Burnout Proof 101 The first step to taking better care of your precious self | 0.1 GS CEUs
Interpreters are charged with bearing witness to some of life’s greatest beauty and deepest pain, all while maintaining a stance of neutrality and flexibility. Over time, and especially during times of stress, this can take a toll on your body, mind and spirit.
In order to show up for others and do the work that’s ours to do in the world, we must have a foundation of self-care that sustains us.
During this workshop we’ll explore burnout and its effects on your life. We’ll look at how to make time for yourself, what areas of your life need tending to avoid burnout, and simple ways to celebrate your accomplishments and receive support.
Upon registration, you’ll have access to the recorded workshop where you’ll come away with a doable Burnout Proof plan, more peace and clarity, and a community to support you in taking better care of yourself.
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.1 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
What’s Happening at Burnout Proof Academy This Month?
Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection
Recording of the live discussion has been posted!
“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.”
Join us as we read and discuss:
The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown
From the book’s description: “Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”
Purchase and read or listen to The Gifts of Imperfection
Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
Watch the discussion recording or choose another final reflection project
Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.2 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection
“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.“
Join the Burnout Proof Book Club to create community and grow your support system with other wholehearted sign language interpreters as we learn and practice what it means to embrace perfection.
The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown
From the book’s description: “Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”
Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
Attend the live Zoom discussion, watch the recording, or choose another final reflection project
Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!
Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening May 18, 2022 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection
“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.“
Join the Burnout Proof Book Club to create community and grow your support system with other wholehearted sign language interpreters as we learn and practice what it means to embrace perfection.
The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown
From the book’s description: “Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”
Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
Attend the live Zoom discussion, watch the recording, or choose another final reflection project
Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!
Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening May 18, 2022 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
Interpreting in times of stress is not business as usual.
Worry and uncertainty make for more charged interpreting situations and personal lives, and can trigger reactions that aren’t always aligned with our values.
This workshop will teach tools from the Learning Zone Model, mindful awareness, and neuroscience to better work with our brains during times of stress.
We’ll create a triage-care practice to provide daily maintenance through stressful times while building empathy, emotional regulation, and resilience.
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.2 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
Fall is an exciting time at Burnout Proof Academy!
We’ve been working on a new way to earn CEUs while getting burnout support and building community, and it will be available first exclusively to members of our Facebook group and email list.
Speaking directly to anyone who relates to putting others’ needs and feelings before your own, Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, reconnects us to the wild inside each of us.
Join Burnout Proof Book Club as we read Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Come create community and grow your support system as you learn and practice what it means for you to quit pleasing and start living.
All you need to do:
Enroll in the course
Purchase and read or listen to UNTAMED
Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
Participate in the Live Discussions or watch the recordings
Receive 1.1 GS RID CEUs!
Our first Live Discussion was held in ASL and focused on getting to know each other and discussing the prologue and part 1 of the book.
The hour was packed with poignant honesty and real-time revelations, including real talk about:
Our untamed selves (with pictures!) – who we are when we don’t care what others think
Why the term ‘people-pleasing’ might be just another way to beat ourselves up
The movie Frozen, and how our most powerful gifts can hurt us when we don’t know how to harness them for good
What we lost when we learned to please others over pleasing ourselves
Our own ‘snow globes’ – the ways we make ‘snow flurries’ to keep from acknowledging the dragon at our center
When you register, you’ll get instant access to the recording and all the info to prepare for the second Live Discussion happening September 29th, 2021 from 5 – 6 pm pacific.
This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 1.1 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
As we were fumbling through logging into new Chromebooks, many in the Pacific Northwest faced smoke and evacuation warnings on Labor Day. Fires are spreading up and down the coast from Washington to California. 500,000 people in Oregon have evacuated their homes as of today.
Many parts of the area surrounding Portland are currently evacuating. If you’re affected by smoke or fires, please be safe and practice your triage self-care. You’re in my thoughts and prayers. May we find peace and hope amidst the urgency of this emergency.
The Red Cross is doing amazing work supporting evacuees and I encourage you to donate if you can.
Summer + Mars
This transition from Summer to Fall, in Chinese Medicine, is characterized by a shift from Fire to Earth, bitter to sweet, roaring to humming. Summer is making it known that his work is not yet finished. He has more to say.
In our personal lives we may be feeling more agitation, more challenge, more heat. Astrologically, we are approaching a period of intense “fire” energy. Chani Nicholas, astrologer/activist/badass, is one of my favorite teachers. She has this to say about fiery Mars, who’s currently in a very active and influential position:
“Mars is always here to remind us just how much power we do have; when and where we let bitterness, envy, or hatred poison our interactions; how we might learn to work through conflict without betraying our dignity; and how to stay in the battles that cry out for us to join. Mars is sharp – we can either use it to help us hone our skills or do damage. To use these tools wisely takes work, but you are ready.” – A Note About Mars Retrograde 2020
Essential Oil Self-Care for Interpreters
Anger is a tool I’m learning to wield. Like fire, it can feel unpredictable and scary.
The burning fire of rage within us can feel like a toxin in our bellies, threatening to combust. But when we can discern its message for us and let it spur us to action, it becomes a powerful force for change.
So, dear loves, I made us a protocol for this intense fire season. Use it when you need some extra love, use it daily to stay grounded and connected to yourself and your source as the (hopefully metaphoric) fires rage around you. Use it to remind yourself that this too shall pass, and that there is much wisdom, grace, and support for us here – even in the darkest of moments.
Check out the video below for more info on this protocol + support for the physical and emotional effects of the smoke and fires.
Melaleuca – strengthen boundaries, improve resiliency, and stop betraying yourself.
Myrrh – connect with nurturance, know that everything will be ok, foster healthy attachments.
Black Pepper – uncover the root of the issue, unmask, see through the BS.
Wintergreen – release control, surrender to the process, open to new possibilities.
Arborvitae – tap into security and strength, trust the emotional process.
Cardamom – be with anger, harness patience, see the big picture.
Juniper – dispel fear and anxiety of the unknown.
Bergamot – foster hope and courage during times of despair, see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Eucalyptus – embrace self-care, raise your standards, don’t give up on yourself.
Clary Sage – clear creative blocks, embrace your highest gifts + purpose, expand your vision for the world.
Cedarwood – receive support, feel emotionally connected to others.
Lime – harmonize and integrate all of the oils, seal with expectant joy.
Join me in Burnout Proof Academy for a simple + potent one-hour Burnout Proof 101 webinar. You’ll get 0.1 GS CEUs and you’ll be on your way to taking better care for your precious self. This workshop is happening soon, so don’t wait!
Annie painting a Philippine disaster relief benefit donation piece
Describe the work or activity that you are passionate about:
I have been involved in many different mediums of art most of my life. My mom taught me to sew, and there was a time that I would see her create without patterns. That’s became a “template for an attitude” that I apply today. I look at other art, other vistas and develop ideas; often I am inspired from photographs. I am a writer, have a self-published book of poetry and have written short stories, journals and a very neglected blog.
Annie, 2 years old
Artistically, I have worked with wood carving, sculpting jewelry, pottery, glass, photography, found objects and, within the past 4 years, mostly, I have worked with the medium of pastels or oil pastels. Art is always an invention of patterns or methods or work-arounds; I owe this to Mom.
A few of of my other other hobbies are gardening, dancing (ballroom, swing etc.) and biking.
Annie in 1999, 50 mile cycling fundraiser in Florida
How do you feel when you are engaged in it?
I feel peaceful and connected to a “creative zone”. I do not (maybe I cannot) produce art all the time; I have surges of production and then times when I have no interest. I am compelled to make art, so, when I feel like I must do it, I go “whole hog”. I do note when times are more stressful, with art I escape, and (like Calgon), it “takes me away.”
How does it fill your well, nourish you, or enhance your life?
I feel proud of an accomplishment. Nothing-becoming-something is a powerful feeling. I have a thought that takes shape, and I play with whatever elements of inspiration that I have, and when done, it feeds me. I LOVE color and am not a person who was ever well-fit in apartment living, due to the constrainment of white walls. When I bought my current residence, I had a painter (friend) start adding color immediately. I’ll never forget coming home and he was a fast worker, with at least one wall already painted in the most perfect soft green color. I walked in and I started crying; he was worried he had done something wrong. I was speechless and in tears, and when I found words, I assured him: “I am alright. It’s beautiful, so beautiful. I have COLOR!” I still feel THAT emotional when I am producing colorful art.
What aspect(s) of yourself does it allow you to express?
From an early age, I would try and figure out shapes and patterns in nature and draw them. My childhood bedroom was upstairs, and out that window was a majestic oak. I don’t know how many times I drew the limbs and leaves, just figuring out what came first and what came next, the flow and growth and balance and the ways the limbs split off fascinated me. Art allows me to express my visual curiosity. Sometimes, it’s with photography, as I photograph the play of shadows and light, then I take some of those pictures and reproduce them into art.
How has this work affected or changed your life?
I am adding another dimension to my life. I enjoy having art around me and painting or photography, sculpting or glass work – it settles me. I also like to give-back and I’ve donated art to auctions and raffles, so my artwork has a “life of their own” in charity, out there. I had a long hiatus of not doing anything artistic, and when I compare that time to now, I am more proud of myself for opening the floodgates and directing inspiration. I look at everything with a more analytical and critical artist eye when I am doing art. Adding interest in life is a way to never be bored!
How does it inform your interpreting?
Because producing art settles my mind, it improves my focus. The more I can give myself to the process of interpreting, without distraction,the more I am in the moment. Nuances are important in interpreting and the more I become analytical visually for art – the nuances of my work, being analytical – are more easily noted.
Why do you do this work? What’s your motivation for doing it?
How could I NOT do this? Honestly, I feel this is in my blood. I was always doing art since elementary school. A new motivation, ironically, happened while interpreting. While interpreting K-12, I interpreted art classes. Content-wise, the instructor shows what the new project is – and the rest of the day (maybe even the next week) is spent with out instruction, leaving an interpreter quite available to choose what do do with their time. I always had permission to do what that class project was – and – it was a great role model for some of the under-motivated kids to see an adult get their hands dirty and get in there. THIS was my re-motivation. I didn’t always have a finished project, but art classes often encouraged various methods and mediums and, for me it “blew the walls off my box”, and my attitude changed to “I CAN”. My motivation today, is to grow as an artist and maybe make a name for myself? Hey, a girl can dream!
Annie dancing in 2012
Which of your values does it represent?
I have always had a STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES value. This is why I am an artist. I also value being industrious. I have seen coastal plein art (working outdoors) and it fulfills my desire to be retired and working with the ocean in view. That is the very best of being industrious and productive.
What advice do you have for someone just beginning to align their work with their heart?
DO it. Take classes in things that interest you. There are free workshops, offered by art-supply businesses and it’s an easy way to get your feet wet. Even though not all the methods I learned at free workshops were things I was interested in, I had the opportunity to try. One of my friends says she can’t draw, but she took a class that taught her to do art with layers of paper. Her work is beautiful, and she surprised herself what she could do, even with a “I Can’t Draw” attitude!