It seems like there’s always more to do. Rest never refreshes though. 

 The World Health Organization calls burnout a “workplace syndrome.” It may not be a medical condition, but it sure feels that way, it can lead to medical conditions, and it has mental, physical, and spiritual consequences. This sense of chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of efficacy can lead you to doubt your calling, even while in your dream job. Even the little things start to seem too much – “I can’t even” becomes normal.  

But it doesn’t need to be that way.

Sit with Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker as we discuss burnout – what it is, what contributes to it, and our own experiences with it. We also explore how to address it, from small wins to self-care, but also actions that managers can do invigorate their people. We finish with a big (bittersweet) announcement as our season finale!

Want to provide feedback or ask a question for a future episode? Contact us at [email protected] !

More info from the show:

Harvard Business Review hosts Christine Maslach, the leading scholar on burnout – Why it happens and how bosses can help (25min)

https://hbr.org/podcast/2020/12/why-burnout-happens-and-how-bosses-can-help

WorkLife with Adam Grant: Burnout is Everyone’s Problem! (41min)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burnout-is-everyones-problem/id1346314086?i=1000468645838 

The Happiness Lab with Laurie Santos: Burnout and How to Avoid It  (37min)

https://www.happinesslab.fm/2022-new-year-mini-season/burnout-and-how-to-avoid-it

Here’s a burnout assessment tool similar to what Lisa put in her article:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_08.htm

A Pandemic Ends, a War Begins. 

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the news. If you’re already an anxious or empathetic person, the steady stream of news alerts or phone notifications can add to the stress of a day, especially during COVID and now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From the Facebook scroll to your Twitter feed, how does one stay informed without succumbing to the mental exhaustion of it all?

Sit with Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker as we explore news intake, useful vs useless worry, how to be a well-informed citizen, and even taking cues from spiritual disciplines like fasting (a Blessed Lent!) to increase intentionality and maintain awareness of the news’ impact on our mental and spiritual health. 

Want to provide feedback or ask a question for a future episode? Contact us at [email protected] !

More info from the show:

Caroline Foran’s “Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast.” With their delightful Irish accents, Caroline Foran sits with Dr. Clare Kambamettu to discuss the effect of news and social media on the mind and body. (42min)

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/what-to-do-when-the-news-gives-you-anxiety/id1449728710?i=1000546173336

NPR’s “Life Kit” discusses how to calm your nerves after the news triggers anxiety.  

This page has a helpful comic and includes the podcast audio (13min) at top of the page:

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/23/927134772/when-the-headlines-wont-stop-here-s-how-to-cope-with-anxiety 

Just the Life Kit podcast episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-deal-with-anxiety-from-the-news/id1461493560?i=1000552404925 

World Health Organization on how to fight the “infodemic”

A quick 2 min video on health tips on information/news:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Egi0nuDEs  

A helpful page on the “infodemic” and stopping news disinformation:

https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/let-s-flatten-the-infodemic-curve 

Good news! BBC reports: Endurance, Shackleton’s boat, discovered in the Antarctic

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60662541 

Words and how we use them have such an impact on our lives and our relationships. In this episode of The Carbon Layer, Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker explore "Communication Danger Signs," different lenses that filter our listening, and the effect of feelings and triggers in how we communicate.  We have a little fun about St. Valentines' Day and football. We also explore how shared meaning shapes relationships, and how the power of the tongue to curse and bless is so powerful.

Did this episode trigger something in you? Want to explore other topics?  Email [email protected]

Other referenced content:
Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos - "How to Identify Negative Emotions" with guest Brene Brown 
https://www.happinesslab.fm/2022-new-year-mini-season/how-to-identify-your-negative-emotions (Warning: Explicit Language) 

Studio C - Every Fight Ever (Really Funny!!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6sMnQsv7Hk 

Learning more about Communication Danger Signs and other relationship skills, starting at  https://www.preptoolbox.com/skillsandstrategies.php

Exploring James and the Power of the Tongue; A sermon preached at Restoration Anglican Church by The Rev. David Hanke - 
https://restorationanglicanchurch.libsyn.com/the-kiss-of-righteousness-and-peace 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Except when its…not.  Maybe your holidays aren’t so happy. The concept of a “blue Christmas” gives space to recognize the hardship amidst the hope of the season. That way the darkness can be offered to the light, and the light can relieve the pain. 

Sit with Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker as we explore dealing with hardships in the holiday season, from our own stories in the midst of the Christmas story and other narratives of the holiday season. And we give you space to meditate or pray through the losses of this past year. It’s okay to acknowledge the pain – it can lead to fuller joy.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Want to provide feedback or ask a question for a future episode? Contact us at [email protected] !

More info from the show:

More on the blue Christmas idea from a Christian leader perspective: 

https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/podcast/detail/Dont-Forget-the-Blue-in-Christmas/ 

Setting up a blue Christmas service for you or your friends: 

https://lovedoesthat.org/2021/11/30/offering-a-blue-christmas-service-to-honor-the-loss-and-cling-to-the-hope/ 

Each of the above offers different uses of the Advent wreath; we focus on the first one for our mediation.

 More on Advent and the Advent Wreath:

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/times-and-seasons/advent#mmm18 

 Thought you were getting Elvis Presley? Well… here ya go…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6WnnZRSKYs 

Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving is a holiday, but it is also a way of life. From cultivating gratitude in your life nurturing a pattern of gratefulness, thankfulness has mental, physical, and spiritual benefits to improve your whole life. That’s something to give thanks for!

Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker explore the meaning and power of gratitude in and around the thanksgiving holiday, how that works with sympathy and empathy, how a humble spirit can make you glad, and how finding something to be thankful for even in the worst of times can lead to resilience and even traumatic growth.

 Happy Thanksgiving! 

 Want to provide feedback or ask a question for a future episode? Contact us at [email protected] !

 More info from the show:

President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation:
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm 

 The Art of Manliness Podcast:  Episode 459 – Beyond Gratitude and into the Real Virtue of Thankfulness 

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/how-to-cultivate-gratitude-thankfulness/ 

 The Art of Manliness Podcast: The Spiritual Disciplines: Gratitude

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/spiritual-disciplines-gratitude/ 

 Brother David TED Talk: Want to be Happy? Be Grateful

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful 

 Brene Brown on Sympathy vs Empathy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZBTYViDPlQ 

 Victor Frankl – Quote on “The Meaning of Life differs from man to man…”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1147292-the-meaning-of-life-differs-from-man-to-man-from 

 Jimmy Fallon: Thank you Notes, Olympic Edition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBY0rZ8kjW8 

 Psalm 100 – The Jubilate Deo

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/canticles-main-17 

 Melissa Stockwell on healing from her divorce:

https://www.facebook.com/MStockwell01/posts/424675629117398 

Ritual. 

Ceremonies and traditions are all around us. Do they really provide meaning to our lives? Can they help us find control and significance in a chaotic world?

Chaplain Mike and Lisa the Social Worker explore the meaning and power of ritual, both ancient and new, spiritual and civic, serious and silly, from the daily to the special to rites of passage, and maybe some that are just made up. We hope it’ll help you find deeper meaning in your life and even a Happy Holidays!

Want to provide feedback or ask a question for a future episode?
Contact us at [email protected] !

More info from the show:

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos – Episode 3: “The Power of Made-Up Ritual”
Dr. Santos discusses how rituals, both adapted and invented, help order lives, especially our grief.
https://www.happinesslab.fm/season-2-episodes/episode-3-the-power-of-a-made-up-ritual 

The Art of Manliness Podcast:  Episode 505 – Man’s Need for Ritual
For thousands of years, men’s lives were structured by rituals — rituals that helped them mark significant events, make sense of the world, and move from one phase of life to the next. Brett McKay explores the importance of reclaiming rituals in Western culture, especially for men.
https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/mens-rituals-rites-of-passage/

Other mentions:

Here comes RALPHIE: https://cubuffs.com/news/2017/10/27/buffaloes-follow-lead-of-live-mascot-ralphie-for-50th-season.aspx

Running with Ralphie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvvdA2hQZns 

Spock’s hand Vulcan-Rabbi hand sign:  https://www.deilataylor.com/where-did-spock-get-his-vulcan-hand-sign/ 

Jewish Ritual bath, the Mikveh: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-mikveh/

Every Simpsons Couch Gag, Seasons 1-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9u5VZBKXo

Sanctifying time by marking the hours with ritual prayer in The Daily Office:  https://www.dailyoffice2019.com/  

Meh.

Not terrible, but not great. Actually, I don’t really care.

That feeling might be called languishing. 

Or Grief. Or “acedia,” Greek for Despondency. 

Chaplain Mike, Lisa the Social Worker, and Rob the Psychologist explore that middle ground between depression and flourishing. And why after 18 months of a pandemic, our bodies, brains, and souls are all tired and probably languishing. Actually, that’s ok. Yet, we still have hope. 

More info from the show:

Adam Grant on Languishing:

WorkLife Podcast with Adam Grant - May 3, 2021: Bonus: That Blah You’re Feeling Is Called Languishing

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5mZWVkYnVybmVyLmNvbS9Xb3JrbGlmZVdpdGhBZGFtR3JhbnQ/episode/cHJ4XzEzMV8yZjc1MTIyNy0yYzU4LTRlNjMtOWY5OS0xZWVlMDljNWExODY?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahgKEwjo2Jyt37TzAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQowQ 

As a TED Talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_how_to_stop_languishing_and_start_finding_flow 

Time and Despondency by Dr. Nicole Roccas:

Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations: Time and Despondency with Dr. Nicole Roccas: https://www.spreaker.com/user/hank-hanegraaff/time-and-despondency-with-dr-nicole-rocc

Her book: https://store.ancientfaith.com/time-and-despondency/ 

Funny mentions:

Family Guy visits Purgatory - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EVc2Apghd0 

Lego Movie 2: Everything is NOT  Awesome -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjgeZyMHQao (video clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4BXikJi7c8 (soundtrack clip)

This is a hard time. 
I’m gonna be ok, but right now, maybe I’m not ok. 
I need some help recovering and resetting, so I then can be ready.

Between remembering the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, processing the end of the war in Afghanistan, to commemorating Suicide Awareness/Prevention Month, there is a lot to tackle right now.

In this episode of The Carbon Layer, Mike and Lisa discuss these topics, try to find hope in them, and invite you to remember, commiserate, and even vent a little with us. Through all of it, remember – we want you to live through this.

More info from the show:

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/military-crisis-line

SOF Cast: Reflecting on 9/11 and Afghanistan: (a highly recommended listen!) https://www.socom.mil/SOFcast

Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO): https://www.dspo.mil/spm/

Call to prayer for Suicide Prevention Month: https://www.army.mil/article/250038/ 

Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition, 30 Second Gun Safety Video: (Warning: includes immediate gunshots): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNIFpLsiJbo  

In this episode, we explore anger: from the news in Afghanistan to kids going back to school as COVID continues. Take a moment with us to contemplate “as much as it depends upon you,” and consider with us how to listen and validate genuine difficult feelings, from veterans to kids to parents. 

Find words for your feelings:

https://defendinnocence.org/wheel-of-emotions/

Brene Brown on Sympathy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

Referenced: Great Courses - Emotionally Healthy Kids 

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/raising-emotionally-and-socially-healthy-kids

https://share.libbyapp.com/title/3070992 (should be available from MWR/DoD Libraries)

“I’m not the bad guy!”

Even in good and loving relationships, conversations can just devolve into looking for the bad guy before someone withdraws. 

But what if it’s not either of you two who are the bad guy, but rather the pattern itself?

Over time, our unhealthy ways of communicating and relating to one another can create strong negative patterns. We can get into communication ruts.  In this episode of The Carbon Layer, Mike, Lisa, and Rob explore these ruts as “Demon Dialogues” and consider how to get out of them. 

 More info from the show:

More on The Demon Dialogues

https://drsuejohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Copy-of-Demon-Dialogue-Free-Content-Giveaway.pdf 

More about “The Good Fight” by Drs Les and Leslie Parrot, and the CORE:

https://marriagemissions.com/c-o-r-e-of-a-good-fight-drs-les-and-leslie-parrott/

“It’s NOT about the Nail…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg