The Answer is Active Recovery
Hacking Burnout with Connection
When I started at Consilio, I was the classic overachiever: burned out and exhausted. The only way I could protect myself was to be a contractor where natural boundaries enforced my self-care. Because I had already tried the thing where I switched jobs, saying to myself, this time it will be better—I'll set boundaries, I'll keep my appointments to myself. But I never could.
In every organization we work with, I see people just like me – burned out, exhausted, and at the end of their rope. The reason our tagline is Love Your Work is that we believe that when you love your work, that you have the energy to love your life. A big part of the formula is showing us all how to take care of ourselves first.
It's been a subtle message, but as a company, we won't stand by and watch the light go out on all these people we love. This destructive trend can and will change. From this day forward, every interaction with us will have an element of Active Recovery because we believe the people who love you deserve to experience you at your very best every day.
Let's talk about passive recovery for a minute. It is when we feel so burned out, so exhausted that we zone out and watch hours of TV. Now I am not saying this isn't okay—we all need some of this. However, if that is the rule, not the exception, it doesn’t let you recover so that you have energy and feel alive.
What re-energizes you after a long day at work is active recovery, which is about connection: with others or with yourself. It's doing something - painting, hiking with friends, making dinner, hunting, sports leagues, backyard BBQs—you are getting the idea. Active recovery is when you are doing things that fill you up and give you energy and joy.
So, if you know me, you know I am all about the action you take after you read this. So, here we go...
First, make a list of all the things that are active recovery for you. Second, make sure you have one of those things on your calendar every week. Third, include your people and make active recovery a weekly connection tradition.
When active recovery is predictable, so is your energy level. When your energy level is predictable, you can sustain your high performance. And, you will have energy for the life you love too!