely – and let her body (and soul) recover. Here are a few of the ideas from her brand new book from Hay House Publishing, titled: How to Stay Sane in a Crazy World. 

 

Have you reached burnout? Or has it just been one of those days? Or months? Or years? I was once in a yoga class (a rare yoga class, I’ll admit), where the teacher had us all exhale again and again and again, until—as she put it—we’d let go of today, the last month and, by the end, “the whole of last year.” We all collapsed in very non-yogic giggling. But we knew what she meant. Exhale. Let it all go.

To exhale, I stop “doing Life” and start to wind down and engage in soothing rituals like lighting a candle.

And then I take to my bed. Perhaps you need to do the same? Life can be tough and exhausting. Do you know how to rest? Stopping. Exhaling. Rejuvenating. Perhaps not for an entire month of medical leave, which is what happened to me following my surgery.

But if you don’t stop and exhale and look after yourself, you, too, might one day find yourself wearing one of those hideous paper gowns with the ties at the back and lying on a gurney wondering how the hell it got this bad. 

Just saying.

It’s your time to leave it all behind for as long as you need, whether that’s a medical leave like mine, a week- end of luscious laziness and recuperation, or perhaps a stolen Sunday afternoon.

Ready? Let’s do this together.

For me, there’s nothing like a bath by candlelight, listening to Mozart or Bach or The Archers (a long-running BBC radio program about a rural farming village—terribly soothing) as the bubbles sink into your soul, and the Epsom salts remove whatever they remove, and tiny beads of perspiration form on your warmed skin.

Do you have a kettle and a milk pan? I have one of those French enamel milk pans, and it made the late-night hot-milk-and-tears sessions most soothing. How about lovely cups and saucers?

When I got sick, I started to notice how beautiful everyday household objects could be. And if there were some that I did not believe to be beautiful (yes, paraphrasing William Morris there), I got rid of them.

It’s funny how sensitive we become when we’re sick and tired and in need of some tea and sympathy. Even if you’re not English, you might be surprised how lovely it is to make a pot of tea and sit quietly during the wee hours, sipping from an elegant cup.

As I was on medical leave for a while, I asked three different friends a day to come visit—and read to me.

Oh! When was the last time someone read to you? Snuggling down on the sofa, wrapped in a soft pashmina and fluffy socks while someone opens a book and starts to read is so comforting. Particularly when it’s Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.

In fact, my friend William bought me the entire series as an audiobook, so Armistead himself could read to me during the many hours of sleeplessness. I posted about this on teamgloria and sent a thank you note to Armistead to tell him—and he wrote back (God, the best feeling in the world).

It took a disaster of my own to see that many people are heading toward one, if they don’t stop now and take it easy.

But if I hadn’t gone through all that, I would not be writing this to you now. I would not have had the incredible experience of meeting many of you on teamgloria.com and hearing your stories.

So here you are. Ready for bed. For as long a time as you can steal from your daily life.

I hope you’re not on medical leave. But if you are, just know that there will be a stretch of healing ahead and that you can get through it.

I did.

Gather up your pillows and a box of Kleenex, a novel and some tea – it’s time to rest.

The world can do without you for a while. E x h a l e. Let it all go.

 

LATEST AUTHOR PHOTO sophiastuartheadshotPRINTSophia Stuart grew up in England and moved to the USA to build a big career in digital media. But while working in Manhattan she was told she had three tumors in her throat, needed a five-hour surgery and a month of medical leave to recover. Faced with the prospect of sinking into an awful depression or dusting herself off and finding the best in a bad situation, she chose the latter. She now lives in Los Angeles and Hay House is publishing her book “How To Stay Sane In A Crazy World” on 18th February 2014. For photographs from her daily Instagram feed (@teamgloria) to inspire you, visit instagram.com/teamgloria. For more on Sophia’s book, visit: howtostaysaneinacrazyworld.com 

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