What if burnout is not caused by hard work? Or what if burning strong is not reliant on being surrounded by good people and adequate resources?
Good news and a couple of namungos (fiction characters with real brain parts) show us how we seniors can reduce burnout and add fireworks into any day. When we simply tap into mental and emotional treasures we already possess, such as plasticity and our amygdala, we set the stage for wonder and delight. See how two inner treasures make seniors and CEOs far richer in tough times, as illustrated below.
We raise emotional IQ, for instance by altering what emotional responses we store in our amygdala. For example we can intentionally hang out with friends who practice good moods, or try tone skills such as thanking others, disagreeing respectfully, listening to and learning from others who differ.
Act in opposite directions of anger, moodiness, displeasure, and our amygdala learns to relax and tackle problems with calmer and kinder moods. To act on moods that create possibilities for all, is to tame amygdala reactions in ways that prevent emotional panic, anxiety, or discouragement.
The key to a tamed or healthy amygdala is to act daily on our good moods, so that we store more of them for future use in similar situations. We might observe and copy those we respect in others to learn how they store healthy emotions. We may practice reacting to daily stressors with healthy responses and ignore mistakes in ourselves and others to reach for confidence that embraces risk. Simply stated a growth mindset equips us to go for gold while at the same time we practice running from gloom!
The amygdala stores all past responses such as bullying, cheating, worrying, or rejecting help that would help us to enjoy tasks, even when we work hard. The key is to avoid slipping into a Fixed Mindset.
MYG or our amygdala may be only a tiny sac of neurons yet it acts like a lightning rod for some seniors who have likely met many mental and emotional failures with negative responses and yield to problems that burn us out. The same amygdala neurons however, also act as a pilot light of warmth and energy to store and release those healthy goodwill moods we choose to practice to care for ourselves and others. Could this help our choices the next time stressors hit?