The Six “R” Road to Burnout Recovery – Part III: The First Two Strategic “R”s – Running and Reading

Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, "The Stress Doc" ™, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is an acclaimed keynote and kickoff speaker as well as "Motivational Humorist ...Read More

The Six Rejuvenating “R”s

1. Running

My recovery plan quickly began once I stopped being an also ran.
A brisk 30 minute walk or jog – good for excess flab and mental fog.
Your body’s now a big vibrator; an inner “feel good” generator
Of endorphins and dopamine: once again you’re “lean and mean”
Reducing the weight of personal baggage.
Pumping up vital organs with aerobic massage
Bring on that next rite (or is it night?) of passage.

With this mind-body booster; now queen hen or rooster…
You’ve had enough; time to strut your stuff
In the board-, class- or bedroom: Get set to zoom!
Hey research shows, when feeling fit
Beyond the cardio benefit
You’re more ready to do and enjoy it!

The Goal of Control: From Stress to Success

Still…I’ll rein in the passion with one down to earth notion:
To be more in control, stick to an exercise goal.
When all seems up in the air
Despite all that effort and care
The birds of worry still nest in your hair
One piece of advice is always sound:
Get your head and feet back on the ground.
To walk your talk and clean up the mess
Make exercise a mark of daily success!

As a personal aside, I don’t always like to exercise.
Perhaps you’ll find the next comment curious…
I do, however, love feeling virtuous. 😉

2. Reading

a. Playful

Now began playful and purposeful reading
For a mind needing some gentle kneading.
Reading for laughter in the face of “disaster”
Is so much more than a laughing matter.
Reading for laughs when the sky’s about to fall
Helps you step back; accept faults after all.
Humor means exploring “The Twilight Zone” –
Making connections when others see none
Breathing life into a burnt out funny bone.

The Senses and Choices of Humor

So try humor vision – view life upside down
Or the Yin-Yang position: unite opposition
Now recover the smile inside a frown.
Hearty laughter is an intense inner jog
A chemical surge cuts through mind-body slog.
A sound oh so musical, stirring bonds most fraternal.
So laughing with gusto for sure is a musto
Really quite boffo for heart, mind, and torso.

Worthy of note, two books get my vote.
When reading for healing I was hardly a saint
My very first choice: Portnoy’s Complaint.
Then a book for both a good laugh and cry
Browsing again The Catcher in the Rye.

For a gift that transcends even great wealth
Please take the time…read and laugh at yourself:
The most vital sign of emotional health!

b. Purposeful

Next up, a serious bout…trying to grasp my own burnout.
Few books were written, little was known
My quest for knowledge must be homegrown.
Was I embarking on a dark commedia?
Hey, back then there was no Wikipedia
Of course, today the ultimate criteria…
The groupthink wisdom of social media!

Still, a couple of reads planted hybrid seeds –
A fertile mix of an author’s ideas
Filtered through my own “growing pains” years.
Some hard-earned insight lodged between the ears
Now helped acknowledge subterranean fears
Even releasing a wellspring of tears.

From Nowhere to Somewhere on a Dare

I had opened a door; yet no plan to explore
Nor really sure what was in store
Other than needing an “incubation vacation” –
The gift of time for further reflection
To hatch a new path…alas, without direction.
When “where” or “there” are not clear, do be aware
Of that most curious “means vs. ends” dare:
You don’t know where you’re going…You just know how to get there!

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