Aware And Prepared

Mastering Self-Care: Practical Tips for Burnout Prevention & Healing

• Mandi Pratt • Season 4 • Episode 9

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0:00 | 34:51

What if the key to preventing burnout wasn't a weekend retreat or a complete life overhaul, but a 30-second reset in the middle of your day? Diane Andre, professional speaker, former school counselor supervisor, and self-compassion advocate, joins us to challenge the way high-achieving women think about self-care.

In this episode, Diane shares the practical frameworks she uses with audiences everywhere, including habit stacking, body scanning, and micro-moments of intentional rest. If you've been telling yourself you'll slow down "someday," this conversation will show you how to start right now.


Chapters


00:00 Introduction to Diane Andre and Her Journey

01:45 The Importance of Self-Compassion

05:06 Caring for Ourselves in a Hurry Culture

09:24 Practical Techniques for Self-Care

16:35 Body Awareness and Checking In

20:18 IntegratingBody Scan

20:30 Mindful Eating and Intentional Breaks

24:24 Micro Breaks and Movement

26:32 Intentionality in Daily Routines

28:46 Cumulative Self-Care Practices

30:28 Finding Joy and Preventing Burnout


Resources


Connect with Diane Andre:

Connect with Mandi:


The primary purpose of the Women Aware and Prepared Podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute advice or services. Please use common sense for your own situation.

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Hey, brave one. Welcome to the Aware and Prepared Podcast. I'm your host, Mandy Pratt, trauma-informed, resilient speaker, domestic violence victim advocate, and narcissistic abuse survivor. Here we keep it real with true crime stories and real world strategies to prevent emotional and physical harm. My guests and I share a mix of insight and survivor grit, all to help you feel safer, trust yourself more deeply. And live with greater peace and power. Let's trade fear for freedom and step into the peace that you deserve. Hey, welcome back to the Aware and Prepared podcast. 

Today, I have Diane Andre with me, and she has become a good friend and she's also a speaker. So thank you so much for being here, and welcome in. Thanks so much for having me. You're welcome. I just wanted to read your bio because it is very impressive. Um, Diane Andre is an award-winning dynamic international speaker and trainer with more than twenty-five years of experience in the mental health field. Known as a burnout prevention specialist, Diane brings both expertise and authenticity to every stage she steps on. Her passion for this work is deeply personal. Having once stood on the brink of burnout herself, she discovered practical strategies to reignite purpose, energy, and joy. Today, Diane is on a mission to help individuals and organizations banish burnout and make the most of this life, starting now. 

And for our listeners, I wanna let you know that we are gonna be talking about self-compassion and caring for ourselves. So I want to hear about what did you do before you became a professional speaker? My first chapter, I was actually in the education field. I, had a teaching certification and then I became a school counselor, which is where I spent the rest of my career, um, first as a school counselor, then as a school counselor administrator. And in that role, uh, not only did I support the school counselors in their programming, but I was also able to support, uh, s- schools and administrators through crisis situations, and also helping them to support their staff. 

Um, because one of the things I noticed, not just in education, but of course that's the realm I was in- Mm-hmm ... uh, was that the rate of burnout was really increasing- Oh, yeah ... especially after COVID. Oh, yeah. And to be honest, I, as you mentioned in my bio, like, I myself had been on the brink of burnout early in my career- Right so I knew what that was like. I was able to come back from it and have a long and, and wonderful career, and that's what I'm hoping to do for others. 

That's so cool. Yeah, I love that. So we are gonna be talking about self-compassion and caring for ourselves. Um, and so you had done some work on that and some study on that. Tell us a little bit about that, and then we can dig into the practical part of it. Sure. So, um, when I was in my last school system, one of the things we were doing was doing mental health support for students at a much deeper level. 

Obviously, school counselors do a wonderful job, and they were sort of our first level of defense. Mm-hmm. And then we also were able to create this center where we had therapists on staff. And so when students needed more support, we had our in-house, as well as contracting outside with therapists. And so with that, we were doing programming for students around, um, self-compassion. 

And then w- I said, I, I kinda raised the flag and said, "Hey, we need to be doing something for adults as well." Mm-hmm. So I had an opportunity to get trained in cognitively-based compassion training, CBCT. Um, and this was through Emory University, and it was an amazing experience. Um, I, I'm a trainer and, it's an eight-week class. 

But what was fascinating to me was that the first six classes are about self-compassion. So because that's not something we do for ourselves, and then the seventh class is about compassion for others and then global compassion. But the idea is that we have got to be more self-compassionate- We need to care for ourselves so that we have more to give to other people. Yeah. And so it's sort of that, that metaphor of like, you know, y- you know, we talk about fill your bucket. 

Well, a lot of times we'll do little things for ourselves, but it like, you know, if our bucket is empty because there's demands on us and we're not taking care of ourselves and we're putting others first all the time, then those few little drops that we put in are great, but then the next day when all those demands come back on us, we spill the bucket and we're, you're just empty. 

We f- Mm-hmm ... and then we start to feel alone, and we start to feel frustrated, and, um, we lose touch with ourselves. And so the idea is that when you take care of yourself, your bucket stays full, and you actually have more to give because you're giving from the overflow, and so that's what I learned in CBCT. But the fact that six out of eight classes are focused on self-compassion, that's, that's huge. That was... It was eye-opening to me because we're really not good at it. 

We're not. We're not. No. It doesn't come naturally to us. Mm-mm. And I feel especially... Well, I feel like all genders, um, but would you... I mean, I feel like moms We're recording this right before Mother's Day, right? Yes, of course. So we have moms on the mind. I do think as women, um, I'm not saying 'cause men... I know a lot of men that are equal partners. Mm-hmm. 

And I know a lot of women who are not in that situation- Mm-hmm ... as well. And of course, there's this demand on us to, um, be perfect at work and to be perfect at home, and we give to our kids, and we really do, uh, we're actually, I feel like we're brought up to give to others and not focus on ourselves. And I have to say that's why I love that monologue in Barbie by America Ferrera. Yeah. Like, if you, if, if people haven't heard it, they need to go... 'Cause it's perfect. Right. It nails it- Right ... what it's like to be a female in this society. 

But I think, you know, it is for all people. I mean, because I do think that, that men, um, also feel a lot of pressure to be the provider and, you know, be this and that role. Um, but I do feel, I mean, I, of course, am a woman, so I can relate more to women. Right. And so, uh, but I do think there's a lot of demands on us. But what I do know globally is that we do not do well in the self-compassion arena. No, we don't. We- And I love how you were saying giving from overflow. I had to learn that the hard way because you're just always giving. So it's like a bank account, right? Right. 

And if you're always withdrawing but you're not putting in deposits, that's not gonna work. And then you end up in a deficit. Exactly. Right. And then we help nobody, including ourselves. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Um, so how do you suggest that people actually, uh, practice this? I know my mentor says that, uh, self-compassion is medicine. Mm-hmm. And I love that phrase so, so much. It... Oh, no, it absolutely is, and I, I mean, a thousand percent agree because, uh, one of the things I think is important, especially in this hurry culture- That we live in, that we intentionally choose to pause. 

Because nobody's, nobody's gonna tell you, "Hey, you need to slow down. You stop." I mean, yeah, there are stop signs on the road, but people roll through those, right? I've watched more of them- Totally ... they, they don't fully stop even for that sometimes. And so we've got to learn to just stop and to pause and, because again, no one else is gonna do it for us. Now, I will tell you, Mandy, the number one thing I hear from people is, "I don't have time." Right. And so, uh, one of the things that I've learned through my trainings and my self-experience is that you have got to make time, right? If you don't make time, and you don't check in with your body, your body is gonna hit pause for you. 

And unfortunately, that usually comes in the form of illness or some type of injury because again, you're just, you're not conscious that you're hurting, and we literally need to get in touch with our bodies. You know, there's a lot of... Even before I went to CBCT, I actually went to massage therapy school, another story for another time, but I was all about the mind-body integration- Mm because we do disconnect. So yeah. And in this hurry culture that we are, we're always up here, and we need to get back down in here in our body. We need to become aware of where we hurt. 

We need to become aware of what we need. Uh, and so by, by trying to just pause and be intentional with our, with ourselves and compassionate with ourselves, we can become more in touch. And the big thing, yes, on... Yes, you need to make time for it, and people, "I don't have time." Okay, I get it. But I'm not asking you to go to the gym for 30 minutes, or to go- ... on that hour-long run or hike or walk or whatever. What I am asking you to do is what I believe in, which is the 30-second reset. Mm. 

We all can create 30 seconds. It's about making moments within our day to take care of ourselves and be intentional. And so that is really what I, what I, when I'm talking and speaking, that's what I'm training about, making moments. And in CBCT, uh, it's actually the first lesson we talk about is creating these moments. And it can, doesn't have to be this big thing. It's not remembering the trip to insert the place, right? The beach, France, whatever. It's about that one time when your hands were full and somebody held the door. Mm-hmm. 

It's about when you were walking and you just saw somebody smiling, or a little kid that waved. I, of the other day I was in the store, and I was in my head because I forgot my phone, and so I was like, "Oh, the list, the list," right? I'd made a list. And then this little kid just... And I, and I just, I just stopped in my tracks- Amazing ... and it made me smile, and I waved back at him. Aw. You know? So it's about recognizing those little moments, and that was like a, that was less than a 10-second interaction. True. 

But it shifted, and it brought me back to the present. Mm-hmm. And it was amazing that once I'd calmed myself and I regulated my, my nervous system just for a, a, a hot minute there- I was able to recall the whole list without a problem Oh my gosh. Yeah. I believe it though. It was like okay. Totally. Yeah. And we've got to learn to, to insert little ways and times, but just being intentional. Mm-hmm. 

And so that was one of the things in, um, my first chapter that I had to do because there were times that I was going into difficult meetings and I knew that if I wanted to show up as my best self, I had to be calm. I wanted to be my best self. That didn't mean I wasn't gonna get frustrated because, I mean, we're human, right? But I wanted to be able to be calmer. And so I learned little things that you can do just on the way to the meeting- Mm-hmm ... which I was going to anyway- Uh-huh ... that got me out of my head and back into the present- Yeah ... so I could be, I could be present in the meeting. Yeah. I love it. 

And maybe we can go over a couple of those little things, but I just wanted to first point out what you said about the hustle culture. Like- Mm-hmm ... I'm so burnt out of that. Like, I, every time I go, I have to take my cat to the vet twice a week, and right next door is, like, this boot camp, you know, all this stuff. And so I pull in every time, it's like loud music and, like, you know, guys that are all tatted up and, like, serious and like ... And I'm just like, I could never walk in that door. 

Maybe I could have, like, 20 years ago or something, but- Right ... oh my gosh, like, I just... And anything that's like, "Hurry me," I'm just like, "No, not, that's not where I'm at right now." So- And we all need to get there, right? Even, I understand there are times we have to be. You know? Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's the case. That's life. That's, that's unavoidable. Right. But, but we also have the choice to slow down- Right ... to pause and be present. Yeah. Yeah. 

I think because I was stuck in hypervigilance for so long- Mm-hmm ... given my crazy life story and all of that, I had to survive. And hypervigilance was what I did to cope, right? And so now I'm just like, ugh, like I could never go back to that, you know? No, and, and well, but a lot of us are that way, right? Because we know that, I mean, basically your amygdala was hijacked, right? Mm-hmm. And that was a survival tactic. Right. And it's e- you know, so we fight, fight or freeze. And the problem is our brain can't discern, are we being chased by the saber-tooth tiger- Right or am I just stuck in really bad traffic- Right ... and people are being angry? 

And so, um, you know, for me, I, again, I, when I was in that last district, I had a long commute, so I had to make choices about, like, what attitude I was gonna take with... And in fact, one time I was telling my husband about Mira. I said, "Gosh, I was looking around. Everybody's grouchy and they're grumpy and they're hitting their steering wheel." And, and I'm like, you know, "I'm just sitting and I'm bebopping along and I'm singing and I'm, I'm having a whole car concert," like to the point- ... one of my friends bought me one of those cymbals that you can put on the- steering wheel. It was hysterical. Yeah, um, which my kids quickly stole, but that's okay. 

So, um, but the reality is, like you have to make a decision because I'm, I'm driving to this place, so I can make it pleasant or I can make it miserable. Right. And I can't say every single day of the six years that I did that commute- Gosh I was the happiest person. Right. But I made good use of the time. Mm-hmm. And so sometimes it was singing. Um, one of the, my big things, and this is a pers- I have a pet peeve about rubberneckers. Um, bec- especially if it's caused by an accident. 

Yeah. Uh, because like I... And, and so my thing for myself is that I would send love and light to the person, I would say a little prayer, and then I would think to myself, "I'm having a better day than that guy." Like, I was stuck in traffic, I might be a little late, but I'm having a better day than them, and my next couple months aren't gonna be about recovering or fixing a car or finding a new car or dealing with insurance. 

True. Right? Yeah. So, but I also w- um, I, I didn't wanna look because the, the work I did, I mean, you have to understand, school counseling, we deal with a lot of big, big issues- Oh, yes with suicide and abuse and- Right ... and death and things like that, as well as the happy scholarships and things like that too. But you know, like I dealt with enough hard things, so I- Yeah ... didn't need to look at that. True. I didn't need to be a part, I didn't need to take that in. I was choosing what I was consuming. 

Ah, that's such a good point. Right? 'Cause I mean, and you have to... I ha- I mean, I stopped watching the news because I couldn't. I would tell my husband, "Give me the highlights if, if, if there's a bad storm coming. Like, tell me what I need to know." Yeah. "But otherwise, I didn't wanna hear it." Yeah. Because there's so much negativity, I didn't wanna consume that. And then of course there was the practical part of I better pay attention 'cause nobody else is, so we don't have an, an ac- a back up, you know, an accident and a back up. Sure. But I would actually use that time, and I also chose to use my commute as a way to reach out to my elderly aunts and uncles, two, three- 

Mm-hmm three of whom are now gone. Mm-hmm. And so, like I'm so thankful that I took the time at least once a week, I would reach out to, to one of them. Mm-hmm. And of course I would even call, I'd call my mom several times a week, so I would do that on the commute. And sometimes it would have to be like, "I gotta go. 

There's crazies on the road- Mm-hmm ... and I've gotta focus," you know? Right. And they would understand. But they just, they just appreciated the fact that I was thinking of them and- Oh, I'm sure ... right? Yeah. Um, I also would use that time, sometimes I, and my husband never understands this, but there, there are days when I'm rocking out. Yep. And there are days when it's perfectly silent. Yeah. 

I drive, no radio on, no... I just, I just want the quiet. Mm. So that, that to me, after especially a hectic day, was the way- Yeah ... I regulated myself to get home again so I could show up as my best self. Right. And have a little just quiet time for my brain- Yeah to settle down. And I'll also tell you, and, and this is actually a great technique, I didn't res- realize it was a, like a research, science-backed thing. I just did it. 

There were days when I'd get in my car, and it was just a crappy day, and I would scream at the top of my lungs. Yeah. Windows closed. Yeah Just- So you don't scare anybody Yeah, yeah. One time I had to cover my own ears. Like I was- Right? So that tells you what kind of day... And then I would be perfectly calm. But I did that before I got into the crazy traffic because I needed to be able to be present. Oh, good call. Yeah. Yeah. 100%. 

So let it out. Like tears are not, tears are not, um, a sign of weakness. No. It's actually a sign of power. And your body is like, "Hey, I gotta get this out. I gotta get it out." Yes. Let it out. Yes. Oh my gosh. Let it out and move on. Yeah. Get rid of all those, those bad things that have been flooding in your body. Yeah. And then you actually get a serotonin drop, so- Yeah, exactly you're good for the day. Yeah. Exactly. Like you were saying, taking that intentional pause and- Yes ... uh, moving- 

And it's a, a sign of self-compassion too. I'm taking care of myself. Totally. Totally. Yeah. And I wanna go back to what you said too about, you know, a lot of times we don't check in with our body, and I have to say I'm so guilty of that. Like, I have a neuromuscular, um, disorder, and so a lot of times I'll have a lot of pain, um, in my back, uh, shoulder there, on my neck, and the past few days it's been killing me. 

And today I woke up and I'm like, "Okay," I was talking to myself, "Mandy, today you're gonna do what you need to do, you know, to take care of that. Don't just brush it off." Um, because that is my default now is to hypervigilance. Go, go, go, go, go, right? Mm-hmm. But today I was like, "Okay, you're gonna need to move a little bit slower. You're gonna need to take the time to have a hot shower and put it on there," and then, you know, that kind of thing. But, um, like you were saying, it's important to check in with ourselves. Yeah. So how would you recommend that people do that? 

Yeah, so, I mean, a lot of people, y- they may have know about this, but if not it's a great technique. And it's just, it's like a scan, I call it. It's a body scan. And so all you have to do is you kind of pretend like there's a little red line, like, you know, you scan at the grocery store. Yeah. But you pretend like it's above your head, and you just... And literally this could take 30 seconds. You just picture it coming down, and notice where there's tension. And like, for me, I carry it in my jaw. Mm-hmm. 

And so when I notice it, I'm like, "Oh, release the jaw." And then you go down your neck, your shoulders, over your chest, your abdomen. How are my hips feeling? Down my thighs, over my knees, down my shins and calves. And you follow that line down around the ankle, feet, and follow it all the way down in the earth. But as you're doing it, you tell the scanner, "Hey, if you f- if you sense any tension, grab it and take it." Mm-hmm. Right? And it's just a matter of, like, literally bringing your mind to all the parts of your body. Mm-hmm. When I was in massage therapy school, one of the things we learned is that if a muscle feels tight, tighten it even more and then say, "Release." Mm. And it was funny, my, my instructor said, "It's sort of like imagine rowers-" You know? 

Yeah Like they, they're doing their crew thing and like, so they're rowing and all of a sudden they kinda get stuck, right? Like the, the oar gets stuck and they need- Mm-hmm ... to like be told to release. Right. But sometimes you gotta tighten it up even more and then say, "Release," and you can actually do that. Mm-hmm. So I also have tau- taught people, like of course everyone does breaths, and everybody has a different method. Like the one- Yeah was actually one that my insurance company sent me yesterday. I'm like, "Oh, this is terrible. I don't like this one at all." Right? 

And I'm like, "I'm gonna go back to my own." Yeah. But, um, the reality is you can actually send breath to that area. So like for you, for your neck, you could take in breath and purposely send it to there and say, "Grab hold of the tension," and you exhale it out. And it just gives your body a signal of, "I don't have to hold this. I don't have to carry it." Mm-hmm. That's cool. And it's great that we can get interventions, but we sorta gotta get in that prevention mode too. Mm-hmm. 

Where if you just do a little bit of maintenance every day. Yeah. And so that's one of the reasons I have this like, uh, they call it a simple morning routine that I give away on my website. Mm-hmm. And, um, happy to give to your listeners as well. Mm-hmm. Um, but it, it's even about you, how you start your day. Oh, yeah. Before you ever get out of the bed, how do you start your day? Hmm. 

Now, as when I was a mom with a young kid, I actually had to set my alarm a little bit ahead of when I normally would because I knew I would rather get up that way than, "Mom, mom!" Yeah. You know? It's- Right. Chaos ... um, it's c- right. I don't need to jump into chaos. Sure. Like there was gonna be enough in the day. Right. So like I chose how to start my day. And it's also about just, you know, um, if, if you're in a meeting and you're feeling like you're a little out of control, it's as easy as like right now I'm sitting and I can be intentional about where is my body hitting the chair. Is it comfortable? Is it tight? Is it not? Like right now I'm sitting forward 'cause I'm talking to you. 

A lot of times in a, in a meeting I might be sitting, so I could check in with my back and my hips, like how is that feeling? Do I need to just reposition? And it's just becoming aware of how your body is feeling- Mm-hmm in the moment. Right. Yeah. You know? Also, like another little tip that I used to use is when I had to walk to the meeting, I would be intentional about my steps. Mm-hmm. 

Because it's gonna get me back in touch with my body. Mm-hmm. And that's what you need to do. We need to just become aware. We just stay up in our head, and it's almost like we detach the head- Right from the rest of the body and become unaware. We need to reintegrate that, and that scan does it, like noting how you're sitting. Mm-hmm. Um, and you know, how are you breathing? Of course if, you know, 'cause if you're slumped over and almost like I can't breathe as well, even. 

Right. Yeah. Am I shallow breathing? So you just gotta say, "How am I breathing right now?" Yeah. It takes 10 seconds. Mm-hmm. I love that. It doesn't have, again, not 30 minutes, not an hour. Yeah. Just 10 seconds. Check in. I love the idea of the scan and- habit stacking it, like with a meal. So like breakfast and lunch, you know? And just when I sit down to eat, okay, let me do the scan and let's see, you know, what's, how am I doing? I love that, yeah. 

And I also wanted to note also how you were saying, you know, it is intentional. And I was on a, a Zoom yesterday, like a mastermind thing, and they were saying, you know, it's important to put time for yourself in your calendar. And like for me, you know, I've, I've mentioned a lot to my listeners here that I will take a mental health day. So I will go with a friend to a botanical garden, right? 

And just kind of forget everything for the day, even though I have a gazillion things that I need to do, but I know I need that break. But I'm not so great at taking the micro moments. Mm-hmm. So, um, I think it's a good idea to maybe habit stack those things, um, so that way I don't forget. Yeah. And you know, I became much more aware of that. I have, I have my Apple Watch. Oh, not, it's not on right now, but my Apple Watch, and it tells me every hour it's time to stand. Mm. And I'm like, well, we're not just gonna stand. We're actually gonna walk, right? 

Mm. I'm gonna get up and I'm going to move my body because- Yeah um, one of the... And, and it doesn't mean that I change my task. In fact, I just did a Tuesday tip about it's not about getting off task, but sometimes we just have to take a mental break from looking at the screen, from- Yeah ... you know, doing whatever it is that's, we're in the moment. Mm-hmm. Because that movement can actually foster efficiency. It can a- and it can, uh, creativity- Oh, yeah ... just because you're up and moving. Yep. And so, you know, that's, that's the other thing. 

We get in this hurry culture because we think fast is productive- Ha ... when it's actually quite the opposite. When we are hurried all the time, and a lot of times we get off task and we do different things. Oh, yeah. Whereas if I would just take a micro break. And so I actually have a friend who's gotten to the point where she sets an alarm for every hour. Mm-hmm. Just a five-minute alarm. Yeah. 

And she'll either get up, she'll take ti- she'll just stop, she'll do the scan. Sometimes she's just like, "Okay, am I comfortable? Do I need to adjust something?" Mm. She'll stop and, and intentionally drink water- Mm ... right? To nourish herself and take care of herself. Just a little, a little break like that. Right. It's all it takes. 

And you are right about the habit stacking. And I, I do think the idea of pausing before we eat, because a lot of times we're running to, you know, we, we got the food, we got it on the table. Yeah. If we just take a breath, we're actually gonna enjoy the meal more. Mm. Yeah. And if my jaw was tight before I started eating, I'm just gonna aggravate it, so let's just calm ourselves down here, people, right? Just calm down- ... and take a moment before we, you know, jump into the next thing. But really sit and enjoy that. And maybe you only have five or 10 minutes between meetings. 

Try to schedule more. But if not- Um, if you don't, but, like, at least enjoy the bites that you get in. Even if you don't fi- you don't have to finish it then. Right. But enjoy the bites you have, and just be like, "I'm, I'm taking this time right now to take care of my body." Mm-hmm. Right, and it will digest the food better, too, right? All of the things. It's- All of the things ... it really is a domino. Yeah. That's true. That's true. 

I love that. So this week, I'm going to set a goal for myself that I will take those 30 seconds at breakfast and lunch and do my scan. Mm-hmm. So I may not be ready yet to schedule in, like, a half hour of, or even, like, five minutes of meditation in my calendar, but- Mm-hmm what feels doable is the 30-second scan at breakfast and lunch. Okay. And, and also, here's another little thing you can fit in. Again, because I, I imagine we all still take breaks to go to the bathroom. Right. Right? 

So even if you're in your home office, instead of going in and running to the bathroom, say, "I'm gonna go walk down the hall, and I'm gonna come back," or, "I'm gonna go- Right I'm gonna go to the bathroom downstairs 'cause my office is upstairs- Mm-hmm ... or vice versa. And just do that and make that motion. You're still accomplishing what you needed to. Right. It might take you 10, 20 extra seconds. Mm-hmm. Okay? 

But just be intentional about it, and notice yourself as you walk, right? Every step you take, notice. Mm-hmm. And I remember in my job, when I'd be going to that, um, meeting, again, I, I mentioned I used to be intentional about feeling my steps, feeling my feet- Yeah ... in the shoes, noticing- Mm ... how my shoes felt on the carpet, and then when I transitioned to tile and then back to carpet, or if you're on concrete. Like, just noticing that little difference. Yeah. Just getting myself grounded. 

Yes. In like the, the, the, like, true sense of the word. I'm grounded. Yeah. This is where my feet are. Yeah. Um, but I'm doing that anyway. Mm-hmm. It doesn't have to be another thing to do. 'Cause that's the other thing I hear. Mm-hmm. I don't have time, and it's just another thing to do. I'm already too busy. Mm-hmm. Right. So take what you're already doing, and do it with intention. Mm. I love that. It could be brushing your teeth. Right. Just really think, I am taking care of my, my oral health, which there's connections between oral health and heart health. So, like, you're taking care of yourselves- 

Mm-hmm but feel the brush, right? And maybe realize, am I being too aggressive? Or, like, hey, let me... I don't ha- I don't have my toothbrush angled enough to get up under those... Just stop. Just slow your roll, people, right? Just slow it down. Do... Take what you're already doing- Yeah ... and do it with intention. I love that, to take what you're already doing. I... That feels way more doable than like, "Hey, let me add in five minutes of meditation at the beginning of my day and the end of my day." 

Like, I'm not- It's too much ... I'm not a good meditator anyway- ... 'cause I just can't. Yeah. It's not for everybody, and that's fine. But, like- Yeah ... again, find what you're already doing, and do it with intention. Right. Yeah. I love it. Um- I feel like this has been such a good conversation. Um, I love also how you were saying choosing our input. Um- Mm-hmm ... and I feel like we, we take in so much, right? 

So much different information. But, like, I can't do that anymore. So I'm just ... I am more picky about what I, what I take in that day. Yeah. And if I already feel, like, overwhelmed, I'm like, "Okay, I'm probably not gonna listen to another podcast episode." Unless it's something, like, super calming or whatever. But, like, I don't need more information, or like you were saying with the news, I don't need, like, you know, more stressing information. And of course, it's important to know what's going on in the news, but, like, I like what you said, how you can have somebody else give you the highlights, or there's plenty of apps or newsletters from independent reporters that can just give you that- 

Yeah ... without the drama and the fear and all that stuff. So, um, so I, I feel like a lot of what we talked about was being intentional and slowing down- Mm ... and then doing what works for us. So whatever feels easy. I always talk about micro steps, right? Mm-hmm. 'Cause people always ask me, like, "How are you okay af- like, complex PTSD survivor, like, how are you okay after your crazy story?" 

Like, and I know it's not like I just flipped a switch and went, "Oh, I'm good." Like, that took years and years and years, and it was like one baby step in front of the other, and then I'd go back, and then I'd go for- you know. Um, so it's, it's movement, right? Yes. Forward, like I always say, keep moving forward. Just keep moving forward. Mm-hmm. I mean, and, um, like I'm sure you've seen that meme. It says, "If you're gonna fall, fall forward, at least it's forward movement," right? Yeah. So, um, and I just think, you know, all of these little things, being intentional, pausing, it's all about taking care of yourself. 

And when we do these little things, you fill that bucket, and it gives you the overflow. Right. And so, you know, we have to, we have to make decisions about, again, what we consume, how intentional we are. But it all, like you said, it's cumulative. And if we do it daily, it's preventative. Mm. Love that. It is cumulative. Mm-hmm. And like you said, if we keep doing it- Mm-hmm ... then it is preventative. Otherwise, you're like, "Oh, my God. Why am I in such a bad mood?" Or like, "Why, why can't I focus?" Right? Right. Yeah. I love that. Well, thank you so much for being here with us. 

Um, and I know you have a busy day and you're traveling. Um, so where can everybody follow you or listen to you or have you speak? Right. So, um, they can find me on LinkedIn under Dianne Cunha Andree, um, and I'm sure my name will be up somewhere so they can find me. Yeah, I'll put that in the show notes. Yeah. Um, that'd be great. Uh, also on Instagram, dianneeandree7. 

I try to post really positive things. Oh. Um, that's my goal, is to be a positive light. And, uh, also my website, dianneeandree.com, and on there on my resource page, I have 30 sec- the 30 Second Reset. So I have short little videos, and they're things that I have noticed out in the world. Um, so they're all my own videos. But, uh, again, just being intentional as I'm out and about, and I capture them, and maybe it will spark for somebody. But you, you can pull the website up and just take 30 seconds, just watch the little video. Mm-hmm. 

And hopefully that will help you to reset. Um- Mm-hmm ... and please, please, um, you know, uh, m- most importantly, I hope that all of your listeners will be very intentional moving forward. At least do one thing for yourself every day, uh, because burnout is preventable. Mm-hmm. And burnout, you can come back from burnout and find the joy. Mm-hmm. And you owe it to yourself. We get one life. Mm-hmm. One, and we've got to make the most of it. And if you don't care for yourself and your body, nobody else will. Yeah. That's so true. Yeah. Thank you. 

And your website, I want people to know how your name is spelled, 'cause it's not how they guess. No, no, my mother didn't want me to have any pre-personalized things. So we're... It's D-I-A-N-N-E A-N-D-R-E-E.com. Dianneeandree.com. Okay, cool. And then of course, I'm gonna- All one word ... I'm gonna drop it in the show notes, of course. Mm-hmm. Great. But, you know, sometimes people, um, don't check those, so yeah. So thank you so, so much. And then the last thing you mentioned was about your morning routine that you have? 

My simple morning routine, yes. Yeah. I would love to be able to share that. They can grab it from my website, or I can share it with you, and you can attach that as well. Mm-hmm. It's just some things that have worked for me to start my morning off right. Mm-hmm. Uh, because how we start the day can have a direct impact on how our, the rest of our day goes. 100%, yeah. Well, thank you so much, Dianne. Thanks for being here with us and for your time. Thanks for having me. You're welcome. Thanks for being here on the Aware and Prepared Podcast. Don't forget to hit, follow that little plus sign in your app in the top right, ensures you never miss an episode. Remember, you are worthy of a safe and peaceful life. Talk to you next week.