We’ve all heard the story of how to boil a frog, by slowly raising the temperature so it doesn’t realize what’s happening and jump out of the pot. The same method works for creating burnout in a human. It’s important to check the temperature of the water every once in a while, to see how close you are to the boiling point.
The following exercise is designed to create an opportunity for reflection and inquiry. (It’s not designed to create an opportunity to judge yourself and add even more to your plate.) Proceed gently and with curiosity, just to see where you are now and if there are any adjustments you might want to consider.
Start by drawing a circle and creating quadrants. Each quadrant is named for one of these elements: Mind, Body, Heart, and Soul (if it resonates better, you can use Mental, Physical, Emotional, Spiritual).
STEP ONE
Your goal at this stage is just to color in each section with how much of your time, energy and life force is being spent in each quadrant currently - this day, this week, this month.
For example, if you’re highly focused on the intellectual side right now, say you’re working on a thesis, or deep in an intense work project - that quadrant will probably be almost entirely filled in. On the other hand if you’re healing a physical ailment, you might see that you are investing most of your time and energy in your body right now and that quadrant will be mostly filled in.
We’re not looking for precision here, no percentages. This is more of a right brain gut feeling type exercise. Think less and color more! I suggest you use colored pencils or markers (bonus points for crayons!) There is no right answer, and there’s no ‘trying’ or ‘achieving’ here. Take a moment to breathe and ground yourself, and just start coloring. If a quadrant calls for a certain color, indulge in that.
Circle divided into four quadrants labeled Mind, Body, Heart, and Soul.
You can approach this free-association style, but if it’s helpful here are some prompts:
Mind can be interpreted as your intellectual side, your left brained, logical rational self.
Body is all things physical; it’s rest, nutrition, sensual pleasures, personal hygiene, etc.
Think of Heart as your emotional life and your connection to beauty and love.
Soul can be interpreted as your connection to something larger than yourself, whether that’s connecting through awe in nature, connecting to a higher power through prayer, or to your higher self in meditation.
STEP TWO
Reflect on the drawing you’ve just made and start to think about how you’re feeling. Does the current balance ring true and feel right to you? Are some quadrants almost empty, or is there one where you’re starting to boil? Just give it a moment and check in with your intuition.
STEP THREE
If the current state of affairs feels right and you feel good, your work is done! On the other hand, if you are feeling a yearning for some balance or for more time in another element, let’s color again - but this time let’s look at your desired state. Create a new circle with the same elements and shade in where you’d like to be. Now is not the time to think about how to make any adjustments or whether your desires are realistic or not; it’s just to color in what might feel a little better or more authentic right now.
WHAT’S NEXT?
At this point, it’s a good idea to set it aside and let it sit. This is just a reflection and does not require you to do anything differently today, or this week, or next week. Give it a little bit of time and then come back to it. We’re not optimizing here, or looking for a hack; you’ve planted the seed and that is enough. When you come back to it, perhaps you’ll consider forming some intentions around tweaks you’d like to make to realize a little more balance. We’ll explore some intentions in future posts.
Share this with someone who you suspect hasn't checked the water in a while, and maybe even open up a dialogue about creating balance.
https://www.imatiyoga.com/blog/a-gentle-assessment-hows-the-temperature
Namaste,
Eva
This exercise is from my forthcoming book, The IMATI Way: Change your story, Change your Life, coming in 2027. Subscribe to hear about it first.