"Forest bathing is a recognized method of health care in Japan. The fact that exercise in nature is good for people is not necessarily new in our part of the world either.
However, it's about more than just going for a walk or hiking. It's also about forgetting your worries for a while: The focus is directed outwards, on perceiving the surroundings with all the senses.
Perhaps the sun shines through the leaves and draws patterns on the ground, maybe we feel a few stones under the soles of our shoes, hear birdsong or smell the autumn leaves.
If you have a lot to do, you need balance. If we forget this during stress, it can even feel really good at first.
In their 12-stage model, Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North describe the first two phases of burnout development as a compulsion to prove oneself (1) and increased commitment (2).
If we do our job really well with increasing ambition and perfectionism, complete our tasks particularly quickly and delegate as little as possible, we may go home in the evening feeling highly satisfied.
However, we may also be too exhausted to do anything for ourselves at the same time. Then it's just a small step to the next level on the burnout scale: neglecting our own needs (3).
If we have no time for hobbies and friends over a longer period of time, regard eating as a minor matter and sleeping long enough as a waste of time, alarm bells should ring.
According to the phases described by Freudenberger and North, the burnout merry-go-round could otherwise continue to spin towards the repression of conflicts and needs (4), the reinterpretation of values (5), denial of the problems (6). It could escalate via withdrawal (7) to a change in behaviour (8) and ultimately lead to depersonalization (9), inner emptiness (10), depression (11) and complete exhaustion (12).
Could, but doesn't have to!
The good news is that we can leave the burnout circle, especially in the initial phases, either alone or with the support of coaching. In many professions, it is not unusual for everyday working life to be challenging. However, those who take good care to recharge their batteries in good time, especially in stressful times, before they literally break down, remain productive.
Consciously stepping out of everyday life can be helpful: For a few hours, like forest bathing, or even just for a short time in between.
What helps when we can't see the wood for the trees?
- Breaks with reflection and self-praise
When there's a lot to do, it's tempting to work long hours. Then it can happen that in the evening we have done a lot (and are done), but can no longer say what exactly.
Better: take a break every 90 minutes, briefly reflect on what we have achieved and praise ourselves for it. That way, we can keep track of our tasks and enjoy our achievements more.
- 4-3-2-1 exercise for emergencies
Especially when we find ourselves in a tunnel with no light at the end due to all the stress or a task makes us very nervous, we should take time to get out for a moment.
The "4-3-2-1" exercise is easy to do anywhere and quickly brings us into the here and now: focus your attention on your surroundings and name first four, then three, then two, then one thing you see in your mind or out loud. Then do the same exercise with "what you hear" and "what you feel". Then turn your attention back to solving your task with fresh eyes.
- Closing ritual
Even if you identify strongly with your job and really like what you do, take the time to wrap up the working day when you leave your desk, or at the very latest in the evening before you go to bed. Create a ritual that helps you to put your tasks in their proper place.
Here are a few examples:
In the evening, consciously postpone unfinished tasks until tomorrow. Write the date of the next day on a piece of paper with the tasks to be completed underneath.
As you leave the office, take one last look at your desk and say to yourself:
"That's it, it's closing time."
In your mind, pack all stressful experiences into a suitcase (or a garbage bag) and mentally deposit it in a place of your choice for retrieval (or disposal).
Find your own ritual!
"So, now it's closing time."
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