We have two articles in this month’s issue—“Burnout Recovery” and “The Power of the Pause”—that speak to the exhausting nature of our culture and ways to address it. And this month's edition of our web-only “Ask a Coach” column answers the question: I feel pretty burned out from dealing with all the stress in my life. What can I do about it?

From the first article comes this factoid: “Among American employees, 52 percent reported feeling burned out in a March 2021 study, with two-thirds saying it had worsened during the pandemic.”

Over half the U.S. working population. What an alarming number. What does extreme and widespread stress do to a population? We Americans aren’t just experiencing a viral pandemic; we’re experiencing a pandemic of exhaustion and fatigue, a pandemic of frayed nerves and degraded empathy, a pandemic of heightened aggression and increased violence. 

COVID-19 is not the sole cause of any of this, but it is an accelerant. The real cause lies in the values that are deeply embedded in our common culture: placing individual freedoms over the commonweal, prizing material goods over doing good, winning at any and all costs, focusing on growing the economy instead of sustaining our shared “home,” engaging in contempt rather than love. 

While “Burnout Recovery” offers solid advice about how to address burnout—access joy, find points of control (sleep, exercise, diet), take micro-breaks and practice gratitude—“The Power of the Pause,” written by yoga editor, Mila Burgess, suggests a way of being that elevates us. It invites us to take a pause… to develop equanimity, “evenness of temper, composure and mental calmness.” Who doesn’t want to be calm and composed most, if not all, of the time? 

We introduced the yoga department over four years ago not because yoga represents a lucrative industry to which we can sell, but because yoga has the potential to dramatically change lives for the better. We always put readers first, and when I say that, I mean we publish content that helps improve lives—content that points to methodologies and practices that help us navigate the vicissitudes of life and highlights ideas and concepts that help us become better human beings—better versions of ourselves. 

While all of the above recommendations to address burnout are wise and effective, the overarching goal of developing equanimity is exactly the take-away we might want from this issue. To the degree that yoga helps us get there, I say, “Yay for yoga!” As written in “The Power of the Pause,” the reward is freedom—but not the ego-driven kind of freedom that’s sought after by those who want to do whatever they want, regardless of consequences to others. No, it is the opposite of that—freedom from the ego that enslaves us with never-ending desires and demands. 

Kurt Vonnegut said: “I am a human being, not a human doing.” In working on equanimity, we progress towards that ideal. Burnout is an affliction of doing; peace and joy are the results of being. Be more. Do less. Wish I could do that! LOL! ❧

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