How Not To Burn Out

Ever burned out?

Stinks, doesn’t it.

Here’s why I think it happens:

Step 1: You perceive a situation to be both incorrect (something isn’t right) and internal (it affects your freedoms or emotional safety) in some way.

Step 2: You don’t (or can’t) make peace with that situation (internally).

Step 3: You carry that dissonance until you burn out.

Here’s how to avoid it:

Step 1: You perceive a situation to be both incorrect (something isn’t right) and internal (it affects your freedoms or emotional safety) in some way.

Step 2: You focus on how the situation doesn’t actually affect your freedoms and emotional safety, so that you can make peace with its presence.

Step 3: There’s no dissonance to carry and no burn out.

Both emperor and slave can be be internally free (Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus are proof of this) and so can we.

Next time you have a rough week that could lead to burn out, remember your freedoms.