The Danger of Being an Excitement Junkie: How to Recover from Burnout and Actually Rest

Is your mind on overdrive? Are you exhausted?  Is it hard to leave your email alone on nights and weekend?  Don't worry, you're not alone.  Office workers report a burnout rate of 40 percent  in the United States and Canada.  Physicians are closer to 50%.  Burnout is not only attributed to the workplace; "keeping up with the joneses" and trying to be a "balanced" human who works more than full time, exercises regularly, eats healthy, sleeps 8 hours a night, has a family, and makes time for friends can seem overwhelming.  In a society that champions the hustle and reveres people who seem to be doing it all, it's hard to feel a sense of ease when we aren't doing something productive.  I was excited to dig into this conversation with burnout expert, previous podcast guest, and author Brad Stulberg because burnout is a regular part of the conversation amongst my peers and family.  We wanted to get to the bottom of why we feel pressure to push ourselves so hard, how to actually define rest, why obsessive passion can be detrimental, and how to live more easeful lives.

Brad is the co-author of one of my favorite books, Peak Performance. which is specifically about avoiding burnout and elevating your game.  Listen on our last episode and definitely get this book. I've read it a couple times!  If you're not already familiar with Brad's writing on human performance in his regular column in Outside Magazine, or in publications like the New York Times, Thrive, Sports Illustrated, and more, you're missing out.   He is my favorite person to follow on Twitter because he always has insightful and actionable information.

My favorite takeaway from today's episode was to define rest as the act of doing an activity without needing to progress.

Topics Discussed in the Podcast  how to tell if you're burnt out why being an excitement junkie can kill you difference between excitement and happiness  how do you define true rest how to implement 3 key habits to foster happiness and human connection harmonious vs obsessive passion what to do if you constantly are seeking external validation  Listen Now

 

Links Brad Stulberg's Website The Art of Living Previous podcast with Brad and Steve on their book Peak Performance Website: Peak Performance Episode on Self Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff Brad's recent article on Outside about being Good over Great

 

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