A recent discovery of mine has been the exercise of musing: thinking and dreaming about the future without any pressure to make decisions.
I had been reluctant to start thinking about returning to work - or even entertaining the thought of possible work options - and I had asked my counselor if he had any suggestions. That's when he suggested the activity of musing.
Tim and I took some time out one lovely Saturday afternoon and found ourselves a quiet comfy place overlooking a park and experimented with musing. We discovered, to our delight, that it was an energizing endeavour and we emerged from it quite excited about the future and the possibilities that lie before us. I think it was especially uplifting for me because it allowed me to think about my strengths and affirmed my sense of value as I thought about my strengths.
One of the effects of burnout is that one's sense of self-worth is depleted. So one of the steps in recovery is a re-building of the sense of self-worth. And I definitely think that by grace, I am on the upswing.
