Summer can feel so precious, signaling time to rest and find ease. But it may also usher in a seemingly-endless number of things to do that compete with the desire to simply slow down. It’s a vicious cycle, but there are resources, habits, and mindsets you can use to cultivate more balance and less burnout. This article includes the most powerful tools that have helped me do just that.

How did a self-care promoting, work-life-balance advocate wake up one day and realize that burnout had gripped my life? And what could I do to escape the cycle and find a new, more sustainable way of being? This is the story of my “burnout intervention” and how I’ve spent the last year of my life making a concerted effort to break free from the toxic cycle.

Considering leaning in and doing more facilitation? Maybe you’re already leading groups in some capacity and want to do more of it, or perhaps you’re just curious about taking the leap from your current role into a new field. I put together my favorite resources, how-to guides and references that I think will be most helpful for those of you who are just getting started.

Busy is a great avoidance technique. Just like any other; alcohol, drugs, video games, tv, interpersonal dramas. Busy distracts us and helps us to avoid the hard work of being present. The first step to recovery is to put down our screens and stop stacking our calendars. The second step is to get comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling of being present and doing the work; on our lives, in our relationships, at work.