"I just can't endure another year of burnout. Here are 3 ways I'm resetting in 2022."

To say 2021 (and 2020 actually) have been exhausting, stressful and overwhelming would be an understatement.   

Three people close to me have passed away, my mum was seriously ill and well... there was that thing called COVID-19. As Captain Planet would say, “by your powers combined, I am burnt out” (or something like that, right? You know what I mean!).    

While many things that contributed to my burnout were out of my control, I came to realise the only way through them is to take charge and deal with my emotions, reactions and how I cope with stress.

Image: Supplied.

This is why I have decided to shift my approach for 2022 by leaning into self-care. These are the three ways I’m hitting reset:

1. Reiki

While the ball has only just dropped and it's been 2022 for an entirety of five minutes, I've already started my self-care journey with reiki.

For those of who are unfamiliar, reiki, is a non-invasive modality based on the idea of a practitioner intentionally channelling universal energy to support their patient’s physical and emotional healing. It can assist with a whole range of things from pain relief to work related stress and burnout (hello – definitely what I'm in need of).

While I’d never done reiki before, I must stipulate that this therapy was used regularly by my great aunt, Dorothy nearly two decades ago when she was in her nineties. But despite her being one of the wisest people I have ever met... well, it has taken me this long to actually action her advice and try it myself.

Being a complete novice though and no longer having Dorothy around to guide me in the right direction, I utilised the assistance of SoulAdvisor, an emerging purpose-driven health and wellness booking platform for complementary therapies across Australia. The platform allows you to search by symptom or interest area to find fully vetted (and qualified) practitioners in your local area.

The process was very quick and effective, taking me an entire 30 seconds to sign up (free) and start searching. From there I was able to explore the site which represents over 120 evidence based complementary health therapies from reiki, personal training, doulas, earthing, through to physiotherapy, breathwork and kinesiology (the list is incredible if you want to check it out here). 

It includes useful information around the benefits of each therapy, as well as the listing of hundreds of practitioners, their location and qualifications. 

From my search I came across a practitioner Wiebke Queisser — a reiki master — who I thought would be a great fit for me. 

Despite me living in regional Victoria and Wiebke in Bondi, through SoulAdvisor there are options for distance healing which means sessions can be conducted via the phone or Zoom. Convenient for me and for homebodies who can receive holistic therapy in the comfort of their own home, or when we are faced with something like (dare I say it) a pandemic!

Before I booked in my reiki, I had a complimentary Discovery Call where I chatted with Wiebke for fifteen minutes over the phone about myself and my burnout. From this, I felt as if she understood what I was needing from the treatment and I was absolutely ready to try reiki.

So, I scheduled in my first session: a distance energy healing for the following week.

Before the session, Wiebke asked for me to send a photo so she could tune into my body and when the Zoom call began, I could tell she was already connected as she began to explain where energy had stagnated around my body.

Wiebke pointed out three areas that she wanted to focus on: my heart (which can mean a lack of healing from past trauma or loss), the throat (expressing your authentic truth and deepest wishes) and lower abdomen (the base chakra which can be made unstable by anxiety). 

From this alone, the session was already validating many of the emotions I was feeling which was very comforting.

Image: Supplied.

For the energy work, I lay down on my yoga mat, eyes closed and listened to Wiebke’s voice. From very early on in the process I could feel a heat, particularly in my throat and lower abdomen as Wiebke moved the energy through. I also felt myself relax very quickly (which is unusual for me!). Despite me accidentally hitting play on my new fandangle/ sensitive headphones initiating some Eurhythmics, the session was a great success.

Wiebke then sent me a recording of our session which I was able to then listen to for the next few days to really consolidate the energy healing. I look forward to joining more SoulAdvisor reiki sessions this year, so I can really gauge my long-term results to combat stress, tension and my burnout from 2021.

2. Exercise

For clarity, exercise and I have had a love-hate relationship over the years, but I must say during the pandemic I have actually ramped up my routine (read: it was the only way to get out of the house for a little while there!).

I embraced bike riding, I bought an exercise bike and even some dumbbells, and I have executed some sort of routine... most days.

With proven results for the body and the mind, I have made sure that this continues into 2022 and have even set myself some new fitness goals (running 6 kilometres). I have also entertained the occasional thought of joining a social sporting group (we’ll see).

3. Self-gratitude

So, this last one may sound 'fluffy', but regardless, I am most definitely using it to reset in 2022.

Although not an official part of the reiki session, I do owe this idea to Wiebke as well. During my Discovery Call via SoulAdvisor, she identified an issue I have had for a long time but never really worked on: being overly self-critical.  

One thing that she said that particularly stood out was that while I speak kindly to my children, husband and those I love, that I often don’t do the same for myself; that I am not kind to myself. She is very right.

So, I have decided rather than putting myself down I will pick myself up in 2022 and begin some daily self-gratitude time. I'm doing this through the simple task of writing down things I am grateful to myself for, things I am proud of, things that I achieved, did, said, or even thought throughout that day. 

So, with 2021 winding up and the new year well and truly here, my self-care journey has definitely started off on the right foot. 

Use SoulAdvisor and connect with your ideal qualified complementary health practitioner to find the right treatment for you. Book your secure appointment online and kick start your self-care practice in 2022. Use code METIME for $20 off your first booking. Sign up to get started.

Feature Image: Getty.