Beating Burnout, Finding Balance: Mindful Lessons for a Meaningful Life 9781394154593, 1394154593

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
About the author
Introduction
How to use this book
Chapter 1 On self-awareness
Rural South Australia
Self-awareness: the first step
Emotional intelligence
Why is self-awareness so important?
Mindfulness 101
Formal and non-formal mindfulness practices
Getting started
The 90-second breathing technique
Can 90 seconds really make such a difference?
Chapter 2 On burnout and self-care
The Southwest, United States
Melbourne, Australia
So what is burnout?
Real-life examples of burnout
Stages of burnout
Nobody is exempt from burnout
A too-busy world
The good news about beating burnout
Self-care essentials
Exercise
Nutrition
Adequate sleep
Regular renewal breaks
Mental stimulation outside of work
Mindful meditation or downtime
More good news
Chapter 3 On stress and resilience
Virunga National Parc, Rwanda
Modern-day fight-or-flight (the stress response)
Achieving balance
The relaxation response
The amygdala hijack
The evolution of stress
Stress vs burnout
A few words on resilience
The power of the breath
Better quality sleep: a bonus of deep breathing
When to use deep breathing
Chapter 4 On self-regulation
Back roads of Uganda
Types of self-regulation
Sensory regulation
Emotional regulation
Cognitive regulation
Why is self-regulation so important?
How to develop self-regulation
The ‘Coming to your senses’ exercise
Be comfortable with doing nothing
Create space with mindfulness
90-second breath breaks
Body scan practices
The cumulative positive benefits
Chapter 5 On overwhelm and anxiety
11 000 feet above South Australia
Overwhelm in the modern world
How creating a stress-reduction course stressed me out
The myth of multitasking
Anxiety
‘What if’ thoughts
Managing overwhelm
Managing anxiety
Chapter 6 On fear and trust
Kathmandu, Nepal
Primal fear
Demystifying fear and understanding it better
Embracing fear in the workplace
Seeking the uncomfortable
Developing a relationship with fear and trust
On the other side of fear is trust
Flipping your fears
Imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs
Chapter 7 On purpose and perseverance
Pygmy village, Cameroon
Somewhere in Benin
Climbing that mountain
Humans like progress
Never give up on your dreams
Aligning with purpose
It doesn’t have to change the world, just your world
Intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivators
The ‘five whys’
Knowing your values
Getting to know your values
Chapter 8 On gratitude and compassion
Masai Mara, Kenya
What is gratitude?
Not just ‘warm and fuzzy’
The reticular activating system (RAS)
Experiencing happiness
Getting your daily DOSE of happiness chemicals
Dopamine
Oxytocin
Serotonin
Endorphins
How to boost these happiness chemicals naturally
Easy gratitude journalling
Random acts of kindness
Ladakh, Indian Himalaya
A gentle reminder
Chapter 9 On balance
Koh Tao, Thailand
What is balance?
How do I know if I’m out of balance?
Prevention is always better
Tip 1: Come back to ‘you’ first
Tip 2: Create clear boundaries
Tip 3: Schedule ‘you’ time into your calendar
Tip 4: Guard your time
Tip 5: Get enough sleep
The wheel of life
The wheel of life domains
Adopting a positive and growth mindset
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Index
EULA