Nancy: Addressing Burnout through shadow work is a journey of self discovery and healing. It is about bringing these hidden parts of yourself into the light, embracing them with compassion, and creating a life that honors the truest essence of you.
Nancy: Welcome to the Nancy Levin Show. I’m Nancy Levin, Founder of Levin Life Coach Academy, best-selling author, master coach, and your host. I help overachieving people pleasers set boundaries that stick and own self-worth, anchored in empowered action, so you can feel free. Plus, if you’re an aspiring or current coach, you are in the right place. Join me each week for coaching and compelling conversations designed to support you in the spotlight, as you take center stage of your own life. Let’s dive in.
Nancy: Welcome back to another episode of the Nancy Levin show. Today, we are diving into a topic that many of us have come face to face with, especially in the times we’re living in now, burnout. Burnout can feel like an insurmountable wall, draining our energy and our passion. But what if I told you that the key to overcoming burnout lies in embracing our shadow?
Today, we’re exploring solutions for burnout that incorporate the profound practice of shadow work. So let’s embark on this journey together.
Here’s the deal. Burnout is more than just feeling tired. It’s a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. We often associate burnout with work, but it can really stem from any area of life where we are overextending ourselves without adequate self care.
Shadow work, a practice of bringing the unconscious parts of ourselves into the light, is a powerful tool for addressing burnout at its root. Burnout manifests in three primary ways, exhaustion, cynicism and feelings of reduced professional ability.
Exhaustion can be physical, emotional or both, leaving us feeling depleted or unable to recharge. Cynicism often leads to detachment and a negative outlook toward our work or responsibilities. And lastly, feelings of reduced professional ability or reduced efficiency. Make us doubt our competence and question the value of our contributions.
So let’s understand burnout better. Burnout manifests in three primary ways, which I just shared, exhaustion, cynicism or reduced ability. You might feel like you’re running on empty, becoming detached from your work or loved ones, and questioning your competence and accomplishments. If this sounds familiar, it’s because in our modern world, we’re conditioned to push ourselves not only to the limit, but past the limit, and often at the expense of our own well being. We glorify busyness and productivity, rarely allowing ourselves the grace to slow down and rest. And this relentless pace can quickly lead to burnout if we do not prioritize self care and balance.
Now let’s turn to shadow work. Shadow work involves recognizing and integrating the parts of ourselves that we’ve repressed and denied. These shadows are aspects of our personality that we deem unacceptable or unlovable, often because of societal or familial or personal expectations. By bringing these parts of ourselves into the light, we can begin to heal and transform.
So how do we incorporate shadow work into our approach to combat burnout? Here are a few steps to guide you.
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The first step is to become aware of your burnout and acknowledge its presence. This might seem obvious, but often we ignore or downplay our feelings, hoping they’ll go away on their own. You may have expended a lot of energy denying your burnout, only to have you push even harder. So take a moment here to check in with yourself. How are you really feeling? Where do you notice tension or fatigue in your body? Journaling can be a helpful tool here, write down your feelings and experiences. This act of acknowledgement can be incredibly powerful. When we name what we’re experiencing, we begin to take back its power. Here’s a journaling prompt to get you started.
I feel burned out because_______. You can repeat that over and over and over in your journal, filling in the blank. I feel burned out because_______. Let yourself write freely without judgment. Remember, this is for your eyes only, and let whatever needs to come out, come out.
By putting your thoughts on paper, you create a safe space for your emotions and begin to understand the underlying causes of your burnout. This process of self reflection is crucial in identifying the patterns and behaviors that contribute to your stress.
Next, identify the shadows contributing to your burnout. These might be beliefs or traits you’ve suppressed. For instance, you might have a shadow around perfectionism, the need to be strong, or the inability to say no. And these shadows can drive you to overextend yourself, leading to burnout. So reflect on these questions. What am I afraid of people might see if I let my guard down? What parts of myself have I been denying or suppressing to meet external expectations? You can spend some time in your journal with those questions. To give you an example, let’s say you have a shadow around being seen as lazy, you might push yourself to the brink to avoid anyone perceiving you as anything less than hard working. Recognizing the shadow here is the first step to integrating it and reclaiming your own energy.
Shadows can also manifest as fears of inadequacy or failure. You might feel compelled to prove your worth by taking on more than you can handle, leading to chronic stress and eventual burnout. By identifying these shadows, you can start to dismantle the false beliefs that fuel your over exertion. Once you’ve identified your shadows, it’s time to embrace and integrate them.
And this means accepting these parts of yourself with compassion rather than judgment. Understand that these shadows were formed as a way to protect yourself, but now they’re causing harm. Speak to these parts of yourself with compassion and kindness. For example, I see you, perfectionist part of me, I understand you want to keep me safe by ensuring I’m always doing my best, but it’s okay to rest. I don’t need to be perfect to be worthy.
Visualization can be a powerful tool here. Imagine yourself holding your shadow in a loving embrace, allowing it to be seen and accepted. This act of compassion can begin to transform the shadow, reducing its grip on you. And by integrating your shadows, you reduce their power over your behavior. This process allows you to set healthier boundaries and make choices that prioritize your well being. Embracing your shadow means acknowledging your limitations and giving yourself permission to restore and recharge.
Burnout often stems from a lack of boundaries and inadequate self care. As you integrate your shadows, it’s essential to establish healthy boundaries. This might mean saying no more often, delegating tasks, or simply carving out more time for your own rest and rejuvenation. You can create a self care routine that nourishes your body and mind and spirit. This could include activities like meditation, movement, spending time in nature, journaling, pursuing hobbies that bring you joy.
So remember that self care is one of the three sisters. Self care, self love, and selfish are three sisters whose job it is to support you in honoring yourself and your own needs, and that selfishness is a necessary foundation for showing up at your best. When you take good care of yourself, you’re better equipped to handle stress and prevent burnout. And setting boundaries means you know your limits. You know what you will or will not do, what’s okay or not okay for you. You then have the confidence to decline invitations or requests that are not in alignment with your desires. And by honoring your own needs, you create a sustainable life.
Addressing burnout through shadow work is a journey of self discovery and healing. It is about bringing these hidden parts of yourself into the light, embracing them with compassion, and creating a life that honors the truest essence of you.
I’m so glad you joined me today. And remember that burnout is not a sign of weakness. It’s a signal that something needs to change. You have the power to make this change by embracing your shadows and stepping into your light.
Nancy: Thanks so much for joining me today. I invite you to head on over to nancylevin.com to check out all the goodies I have there for you. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and a review. I’ll meet you back here next week.