Are you in desperate need of YOU time??

Here you are, tired and feeling a bit worn out, desperately seeking an answer to why you may feel unmotivated to get to work or are secretly hoping the kids won’t hear that you’re up. “Am I getting sick?” “Have I reached my maximum?” “Am I burned out?” are all valid questions. 

Yes, there is such thing as being “burned out”, but there are specific factors that signal such distress. According to Mayo Clinic, a job burnout (which I believe can be applicable to anyone) is a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work. I have also found that it is when you reach such a point of exhaustion, that you are merely focused on surviving, not having the time or effort for anything outside of eating and sleeping. If you are concerned that this is what you are experiencing, you can take Psychology Today’s burnout test HERE.

In most cases, however, we think we are burned out when really we are just in DESPERATE need of “ME” time. This can happen when we have gone too long without doing things that are true to us, our personality, or who we are at our innermost core. Whether it be too focused on a particular project, the busy season at work, or running the kids around constantly plus cleaning the house and making dinner, these all can lead us to think that we are burned out, or worse, not good enough. So how do you know when you are there?

Take a moment to reflect on the following…

When was the last time you made yourself giggle?

When was the last time you had a social night out, with a group or just one another?

When was the last time you expressed yourself in a creative manner, FOR yourself (helping your child build their shoe box display doesn’t count)?

When was the last time you sat still, without distraction, and enjoyed nothing but silence?

When was the last time you cooked a quality nutritional meal for yourself?

When was the last time you enjoyed a mug of hot tea, sipping it slowly and calmly?

When was the last time you put effort into getting ready?

When was the last time you worked out?

When was the last time you reflected on your own thoughts? experiences? Self?

When was the last time you did something for you??? (if you think this means you can go on a shopping spree, think again! Unless you plan on going with a budget in mind, trying on clothes that make you feel good, and putting those back that are outside of your budget, shopping can be a dangerous road to self indulgence that leads to further distress).

So, what do you think? Are you in desperate need of YOU time? If you answered yes to three or more of these, then I’d say there is a pretty good chance you are in need of some “ME” time. Here is a list of my personal favorite To-do’s… in order for them to be most effective, I highly suggest enjoying them with no one else but your innermost Self (unless it requires company, of course).

Go for a stroll at a nearby park or down the block and back

Go for a bike ride

Hit the gym at a time when it is not super busy

Do a three to five day Social Media cleanse (no Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, you name it)

(Ladies) Paint your nails or get a mani/pedi with or without nail polish. (Guys) Enjoy shaving without speeding through it, but rather experience it as a manly spa treatment

Get ready for your day and put enjoyable effort into it

Wash your feet before bed (a student of mine washes her feet before walking into my yoga class. I have always thought this is such a beautiful ritual to help prepare the body and mind for deep relaxation)

Take a yoga class or practice in the comfort of your own home

Meditate, even if only for five minutes. Just sit in silence or with soft music and watch your thoughts pass by and, eventually, dissipate.

Go out with your closest friends, friend, or on a date with your man and do something new and fun!

Do something to express your creativity such as writing a poem, journaling, taking pictures, sketching, strumming that guitar you haven’t played in years, etc.

Cook a special nutritional meal for yourself… take the time to determine what you are going to make and enjoy the entire process from ingredient shopping to finishing your plate!

Go without lights for a night and stick to candles, incense, and soft music

Put on some favorite tunes from the good ol’ days and dance, baby, dance!

Create a personal routine and put it into practice (for me, I seal my evening with a warm mug of camomile tea and a piece of dark chocolate)

Of course, this is your personal time to do what resonates with you. So find what you enjoy, something that you have been missing, and take care of YOU for once. You deserve it :)

Namaste,

Yogi Rae

A Yoga International Article by Angela Wilson on October 9, 2014

We all know that yoga does a body (and a mind) good. But up until recently, no one could really say with any degree of certainty why—or even how—it improves conditions as varied as depression and anxiety, diabetes, chronic pain, and even epilepsy.

Now a group of researchers at Boston University School of Medicine believe they’ve discovered yoga’s secret. In an article published in the May 2012 issue of Medical Hypotheses journal under an impossibly long title, Chris Streeter, PhD, and his team hypothesize that yoga works by regulating the nervous system. And how does it do that? By increasing vagal tone—the body’s ability to successfully respond to stress.

The Study: The Effects of Yoga on the Autonomic Nervous System, Gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and Allostasis in Epilepsy, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

What Is Vagal Tone?Most of us don’t even know we have a vagus that needs toning, but we most certainly do. The vagus nerve, the largest cranial nerve in the body, starts at the base of the skull and wanders throughout the whole body, influencing the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems. Often thought of as our “air traffic controller,” the vagus nerve helps to regulate all our major bodily functions. Our breath, heart rate, and digestion—as well as our ability to take in, process, and make sense of our experiences—are all directly related to the vagus nerve.

We know when the vagus nerve is toned and functioning properly because we can feel it on different levels: Our digestion improves, our heart functions optimally, and our moods stabilize. We have an easier time moving from the more active and often stressful states of being to the more relaxed ones. As we get better at doing that, we can manage life’s challenges with the right blend of energy, engagement, and ease. When we can consistently maintain this flexible state we are thought to have “high vagal tone.”

...low vagal tone is correlated with such health conditions as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and epilepsy.

“Low vagal tone,” on the other hand, brings with it a sense of depletion. Our digestion becomes sluggish, our heart rate increases, and our moods become more unpredictable and difficult to manage. Not surprisingly, low vagal tone is correlated with such health conditions as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and epilepsy—not coincidentally, the same conditions that show significant improvement with yoga practice. Researchers hypothesize that it is vagal stimulation through yoga that improves these conditions.

To test their theory, the researchers investigated practices they believed would increase vagal tone. For example, they found that resistance breathing, such as ujjayi pranayama, increases the relaxation response, as well as heart rate variability (another marker of resilience). And a pilot study conducted on more experienced yogis showed that chanting Om out loud increased vagal tone and the relaxation response more than chanting it silently to oneself. Studies such as this one begin to reveal how different yogic practices impact human physiology in different ways.  

ABOUT Angela Wilson Angela Wilson, MA, manager of evidence-based curriculum for the Institute for Extraordinary Living at Kripalu, holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Lesley University, is a 200-hour Kripalu Yoga teacher, and has completed 250 hours of ayurvedic training.