Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today I'm going to talk about determining your life rhythm. So a couple of years back, I unexpectedly hit burnout. It wasn't just fatigue. It was a deep adrenal exhaustion that greatly limited my capacity to show up at work and in life.

And I say unexpected because I actually thought that I was doing fine. I mean, I was having fun. I was doing meaningful work. My life was very busy and full, but I really felt like I was handling everything okay. But in reality, I was always on, always moving from one thing to the next.

I was working hard, training my body and mind in a kind of regimented way. And then going to lots of social gatherings. I was just always busy, always on, always pushing ahead. Does this sound familiar to you? I don't think I'm the only one, but my life really started to finally turn around. I started to get well when I began focusing on one thing, rhythm, my own body's rhythm.

Not the pace that the world around me was telling me to go. Not the pace my driven A type personality was telling me to go. The pace my actual body wanted to go. So instead of always being on, I learned to regularly schedule time for rest and play. For example, I started to chunk my work into 90 minute blocks in the day, and then rest in between them for 20 minutes to restore and relax.

I stopped working over time or weekends. I scheduled off time for things like yoga or walk on the beach. Instead of loads of social events, crammed into every space of my life, I took time to do nothing. Now there's more balance between on time and off time in my life. Now, this sounds really simple, right? But the actual scheduling of deliberate routines and having clear boundaries around off time is not always easy, but it's a powerful way to allow your body and mind to operate at their best and be happier overall.

Here's what I noticed now and ongoing. Whenever I feel that life is starting to feel dull, meaningless, or stressful, I start to lose energy or passion, it's almost always because I've lost a sense of my rhythm and balance again. I've been on for too long. My system is calling me to rest and rejuvenate. So my invitation to you for today and for the days ahead is to get really intentional about finding the rhythm that works for your own body and mind.

Perhaps this could be building in certain routines or habits that can restore you. It could be as simple as taking more regular breaks in your work day, like me, or saying no to some events or opportunities so that you can rest, taking a walk in nature or just other restorative activities. Even just watching a sunset. Instead of being pulled along by the fast paced currents of modern life, allow yourself to find your own rhythm so that you can lead a more genuinely happy, healthy, and meaningful life. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.

And now let's settle in for today's meditation.