I Vow Not to Burn Out

 

08.12.2022 I VOW NOT TO BURN OUT Are you burned out? So many of us are. It’s not exactly a surprise — we’ve spent much of the past two and a half years in a global state of pandemic emergency with no clear end point, combined with a multitude of national and international crises that have sent images of violence, destruction, and tragedy flying across our screens. Anxiety heightened as we faced the unknown on a daily basis. Our work and home lives blended together in new ways, becoming harder and harder to separate as the deadlines we once stressed about in the office found their way into our living rooms. Essential workers on the frontlines saw unprecedented levels of workplace stress. We saw countless examples of real-world bodhisattvas working to save all beings while neglecting to save themselves. Burnout is characterized as a form of exhaustion that is the direct result of prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. Considering the last two years, it’s no wonder so many are feeling it. As things inch their way back to a new “normal,” many are finding themselves still existing in an anxious shutdown state, unmotivated and exhausted, yet unable to sleep or even relax. Luckily, Buddhist wisdom can lead us to the transformation of suffering, which can certainly include the suffering of exhaustion and burnout. These three pieces from the Lion’s Roar and Buddhadharma archives each look at ways to combat exhaustion and make life more physically, emotionally, and intellectually sustainable through the lens of Buddhism. If there’s a place to begin combating burnout, it’s with Mushim Patricia Ikeda’s “Great Vow for Mindful Activists,” which I invite you to take right now: “Aware of suffering and injustice, I, _________, am working to create a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. I promise, for the benefit of all, to practice self-care, mindfulness, healing, and joy. I vow to not burn out.” —Lilly Greenblatt, Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar

I Vow Not To Burn Out Mushim Ikeda says it’s not enough to help others. You have to take care of yourself too. As the people with disabilities in my sangha have said, in order to practice universal access there needs to be a radical shift toward an embodied practice of “All of us or none of us.” In other words, no one can be left behind on the sinking ship, not even those who want to self-martyr. Why? Because self-martyrdom is bad role modeling. Burnout and self-sacrifice, the paradigm of the lone hero who takes nothing for herself and gives everything to others, injure all of us who are trying to bring the dharma into everyday lay life through communities of transformative well-being, where the exchange of self for other is re-envisioned as the care of self in service to the community. The longer we live, the healthier we are; the happier we feel, the more we can gain the experience and wisdom needed to contribute toward a collective reimagining of relationships, education, work, and play.

What Can I Do About Burnout? Burnout is the feeling of exhaustion that helpers sometimes experience when they have taken on more than they can handle. But, says Karen Kissel Wegela, there is much we can do to prevent it, and to work with it when it occurs. There are four key ideas in working with and preventing burnout. The first is bringing ourselves into contact with nowness. The second is learning to make realistic choices about what we can and cannot accomplish. The third is cultivating maitri. The fourth is getting help from others instead of trying to do it all alone. In order to synchronize mind and body, we need to reconnect with the nowness of this very moment. Underneath all of our obsessive worrying, our mindless ditziness and poor judgment is the fact that body and mind are not together. If we can bring ourselves gently back to this moment, this body, this place, we can start to slow down our wild minds. Bringing body and mind back into connection in the present moment helps us discriminate between what is actually happening and what we fear or hope is happening. This is an enormous help. Making choices about what we can and cannot realistically do is also based on being grounded in the present moment. The simplest thing to do is to breathe.

The Joy of Self-Caring We’ve been sold on the idea that self-care means chocolates and bubble baths (not that there’s anything wrong with them). But Cyndi Lee says real self-caring is a practice, not a treat. It’s how you show yourself the love and compassion you deserve. You might be right that your life is super stressful and you deserve a special treat now and then. But applying a materialistic approach to our pain, boredom, need for attention, or aching back is just a band-aid. The discomfort will cycle back up and then we will “do” another self-care activity, and then another when we feel bad again. The momentary relief of a pedicure is like a painkiller that works so well it discourages us from trying to remove the thorn in our foot that is causing our suffering. Besides, it’s our suffering that makes us feel deserving of the yummy self-care goodies. What our suffering really deserves is compassion. This is what initially inspired me to take the bodhisattva vow. When my teacher, the late Gelek Rimpoche, introduced this concept to me, I was inspired by the idea that my life, my good efforts in practice, and my caring and compassion could be dedicated to the benefits of others. Actually, Rimpoche didn’t say that. But that’s what I heard. For about twenty years. Then I finally woke up to what he really said, which is that a bodhisattva dedicates their practice for the benefit of all beings, and that includes me.

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