Author: Leanne

“True belonging is not something you negotiate externally, it’s what you carry in your heart. It’s finding the sacredness in being a part of something.” By Brené Brown

We all want to belong; our innate desire is to seek approval and to fit in.
True belonging is knowing and accepting who we are, and having confidence in our imperfect selves. It empowers us with the freedom and courage to stand alone, maintaining our authenticity, and can only happen when we are authentic with those around us.

To embrace your true sense of belonging: – Develop those relationships with the people you regularly interact with; be politely assertive; reflect and communicate what you are wanting; and stand strong, with generosity in your heart.

Burnout does not happen overnight it takes small bites overtime and gradually wears you down… Our bodies and minds generally give us warning signs, we need to be alert and recognise these early.

Common causes of burnout include: unsustainable work load, conflict of values, insufficient support, unfair expectations, lack of encouragement to find creative solutions, missing the key elements of trust, respect and openness.

Share with your colleagues if they would like support or further information get them to contact me.

It creeps up as a result of always being busy.

How do you recognise the signs of stress that could lead to burnout? These can be different for all of us, and at times it is difficult to recognise the signs as they occur.

Signs that you might be experiencing an overload of stress
include: less energy, unable to sleep well, can’t switch off, feeling unwell a lot of the time, no longer enthusiastic about work, difficulty in focusing, constantly feeling irritated and impatient.

We all experience stress at some point in our lives. It is important to become aware of both the symptoms and behaviours that put us at risk of burnout. Together we can explore what is happening for you and design energising pathways to create a balanced and positive life ahead.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
We do not see burnout coming.

Burnout is often the result of a busy and stressful workplace environment. When we are so focused on our work, we fail to notice the signs of burnout that we are experiencing.

Signs that you might be experiencing burnout include: emotional and physical exhaustion, insomnia, lack of concentration, increased illness, loss of appetite, anxiety, depression and anger.

Noticing these signs is the first step in eliminating the issue.

I can help you to restore balance to your life by working together to instigate intentional change!!

In life there are many difficulties along the road. Knowing your values can aid and support you in making decisions and staying true to your authentic self!

Defining your values:

Identify times from your personal and work life when you were at your happiest, proudest and most fulfilled;

Think about the factors that contributed to these feelings;

Determine your values based on experiences of happiest, proudest and fulfilled;

Then prioritize your top 10 values.

Message me and I will send you a list so you can work out what drives and inspires you!

Which values are reflective of you?

Values define what you believe to be important to your life and confirm your true self. Building a lifestyle around values, then living with your values in mind, helps to create a meaningful and satisfying life.

When values are aligned with priorities, life is generally on the right track! When these do not align, life can be difficult or may feel awkward.

During life, change occurs and sometimes your values may also change. A good example is when starting a family: work/life balance may be a higher priority than previously. It is important to continually reflect on your values especially when difficulties come up.

Acknowledging and understanding your personal, core values enables you to confidently make decisions about how you live your life.

Think about how your values influence your actions.

“Consider the way values impact the way you live your life…are they your values or those expected by others?”

It is switch tasking! When we switch tasks, the brain stops and starts again, and again… This costs time, is less efficient and drains our energy.

This happens, often in our lives, I know all too well as I was queen of the multi-taskers! It used to be me!! Does this sound like you too?

Steps to being more efficient: Schedule for, and commit to, a task for a specific chunk of time, work on similar tasks in a block to minimise switching, make time for a break and review progress with fresh eyes; what you have achieved, what you have left to do, and any new information that might be useful, make this way of working a new habit.

Gratitude enhances our emotional and physical well-being. It is the practice of focusing on what we have, noticing and appreciating the positives in our world.

Gratitude creates benefits such as: happiness; increased resilience; improved self-esteem; better quality sleep; lower stress; and more meaningful relationships.

Tips for practicing gratitude: slow down and be mindful of what you have to be grateful for; schedule time to journal your appreciation for what you have; focus on what you have and what is going well; recognise and acknowledge others and share your gratitude with them; and show gratitude by practicing generosity.

Check out the article Nathan Wallace shared on gratitude. A great read full of insights on the benefits to the brain!

What are you grateful for?

Caring for our soul involves the spiritual area of our lives. Spirituality “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things” as defined in dictionary.com. What does this mean to each of us as individuals?

Spiritually means different things to each of us and is connected to our beliefs, values, needs, and our inner selves. Values define what we believe to be important to our lives and confirm our true selves.

Acknowledging and understanding our beliefs and personal core values enables us to confidently make decisions about how we live our lives and nurture our souls.

Caring for our soul is linked to, and supports, our health and well-being. It is as important as caring for our physical body by eating well, exercising and sleeping enough.