A Pro Runner's Laziness, 'Twenty Foot Wave Days', and the Swedish Concept of Lillördag: How to Help Combat Burnout When You Can’t Lessen Your Workload
The 3-word quote: “Resilience is required”
1.
Amelia Boone runs a lot.
She often competes in races that are 100 miles long. Often these races are in a desert.
And Boone wins many of these races.
Boone is a professional ultra-marathoner with dozens of impossible race wins - including three victories in The Death Race.
She is also a corporate attorney, taking her jobs as a lawyer and a runner very seriously.
You may have some friends who are also avid runners, and these friends may post about their runs on social media.
Serious runners often post about their intense training.
Tweets or posts that read, “Churned out ten miles in the cold today, no rest for the weary.”
Or, “Rise and grind…15 miles down before breakfast.”
These ‘brag posts’ show their level of commitment, their willingness to do whatever it takes to improve.
We’ve seen these comments, and maybe even posted something similar. But if anyone could ever post these kinds of words, it would be Amelia Boone.
Her running brag posts would put most others to shame.
But a running brag picture on her Twitter account started a movement several years ago.
And her tweet was actually the opposite of a ‘run brag.’
It was a picture of her drinking a beer in the shower with the hashtag: #epicrestday.
Her ‘epic rest day’ post went viral.
2.
“We have a policy that when the surf comes up, you drop work and go surfing.”
These words were from Yvon Chouinard in a 2016 article about what he expects from his employees.
When the waves are suitable for surfing, he expects his employees to leave the office and go surfing.
They have a policy of surfing.
Chouinard is the founder and owner of Patagonia, a multimillion-dollar outdoor clothing company.
He explained his policy in a CNBC article:
“I don’t care when you work as long as the job gets done.”
Interesting…a policy of surfing.
Laird Hamilton doesn’t work at Patagonia, but he definitely surfs.
Hamilton is a professional surfer - perhaps the most famous big wave surfer of all time, which means he surfs some of the world's largest and most dangerous waves.
He is also an inventor, an entrepreneur, a health food advocate, and a model.
Hamilton’s time is often scarce because of these roles. But in a podcast interview, he talked about his own ‘surfing policy.’
He discussed that on certain jobs he takes, he incorporates specific language into his contract.
The language he includes has what is called ‘Twenty Foot Wave Days.”
This ‘Twenty Foot Wave Days” language is an escape clause of sorts - it says that no matter what he is doing on that particular job if there are twenty-foot waves somewhere in the world, he is allowed to leave the job and go surfing.
These days are written into his contract.
He created his own surfing policy.
3.
Nordic countries are known for their breathtaking beauty and their harsh winters.
Winters can be especially severe as some days only receive four hours of daylight.
To combat harsh winters and dark days, many Swedes participate in something called Lillördag, or ‘little Saturday.'
Interestingly enough, these 'little Saturdays' usually occur on Wednesday evenings after the workday has ended.
It is a planned time when friends gather in groups to enjoy some fun.
Participants treat this time like an additional Saturday, full of enjoyment and relaxation, and rejuvenation.
The get-togethers may include games, music, or just meals together. It is time specifically carved out during the week to do something that generally might be done on the weekend.
It acts as a break from the midweek grind.
It is not an occasional meeting; it is a consistent commitment .
The tradition originates from when servants and maids worked Saturdays, so the workers often had a day off during the week - traditionally, Wednesdays.
In a BBC article, Rickard Grassman, a professor at Stockholm University, described Lillördag:
“Historically, it (lillördag) has been put into motion as a kind of little holiday in the middle of the week when people need time to blow off steam.”
Any day can be lillördag, but Wednesdays are the most common.
Harpe Adolfsson, a railway worker in northern Sweden, says he gets together every "Wednesday with friends, lights candles, has fun, and enjoys a few pints of Guinness."
It is a tradition he looks forward to every week.
The takeaway
So what does an ultra-marathon runner’s picture with a beer, surfing a twenty-foot wave, and ‘Little Saturdays’ all have in common?
They are examples of different ways people recharge to avoid stress and burnout.
They show how recovery from the usual routine allows them to prepare and continue their traditional work.
Ultra-marathoner Amelia Boone lives in a world where bragging about going harder, running longer, and enduring injuries is a badge of honor.
The grinding and extreme effort is an expectation in that field.
But science says there are better approaches than this.
An insightful article titled "Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure" by Shan Anchor and Michelle Gielen states:
We often take a militaristic, ‘tough’ approach to resilience and grit. We imagine a Marine slogging through the mud, a boxer going one more round, or a football player picking himself off the turf for one more play.
We believe that the longer we tough it out, the tougher we are, and therefore the more successful we will be. However, this entire conception is entirely inaccurate.”
So when Boone, who has injured herself through overtraining, posts a picture of her ‘epic rest day,’ she understands that the day off might just be more beneficial than a ten-mile run.
And now other athletes have joined her.
Rest isn't something to be ashamed of or hidden as it once might have been.
The ‘rest day brag’ is growing in popularity, with many other athletes showing how they recover on their ‘off’ days.
Pictures of how these pro runners rest often get more respect than their ‘brag posts’ about their intense efforts.
Anchor’s article says: “The key to resilience is trying really hard, then stopping, recovery, and then trying again.”
Boone is certainly not lazy. Her 'epic rest days' are followed by extremely focused training.
This cycle of on and then completely off weren’t always a part of her routine.
Now the rest days are a normal part of her life - both as a lawyer and a pro athlete; the days are scheduled like traditional training days.
And when Patagonia’s founder mandates employees take time off - for surfing or when Laird Hamilton chases a twenty-foot wave, they build resilience.
Resilience doesn’t require absolute rest; it involves a shift in the type of work.
Doing something different is decidedly good.
When Hamilton takes a break from a job to go surfing, he participates in his passion - his passion requires much endurance, balance, and strength.
He is building resilience despite surfing being a taxing activity.
Hamilton shifts his mindset away from the current work to ‘relax’ and surf.
While he is not resting, he is recovering from his everyday stress.
Hamilton and Chouinard instinctively understand and create a cycle of work and rejuvenation, work then rejuvenation, as Anchor’s article suggests.
And ‘Little Saturdays’ in Sweden are also examples of building resilience and avoiding burnout.
In the United States, Wednesdays are referred to as ‘hump days’ - days to get through and get over with as they get us closer to the weekend.
Lillördag looks at Wednesdays as a day to enjoy and an opportunity to build strength.
Instead of surfing, the camaraderie, the music, and the meals help those participating in lillördag decrease stress and help them recover from the daily grind.
“The value of a recovery period rises in proportion to the amount of work required of us,” Anchor stresses.
Obviously, those particularly taxed at work especially need an outlet. Surprisingly, it isn’t always complete rest that restores us; it is doing something other than work that is more beneficial.
So whether it is completely shutting down for a period, going surfing, or gathering with friends - or any other activity that allows enjoyment and a mental shift, make time for it.
When work is plentiful and time is scarce, participating in treasured activities is essential in building resilience - and helping avoid burnout.
Work will always be there, but how you show up to do the job is a matter of choice.
3 things before you go
Song: The Pogues, Love you Till the End: absolutely underrated song; no extra words or instruments; can it be sad and uplifting at the same time?
Article: Variety, ‘Oppenheimer’: Robert Downey Jr Says Cillian Murphy Made the Greatest ‘Sacrifice by a Lead Actor’ He’s Ever Seen in His 53-Year Career: long headline/brief article about Oppenheimer movie; interesting to see how top performers in a field react to other actors and different approaches to similar work
Video: Things To know Before Getting a Golden Retriever : there is nothing you need to know, just get one; my favorite cowriter always sits at my feet as I type
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