August 2019

What To Do About Burnout

In the past few months, I’ve been focusing my newsletters and videos on burnout because it’s such a huge problem.

Did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

In this week’s video, I have some really good ways to help you deal with burnout. It’s so important – it could save your life!

If burnout is happening with you, it’s time to do something about it!

As I say in the video, simply getting better organized is not going to reduce your level of burnout. You need to do something to turn this around, to get at the heart of what’s really the problem. What is really causing your stress, what’s really going on?

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s going on. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back into connection.

Call us – we can help.

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.

Brian says, “Before my Soul Adventure, I was completely burned out…
I had a complete awakening and am now happy and at peace
with myself.”

“My experience with Sedona Soul Adventures was unimaginable. I arrived in a complete state of desperation and total burnout. Life made no sense to me and I really had an incredible amount of hatred toward myself. Things started to become clear so quickly. An understanding of my purpose and what life is and means began to appear, and then every session built upon that so powerfully that by the fourth day, I had reached a complete awakening.

I cannot describe in words the feeling of relief that I had finally experienced. I was finally back home in my heart. Let me include the fact that I was not a very spiritual, religious or very loving, caring person. I just opened up my mind and allowed things to happen without resistance. I was very skeptical of SSA in terms of if it was some hokey sort of thing and was going to be a complete waste of time. That could not be further from the truth. If you are serious about changing your life and becoming happy and at peace with yourself, this is the best next step you could take.”
~ Brian R., Los Angeles, CA

In this series of videos, I’ve been talking to you about burnout, because it’s such a serious issue and so many people are suffering from it.

In fact, it’s become so serious around the world, that the World Health Organization has recognized it as a condition that needs serious attention and treatment.

In my previous videos I’ve talked about:

Burnout in your Work
Burnout in your Relationship
Burnout in your Life

And today I want to talk about what you can do about it.

If this is the first of these videos that you’ve watched, let me back up just a little to talk about what burnout is. HelpGuide defines Burnout as:

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.

And it’s important to note that burnout is different than stress. Stress spikes, burnout is just getting to the point where you feel like you just can’t take it anymore and you just don’t want to do anything, you’re listless and just disinterested.

If this is happening in your life, I can’t tell you how important it is to deal with it. Study after study is showing the kind of continual stress that leads to burnout is directly linked to heart attack, stroke, cancer and a compromised immune system.

This Can Kill You!

So please, do something about this before it’s too late. Do it for yourself, do it for your family.

How do deal with Burnout

So the question is, how do you deal with Burnout? The obvious first answer is don’t let it happen in the first place. Of course, that’s easier said than done, but if you’re not at burnout yet and you’re just stressed out a lot, you can save yourself or someone you love a whole lot of problems if you do something before you’ve gone completely over the edge.

So this means Managing Your Stress.

What are things that can reduce your stress?

Study after study shows that three of the easiest things that you can start doing right now, today are:

Get 8 hours of sleep

Exercise

Meditate

Breathe

And of course, everyone’s first reaction is, “I don’t have time for any of those and I can’t meditate, I have monkey mind.”

Get up 1 hour earlier. Studies have shown that just 30 minutes of exercise is optimal for everything that your body needs. And even the Dalai Lama says that he has monkey mind – everyone has monkey mind – so find a meditation that will work for you and keep at it. Stop watching TV at night, stop playing video games, go to bed one hour earlier.

If you do this, you are handling the first three by giving yourself the time to exercise and meditate. And isn’t it worth it to save your life?

The final one is to breathe. And everyone has time for that. The problem is that you’re just not doing it. And don’t think this is New Age, woo-woo stuff. This is what doctors and scientists are telling people to do and here’s why…

When we get stressed, we go into fight or flight and our body starts pumping cortisol and we start breathing rapidly. It’s our caveman brain acting like we’re running away from a tiger. The problem is our brain doesn’t know the difference between a tiger and an upset at work; our brain makes our body react the same way to any stress.

What doctors, scientists and yogis in India all know is that when you start taking full deep breaths, you are signaling to your body, “I’m safe,” and your rapid heart rate slows down and you stop pumping the cortisol that’s filling into your body.

When something happens in your life, just stop and take a moment to breathe. Go into a bathroom if you want to, but just stop and take slow breaths.

All of this that I’m talking about is about Being Mindful. Notice what’s happening, be present, stop, breathe.

And now, here’s what I think is the most important one. Figure out how to not sweat the small stuff. And I’m going to pull out the big guns on this one: in a study of stressed out men, they found that stressing over the small stuff kills you:

“People who always perceived their daily life to be over-the-top stressful were three times more likely to die over the period of study than people who rolled with the punches and didn’t find daily life very stressful.”
Carolyn Aldwin  
Center for Healthy Aging Research 

Think about it. They had people dying during this study and they were the ones that stressed out over small stuff.

How about you?

Does a glitch in traffic make you crazy?
Do you lie awake at night worrying about stuff?
Do you get anxious when you’re late?
Do little annoyances make your heart start pumping?

If so, you’ve got to figure out a way that works for you to calm yourself down. This is what I talk about in my book, The Journey to Happy – How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is Wrong Can Transform Your Life. This is the way to flip the switch out of stress and back into peace.

It’s simple, but it’s not easy, but I’ll tell you as someone who used to overreact to absolutely everything absolutely all the time, this concept saved my life.

Do I still react and over react? Yes, I must admit that I do, but I’m happy to say that I do it much less often and when I do, I’m able to stop and pull myself back much more quickly than I used to. The Kindle version of the book is only 99 cents on Amazon (you can buy it here). The book has nine processes that can help you to flip that switch.

Because here’s the thing -– stress comes from what you’re believing about your situation and yourself, and that’s making you fearful and triggering the stress response.

If your boss says to you, “I’ve got to have that report by 5,” and you know there’s no way you’re going to have that report by 5, your heart starts racing, you go into panic mode, you yell at your wife when she calls you 10 minutes later, you start thinking things like, “I’m going to get fired,” “I can’t do this,” “There’s something wrong with me,” “I’m not smart enough,” “I’m not good enough”… All of which are lies.

Simply getting better organized is not going to reduce all that. That’s why you need to do something to turn this around to get at the heart of what’s really the problem. What’s really causing your stress, what’s really going on.

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s ailing you. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back into connection.

hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

To get more information, go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

SSA named one of Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies in US

I am so happy to announce that this past week. Sedona Soul Adventures was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the US. Other companies who have received this honor include Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, LinkedIn, Zillow and many others. I’m still in shock!

I feel so blessed and I’m so grateful to our incredible practitioners and my amazing staff. It’s mind blowing to me to think that I started all of this over 17 years ago in my living room and to see what it’s become – 13 staff members and over 50 practitioners.

But the best part is our wonderful clients. We’ve served over 9,000 people, which is kind of amazing when you realize we do all this one person (or couple) at a time.

And all of this has happened because this works – and it works in such an (almost) unbelievable way. It’s because of our unique approach and our Proven Process. All of the retreats are custom designed for each individual or couple. The retreats aren’t cookie cutter. We spend a lot of time really talking to people before they come, to really get an idea of what’s happening and what they want to have happen, and then we custom design the retreat based on their needs and desires. We work with a network of over 50 of Sedona’s most advanced and experienced healers, and our clients work with them in private one-on-one (or two-on-one) sessions, not in groups. I’m still amazed at what happens even after 17 years and all these thousands of people!

And the most important thing for me is that these are real and lasting changes. Not a week goes by where I don’t get an email or message from someone who came here last year, or 10 years ago, who says something like, “Sedona Soul Adventures changed my life” or “Sedona Soul Adventures saved our marriage.” Here’s one we just received 2 weeks ago:

Most of you know I was a divorce attorney in Omaha, Nebraska for over 20 years until I came to Sedona for the first time in 1999. At the time, every part of my life was a mess. I had read a zillion books, I had gone to a ton of workshops and seminars, I even did therapy and nothing really helped me. I thought my trip to Sedona was going to just be 3 days of rest, but instead, I did one session (with Ranjita, who is still one of our most beloved practitioners) and in that session I got the message I had to change my life. Little did I know what would come out of that one session!

I went back to Omaha, closed my law practice and started coming to Sedona for months at a time, working with different practitioners, doing my own personal healing (The joke at the office is that my Soul Adventure took 3 years – everyone else does it in 3 or 4 days!). I finally discovered what worked – doing sessions one-on-one with these amazing practitioners in private sessions, where they were taking me from where I was to where I wanted to be. It changed everything for me. I moved to Sedona and started Sedona Soul Adventures because I wanted other people to be able to experience the same incredible transformations that changed my life.

People come to us burned out, stressed out, not knowing their purpose and they leave here feeling connected and ready to live their purpose to the fullest. Couples come to us wanting to reignite the spark or on the verge of divorce, and everything gets turned around (one couple told us, “After our Soul Adventure, we feel like we are on fire!”) And after divorcing people for over 20 years, it’s really gratifying to now have spent over 17 years helping them stay together!

Again, I’m so grateful. A special thank you to my wonderful husband, Richard, who has become such a huge part of my life and of Sedona Soul Adventures. To be able to do this life’s work and now to be able to do it with my beloved soul mate, is such a huge blessing.

So let me reach out to you. If you haven’t done a Soul Adventure yet, please think about it. We have so many people who come and say, “I’ve been wanting to do this for years.” What’s it going to take to get you to make the decision?

Or if you’re one of our beloved grads, is it time for a tune-up?

What’s happening with you? Are you living the life of your dreams? Does your relationship feed you and nurture you and add to your happiness every single day? If not, something is off.

I started all this 17 years ago because I believe that happiness, peace, satisfaction, abundance and joy are our natural birthright. When we’re in connection on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – every part of our life is smooth and happy. Stuff happens, but when we’re operating in connection we can more easily roll with the punches, understanding the underlying truth that “All is Well” and “Everything Is Happening As It Should Be” (all the stuff I talk about in my book, The Journey To Happy).

Most people don’t feel that way because they are disconnected on one or more of the levels (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual). What they don’t realize is that the stuff that’s causing that disconnect are just blocks and gunk that can be moved and lifted up and out. Once that happens, you can come back into connection and stay there.

And that’s what we’re masters at – figuring out the blocks and gunk, lifting them up and out, utilizing processes to bring you back into connection and giving you tools so that you not only maintain, but continue to deepen all these transformations after you go home. That’s why our Proven Process works – and works in such amazing ways.

If your life or relationship isn’t all that you want it to be, please give us a call. Speak with one of our amazing Angel Guides, they are so incredible and one of the secrets of our success. They will design the retreat that’s perfect for you (or both of you for a couple) to take your life (or your relationship) from where you are to where you want to be.

Here’s our most recent testimonial from Trustpilot, from just yesterday:

And watch our 2 min announcement video on You Tube (and leave a nice comment? – Thanks!).

Are you burned out in your relationship?

In my last video, I talked to you about burnout, but I was primarily talking about burnout in your work, because that’s the classic condition that seems to affect most people.

I hope you’ll watch this video on burnout in your relationship, because I’ll tell you from personal experience, it’s the worst.

Do you feel unappreciated?
Do you feel like whatever you do, it’s not enough? And that it’s probably never going to be enough?
Do you feel hopeless?

Like I said, when a relationship goes into burnout it’s the worst and I hope this video helps, or please forward it to someone where it might be of help.

As I said, if you’re feeling burned out in your relationship, give us a call and let us help you. Do you want to save your relationship? If there’s even a glimmer of hope, it’s worth saving, both for you and for your children. Please connect with us now.

Josh and Jen say their Couples Retreat was “the most amazing experience of our lives and as a couple. We feel like we are on fire!”

“This was probably the most amazing experience we have had in our lives and definitely as a couple. We came out of the adventure much closer and with a renewed sense of direction. We feel like we are on fire! Our lives have changed forever because of our Soul Adventure and it was just the boost we needed to grow in marriage and in life. We have a whole new perspective on our lives.”
~ Josh & Jen B.

In my last video, I talked to you about burnout, but I was primarily talking there about burnout in your work, because that’s the classic condition that seems to affect most people and that’s the condition that the World Health Organization has recently recognized.

But today I want to talk about, “Are you burned out in your relationship?”

Because if you are, that can be really terrible.

What are the signs? Well it’s very similar to work burnout:

Do you feel unappreciated?

Do you feel like whatever you do, it’s not enough? And that it’s probably never going to be enough?

Do you feel hopeless?

Do you feel like things that used to interest you or excite you no longer excite you?

Do you have any excitement for the relationship?

Are you fighting all the time and not having much sex?

Does the thought of the other person bring up negative feelings?

These are all signs that you’re burned out on the relationship.

What about your partner? Does it feel like they’re experiencing the same thing?

Do you see their eye wandering and watching other people? A lot more than they used to?

If you’re saying “yes” to a bunch of these things, you’ve got a problem on your hands.

If the relationship is that bad, is it possible to save it?

Well, the answer to that is, it depends.

Are you interested in saving it?

Is it worth it to you to save the relationship?

These are big questions and I invite you to sit with those a moment.

Has something happened, like infidelity or a betrayal of some kind?

Usually when things like that happen, if you’re feeling angry, upset and betrayed (all very normal emotions, by the way), that probably means we’re actually NOT talking about burnout, because burnout means you just kind of don’t care anymore.

If you’re angry and upset, there’s some juice there, some energy which you can build on, so it might actually be a good thing.

More likely, if you’re just feeling like you just don’t care anymore, then that’s the question – Do you care? Do you want to do something to save the relationship?

Very often in situations like this, couples have stopped communicating. They go through the motions, but they’re not really talking. They go along, to get along, but nothing real is happening.

This is the first place where you need to stop. You have to start engaging your partner, you have to connect with them.

Maybe some things have happened that have built up resentments and you’re holding your partner in a space of “I don’t like him, I don’t love him.”

Here’s a quick energy process you can do, that’s a variation on the HeartMath process:

Close your eyes
Place your hand over your heart
Slow down your breathing
Think of your partner. Think about the issues that you’re upset about, that you don’t like. Don’t give them a lot of energy, just acknowledge them.
Now that you’ve identified these things, go back to a time where things were really good in your relationship, a time where you felt love for your partner and you felt love from them. It might just be one time, but think about that and feel it. Keep breathing.

Just do this for a few minutes every day and do it for a week. After a week, see if that has made any kind of difference, it can be amazing what happens when the energy starts to shift.

A woman came to us a few years ago, telling us that she was married for the second time, she’d been married for 6 years and she was feeling no love for her husband, she just felt nothing. The thing that alarmed her was that she had been married before and at the point she was married for 6 years, the same thing had happened. We knew that this probably wasn’t just a coincidence.

As we delved deeper, we discovered that her mother had left her father when she had been married 6 years. She was 5 when it happened and it was absolutely devastating and traumatizing for her. We made that connection and this huge light bulb came on. She remembered her mother telling her all the time, that she just felt nothing for her father. And here she was, playing out her mother’s life all over again.

When she did her breath journey, this image of her husband came in and he came up to her and just kissed her hand. She said it was the most amazing thing, that suddenly, she felt a spark. She saw that nothing was wrong with him, this was all about her own emptiness at losing her father. They came back the next year and did a couples retreat, and it was so wonderful to see them so happy together and so in love.

If you’re feeling burned out in your relationship, give us a call and let us help you. Do you want to save your relationship? If there’s even a glimmer of hope, it’s worth saving, both for you and for your children.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.