When I dug out our glass jar candles, I noticed I held on to a couple that was almost burned to the glass bottom.  I’m not sure how much life they have in them but surely they’d be okay for just tonight.  Right?

WRONG! You should never let the candle burn to the very bottom.  No matter how tempted you are to get the very last scent from the remaining wax, we should prevent the candle from burning too short!

Now, visualize that this candle is actually your life. We are so engaged with the momentum of everyday life that we forget, we can get drained too. When was the last time that you gave yourself that 15 minute break to just take care and hit the pause button?

When the body and mind are drained, it can lead to mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. It can vaporize the joy out of your career, friendships, and family interactions.

Continual exposure to stressful situations, like :

-Caring for your family members,

-Working long hours,

-Witnessing upsetting news

-Workload at school/University

Can lead to you feeling emotionally drained out!

However, it is not always easy to spot that you’ve actually burned yourself too short!

Much worse than ordinary fatigue, this kind of exhaustion makes it challenging for people to cope with stress and handle day-to-day responsibilities.

It often feels like you have nothing left to give and may dread getting out of bed each morning. You feel so drained that you adopt a pessimistic outlook toward life and feel hopeless & helpless without even realizing it.

Interventions:

If this resonates with you, and you feel that you have been burning yourself too short lately, here are a few interventions that can help you manage better.

1. Exercise- Not only is exercise good for our physical health, but it can also give us an emotional boost.

2. Eat a balanced diet- Eating a healthy diet filled with omega-3 fatty acids can be a natural antidepressant. Adding foods rich in omega-3s like flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish may help give your mood a boost.

3. Practice good sleep habits- Our bodies need time to rest and reset, which is why healthy sleep habits are essential for our well-being. Avoiding caffeine before bedtime, establishing a relaxing bedtime ritual, and not using smartphones in the bedroom can help promote sound sleep hygiene.

4. Self Care Journal- Maintaining a journal to regulate your thoughts, emotions and situations that put you in a state of unrest can help you better manage your routine and stay in touch with yourself.

5. Reaching out to a Therapist- During stressful times, it’s important to reach out for help. With the right intervention, you can develop resilience and foster skills to prevent and manage ‘your candle from burning too low’.

At Society for complementary therapies, Mental health and Healing centre, to help you cope better we practice non-invasive therapies such as:

-Art therapy

-Music therapy

-Self-hypnosis

-Bio NeuroFeedback

With the appropriate insight, awareness and interventions we can prevent the candle from burning too low and have our own safety net 🙂