We’ve all heard the expression, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” In fact, maybe we’ve heard it so much that it’s began to become a cliche or even lost it’s meaning. But when you’re actually experiencing burnout, you realize just how true this statement is. You really can’t keep giving and giving, going and going, doing and doing, without taking the time to recharge and do something that you enjoy.

Maybe you’re really good at noticing yourself getting burned out and you’re able to do something that prevents the complete and total burnout before you make it there. But maybe you’re not too good at noticing burnout creeping in, most of us aren’t. Most of us notice burnout once it’s already set in and we have to work that much harder to combat the negative emotions it brings into our lives.

Preventing burnout, it seems, is a lot easier than coming out of it. So, I’ve made a list of things I do that prevent me from burning out, things I do that “fill my cup” and bring me a sense of peace and balance.

Just because these things work for me doesn’t necessarily mean they will work for you. But something will fill your cup, something will keep you grounded and at peace. I think part of the fun is figuring out what those things are for us all individually.

This list contains ways that work for me, borrow them if you’d like, but also get really curious about what would be on your list, what do you enjoy? What bring you peace? For me it is…

Doing Yoga at a studio

I’ve been really into yoga for over a year now. I’ve always enjoyed Yoga with Adrienne, and have done drop in classes at various studios for a while, but once I found a studio I really liked and signed up for a membership there I began to build community. I began to get to know the teachers and the other students. I began to have a community, a place where people knew me and I knew them.

Connecting with friends and family

I don’t live in the same city as most of my friends and family, so it’s important for me to actually reach out to them and keep in touch. It’s important to make plans to visit and to continue to make memories together. Routinely doing this has helped me prevent burnout.

Going on walks / hiking

‘ll always prefer being in the woods, but sometimes that isn’t realistic. Sometimes I only have 20 minutes during lunch and since I live in an urban area, all the good hiking spots are at least 20 minutes away, so I’ve began walking around my neighborhood. I’ve began just exploring during the time I do have. The movement of stretching my legs out, slightly elevating my heart rate, and feeling some sunshine on my face always makes me feel refreshed and energized and ready to tackle the rest of the day. Walking is definitely one of my current favorite activities. It’s really low impact, accessible to do from literally anywhere, and I think it’s really fun to explore areas on foot.

Practicing gratitude

I’ve included a gratitude practice in my morning for about four months now, and I think it’s positively impacted my mindset. Journaling about something I’m really grateful for first thing in the morning as I sip my coffee and ground into my day impacts the mood I’m going to be in the for the rest of the day. Check out this post I did earlier about the importance of keeping a gratitude journal.

Reconnecting with an activity you used to love

I love finding new hobbies just as much as everyone else, but what if what we really needed was to reconnect with something we used to really enjoy but no longer do. For me this has been roller skating. As a kid, I used to love to roller skate. I even had my own pair of skates and I would wear them frequently at the skating rink. As time went on and I got older, I stopped skating. But recently I made a friend who regularly goes skating. I’ve started going skating with her one night a week and it has been such a fun time, getting to reconnect with something I used to love so much has been really exciting. I’m still a long ways from being as fast and fearless as I was when I was a kid, but I have a feeling the more routinely I go, the better I will get at it.

For me, these five ways have helped to keep me grounded and helped to prevent me from burning out in everyday life. Routinely coming back to these practices has helped me slow down, enjoy my day to day much more, and brought in feelings of calmness, peace, joy, and fulfillment.