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We don't get to see what happens under the soil* during the winter while seeds are apparently dormant to the eyes of us surfacers. The same is true of some stages of recovery. We put in the work, and don't see what happens as we go through the monotony of the "keep at it and results will surprise you" stage of, frankly, a lot of things. For me this applies to burnout recovery. Last challenge I started recovering from burnout, now I continue the work. The newb gains will quickly come to an end, and frankly I'm tired of quitting when the newb gains dry out. This time I want to stick with the healing things. What will heal me: Connection Intentional time with the family Continued attendance with my small group Being on the forums Movement KB workouts Stretching Walks The small group mentioned above is a disc-golf small group that meets every Saturday. It will involve walking at least a mile and a half, so I get to double dip that and count it both for connection and movement Mind and Soul Regular (like five or six minutes at a time) meditation every day Double down on faith based formation, including going to church and participating in small group (Milking it for all it's worth), as well as individual practices such as bible-reading and prayer Formal help Counseling Some sort of spiritual retreat Of what's listed above, The forums, meditation, bible reading and prayer, and counseling are pretty well locked in. The small group, intentional time with family, and everything under movement happen, and could benefit from a focus on consistency. I had never thought of it till writing this out, but exercise has effects that go both directions in time. It helps to heal stress from the past, and makes us stronger and more capable of dealing with things in the future. The retreat thing is where I'll start something new. I have reached out to a retreat center, now I need to arrange time off from work (difficult since we are short-staffed) to attend. *Unless it's one of those time lapse things where a seed is pressed up against glass under dirt, but for the purposes of this post we'll pretend that doesn't happen.

Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I return, considerably worse for wear, after a disastrous second half of 2021, ready to make 2022 my bitch co-exist peacefully with 2022. My circumstances have changed quite a bit since I was last here, I left my job and after some self-examination, a lot of tequila, and pointed counseling from the sainted @deftona, I have decided that I am not going to look for another career for some time, possibly ever. I have spent 53 years wrestling with late-stage capitalism, and other than caring for my mother (and my cats), I have decided to cut my responsibilities to the bone and prioritise having fun. So here are my goals for this challenge cycle, which will last 3 challenges/3 months (-ish), at which point I will re-evaluate my new hemp-wearing, sandal-footed, freewheeling lifestyle and see if I want to go back to being a corporate drone or if I can continue to make it, after all. hahaha who are we kidding, I expect to go completely fucking feral and never return to civilization. BURN YOUR NECKTIES AND JOIN ME. Anyway. On to the goals. *please note that this challenge is more about recovering from chronic workaholism and stress, not like counting macros and things, so it may be boring. Apologies in advance. Goal 1: Mornings in nature I don't currently use an alarm clock (my bed is next to an east facing window) but I'm going to set my alarm clock with some nature sounds to wake me up just before sunrise so I can have my coffee and meditation/quiet time as the sun rises. I like to do a quick 15-minute yoga routine in the mornings as well, and once the weather warms up a bit I'll do those things on my patio. Goal 2: Animal magnetism Spend 15 minutes daily playing with my older cat, who tends to get less attention because she's the aloof one. Do something for my wildlife garden daily, which can be as simple as filling the bird feeders or more complicated. I really want to build an owl nesting box this year and hang it in the woods right by the house so we can see the owls that live in the woods. Goal 3: IRL people Meet up with a friend once a week, and talk to at least two people, every day. When work went completely bananapants last summer I spent whole days locked in my office talking to no one, and I have a lot of social ground to make up. I missed the whole hot girl summer! UNACCEPTABLE. Goal 4: Rekindle my sense of wonder I want to get out at least once a week and do something that makes me feel like there is a world beyond spreadsheets and deadlines (not that I really have those anymore, but I'm still recovering). I have a small list of micro-adventures to start with that are all fairly local and low-cost and I will start doing those once a week. This past weekend I went to Savannah and did a bunch of hiking and mountain biking which was great.

So, like, guess what word has been turning up in challenge after challenge this time around? Yeah. That's the one. Herbal tea to the right, beanbag chairs to the left. In theory, there are ways to deal with burnout, but who can remember them when burnt out? (I mean, apart from "sleep, exercise, healthy diet", which kind of applies to everything.) So here's a place to post some stuff and recap some stuff for the benefit of your frazzled neighbors. And if nothing else, there's tea.

This challenge is about maintaining the momentum gained from starting a new job and moving to a new house in the same weekend. I had been at my previous job for 7+ years and my prior house for 4+ years. Burnout/stress/injuries/depression rampant, though I've been on the road of recovery for a bit now. So the changes are good, though hard in that "nothing is as it was" sort of way, and the part of me that depends on stability is freaking out just a wee bit. BUT - the new house is better for walking and workouts, and the new job is better for mental health and healthy boundaries. So all good things. And I've had a few weeks to adjust and started some healthy habits. I've updated my states on my battle log, and was happy to see major improvements: lost some weight despite an iffy track record, stress levels are greatly reduced, my knee is all healed up . So this challenge is designed to keep those improvements coming so I can reach may goal of being silly and badass all at once Overarching Quest: establish healthy, long term routines that build endurance, strength and mental fortitude Habit #1: Walk everyday Tues-Sat = first thing, 1-2 milesSun/Mon = 5+ miles total (can be completed in one day or two, hiking highly encouraged)Habit #2: Disconnect from work routine Play with Bree-the-dog, my trusty sidekick Strength Workouts: Tues/Thurs (6pm = latest start time)Yoga/stretching: Wed/Thurs/Sat (6pm = latest start time)Practice coloring as mediation as needed, but 1x week minimumHabit #3: promote healthy eating habits Cook homemade meal 1x weekChoose to eat only homemade treats/candy/dessertsChoose only 2 sugary coffees per week (Mon-Sun) Life Goal: Start a hobby not tied to a screen Prep week: buy circular sawWeek 1: organize garage for woodworking spaceWeek 2: Practice with circular saw, pick out plan for coffee tableWeek 3: gather supplies needed for coffee table creationWeek 4-6: work on coffee table 3x week

Hello all, Here I am, still searching for my dragon Grumbles so I can become an amazing dragon-riding archer! We'll work on the details of keeping said dragon from snatching the arrows out of the air later - first, I must find her. In my previous challenge, I sort of wandered aimlessly in the woods searching. This helped build my strength and stamina, but I fear I walked in circles. Tragic. Happily, I've found a guide/map thing with the name Discipline on it. I am still working on deciphering it, but it looks like to find my dragon, I will have to do some scheduled walks, some sort of strength training for my shoulders and general flexibility work. More details to come as I continue to interpret the strange yet hopeful letters and pictures on this map-guide thing. I suspect I will need the superpowers I have unlocked so far on my journey to make this work since Discipline and I haven't traveled together for awhile: 1) I know I am, I'm sure I am - Sounders FC fan! This power lets me keep going rain or shine or weariness because, truly, if I can root like a maniac in all weather for a sort I no longer play, I can get my workouts done no matter what. 2) Aw, F-IT! This is kind of like the "20 seconds of courage". Typically kicks in when I really, truly don't want to do anything and my head says "aw, F-it, nothing sounds good, so you may as well make a healthy choice". 3) Optimistic Me: voice in my head that is ridiculously good at tricking me into workouts and being silly and not taking myself too seiously

Huzzah, it's time for another challenge I had a tough time deciding which guild to be in this time around, but settled on the Druids because A) I'm still working on that inner peace thing and B ) although my long term goals are more assassin based, my current goals are more yoga based. So here I am, all bright and shiny and ready to go 2 Year Quest (November 2016) - be halfway to silly and badass ideal Run 6 miles w/out stopping OR run 3 miles in under 30 minutesPull myself over a 6 Ft wall without help or supportedDo a gymnastic routine with a backflip, somersault and sustained handstand (must be to music)Current Quest (due date = 3/11/15) - reach "basic health" levels Walk 6 miles comfortably and faster than a 20/minute mileRun 1 mile without stoppingComplete BBW series 'with ease' (to be better defined later) Challenge Goal: "Stockpile" healthy habits for future growth Walk 20 minutes every day (must be in morning on work days) +2 STA Mini-Workout 5 times per week (alternating shoulder strengthening and back strengthening, daily stretches) +1 STR, + 1 DEX Eat only homemade treats during the holidays +1 CON Work <41 hours per week +2 CON, +1 WIS Practice "stopping" daily - meditate or use mentally restful activities as needed +2 CHAMostly, I'm trying to finish up some of my burnout recovery, and build up strength after a shoulder strain two months ago and my back going out 2 weeks ago, as well as replenish my mental reserves after last challenge's shock. I'm feeling positive - home life and work life have greatly improved from a few weeks ago, and this just feels like the right time to make lasting changes

Overarching mission - to be silly and badass all at once, including running 6 miles, pulling myself up over a wall without assistance and doing a gymnastics routine involving a backflip or some other fun move. Back story - the last three challenges have been all about recovering from burnout. By which I mean, fully acknowledging that I cannot do it all, and certainly not by myself. This has been a frustrating and heartbreaking lesson but I've come to accept it. I no longer spend most of my days feeling like I'm drowning and even have, miracles of miracles, energy to start the rebuilding process and work a wee bit more proactively towards my overarching mission. So this challenge is part of the foundation process of building a glorious bonfire of healthy behaviors. I like the idea of bonfires because they are strong, powerful and invoke the silliest and most carefree behaviors of those who build them and enjoy them. Plus, if you fail to care for them, they die down to ash and can no longer be enjoyed. So this challenge is about self care and building a strong foundation where passion can burn brightly in the future. I may not actually get a true bonfire going this challenge, but if nothing else, I hope to get one going the next time around with my work here. Challenge Goals Fuel: Drink at least 3 glasses of water daily, eat vegetables daily, cook one meal from scratch weekly Kindling: walk daily, shoulder exercises 3x week Protection from the elements: meditate or draw daily, work < 41 hours/ week, play hard video games 2x/week Edit: Life goal: speak clearly and bare no grudges daily - in other words, continue to be honest abut what I need/want and forgive past mistakes, mine and others Now video games may seem counter productive, but I am working on reducing my perfectionist tendencies. When my counselor found out I avoid games because I hate dying in them, she suggested I play hard games and work on countering my frustration levels. It's just weird enough to be appealing. Also, if anyone has fun fire gifs, id love to see them. I haven't figured put how to put gifs in this thread with my tablet

So last challenge - I left because of some intense personal things and now I'm ready to restart. Only there is no challenge, so I'm doing a daily log instead. Brief overview: I was thoroughly burned out less than a year ago, and now I am past the immediate burnout zone and into true recovery. Still need a lot of reserves built up and some basic strength recovered. So I'm spending the time between challenges building my base for a truly fun and amazing bonfire of health and good times. Goals until the next challenge: 1) Walk daily - at least 15 minutes, gold star for 45 minutes or more (cumulative) 2) 15 minutes of basic strength: odd days = shoulder stretches (strained my shoulder in July/August) and even days are back and leg stretches (back sent out on me yesterday) 3) Spend 1 hour each week working on counseling things (meditation, identifying feelings at a given moment, completing homework). Can be little by little or cumulative. 4) Work less than 45 hours per week and 10 hours per day