Burnt Out? How to "Yin" out.
Feeling tired? Emotionally exhausted?
Feeling overwhelmed? or maybe even anxious in uncertain times. Maybe your motivation is non-existent lately? A sort of drained feeling.
A feeling of being drained doesn’t help us get what we need done, work-wise or personally. Or even to find motivation to work on things, like passion projects or hobbies.
If you said yes to any of the above, this may be a sign you may be close to reaching burn out, or maybe you’re already at this point. Prolonged stress can contribute even more to reaching burnout and living in these uncertain times doesn’t help matters. Finding ways to counter the stress we feel daily can help minimize the effects of burnout. This is why I think tapping into “YIN” like ways is a great way to counter or at least minimize stress, and the excess of “YANG”, so it doesn’t accumulate into feeling BURNT OUT.
First defining what YIN means…
What does “Yin” mean?
Yin is a descriptive word from Chinese Philosophy, Taoism, that refers to downward energy, feminine, slower, passive, moon, still, space, dark, cool, inward and rest (1). Yin can’t exist without Yang its relative opposite. Yang is more masculine, dynamic, upward energetically, sun, warm, dynamic, moving, and outward.
Yang and Yin compliment each other and are relative to each other and we need both yang and yin to have harmony in our lives, we will look into this more when discussing Yin Yang Theory.
When we unplug from doing, we recharge, both body and mind.
In our western society we operate and are more encouraged to operate in a more YANG like way. Dynamic, moving, quick, upward energetically, we stay busy, over commit to things, or do too much of something that may not necessarily nourish our body or our minds. Like binge watching show after show, too much social media consumption, saying yes to things and adding more and more to our plate, that keeps us BUSY. Not enough activities to replenish, slow down and create space for ourselves to recharge us.
YIN like qualities can be described more as stillness, space, slow, and downward energetically. Unplugging to recharge, the act of doing less, or maybe even literally doing nothing.
In our society slowing down isn’t as encouraged. We may be judged by others if we have no plans and say we are doing nothing on the weekend, which translates into not accomplishing anything, maybe even perceived negatively as being lazy or unmotivated. But we’ve all heard the expression, slow down to speed up. We need time and space to recharge ourselves. Get away from constantly doing.
Tapping into our YIN energy, is the relative opposite of YANG, which can bring more balance into our world. The constant need to do, could be countered by the need to do nothing other days, helping us recharge and find more balance between the two relative opposite energies.
Yin when compared to Yang can mean we do less. More rest and activities that encourage downward energy, stillness, space, more time, will help us relax not just our physical body, but also allow our minds. Doing less, helps us show up RECHARGED, when we need to do more.
Yin and Yang Theory
Yin and Yang Theory explains that we need both yang and yin to have balance in our lives, too much of one, or too little of the other can create disharmony (1). An imbalance or disharmony may be why you’re feeling burnt out. Too much yang may be in your world, and not enough yin energy. Yin Yang theory encompass everything in the universe, and with both energies…”there’s a dynamic flow happening that automatically and continuously balances and rebalances these energies” (2).
Yin and Yang are also interdependent to each other, can transform into one another, consume and support each other and part of yin is in yang, and part of yang is in yin (4). It’s the ability to recognize within ourselves how each energy influences the other, even depletes or energizes the other.
We can’t have one in excess or depletion for too long, as eventually the rebalance comes, and maybe that’s what burn out is…the REBALANCE.
The sort of wake up call to slow down.
Looking at Yin Yang Theory in nature for a moment…
This theory applied to nature, can be seen in the changing seasons.
Winter would be described as more yin, cool, dark, or downward, and summer would be described as more yang, warm, light, or upward, or dynamic. Even nature shows us a balance and examples of yin and yang qualities. Winter wouldn’t be what it is without experiencing summer. Both are necessary. Both rebalance nature. Both yang and yin allow harmony, but an excess or depletion of one, can bring disharmony. When applying this to our lives, we can see how burn out can occur…
Burnout Defined…
Helpguide.org defines, “… Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give. The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—including your home, work, and social life (3).
If this sounds like you and burnout is here or maybe slowly creeping up for you, below are some ways you can move from excess YANG and into the realm of YIN, doing less, to harmonize your body and mind.
Ideas on how to “Yin” out?
The blog post name is called “How to Yin out”, to literally find ways to chill out, find things that are downward energetically, take a break from our daily routines, work and other obligations.
Help us recharge!
Do less. Don’t jam pack your day, maybe even trying saying no to stuff or tasks so that you can make space for what you want to do well.
Take a walk instead of a higher intensity workout like a run/hike/HIIT class OR
Get into your body in a more passive way; Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, stretching, myofascial release
Meditate
Breathing mindfully, breath work (pranayama)
Yoga Nidra (which is referred to as sleeping yoga, whereby we relax and enter a dream state)
Practice gratitude! List out 3 unique things, or people, an experience or encounter you are grateful for. Either incorporate this at the beginning of your day or end of your day, reflecting back on the day’s events and interactions you’ve had
Get off or at least limit social media and SCREEN time, instead opt to read a book, as screens can be overstimulating, information overload and a book is more Yin like as its more downward energetically, its darker (as it doesn’t have the blue light from the screens). If you use a tablet or device like a kindle to read, try making your background darker and turn on your DO NOT DISTURB so no distractions come in
Take a bath and not just any bath, fill the tub with epsom salt, or flowers or whatever essential oil you want to add a beautiful smell into the water and air
Listen to music that is calming, even without words, like classical music or mediation music
Forest bathing - be in a park and just be present with your senses; what you see, what you feel, what you taste, what you hear (Read more on my blog on what Forest bathing is?)
Journal - either The Artist Way style where you write whatever comes to mind (brain dump) OR gratitude journal
Call a friend or family member that unwinds you
Get more sleep
I hope the list above inspires you to find ways to recharge and unplug.
Let me know if you have more to add to this list, of if you’ve tried to incorporate some of the “YIN” like ways into your world.
What will you do for yourself today to Yin out?
Commit to yourself to find at least two things from above that you can do in the next 5 days?
Take time to notice how you feel before and after taking part in things that recharge you. Creating space to notice is all that matters, as once we notice change can arise. And as we learned with Yin and Yang theory change is constant.
Be well my friends,
Marzena
Sources and other Resources
What is Yang Yin theory? http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/principles/whatyinyang.html
Yin yang Theory https://www.tcmworld.org/what-is-tcm/yin-yang-theory/
Burnout prevention and treatment by HelpGuide.org (2001)
6 Main principles of yin and yang relationships (2017). https://www.naturainstitute.com.au/six-main-principles-of-yin-and-yang-relationship/