In this week’s episode we dig into the power of slow pleasure in preventing burnout cycles and exhaustion. This is a ver real topic I’m dealing with now as I navigate the undercurrents of a head cold and have a sore back, and a great opportunity to highlight everything we discuss today. It’s so common for us to push ourselves to the point of exhaustion and burnout by overriding our body’s cues. Whey you learn to listen to your body’s signals throutgh a strong relationship with yourself through slow pleasure, you’re able to see how you can prevent these exhaustion cycles and nourish yourself from the inside out.

Tune Into The Episode

Show Notes

Reclaiming Your Hormone Health with Laura Martire Episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unapologeticjannine/episodes/Ep-1—Reclaiming-Your-Hormone-Health-with-Laura-Martire-e1ugroa/a-a99thq1 

Why Your Need to Date Yourself Episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unapologeticjannine/episodes/S2-Ep23—Why-You-Need-to-Date-Yourself-e2fogti/a-aav9t46

5 Suprising Side Effects of Embracing Your Sexuality Episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unapologeticjannine/episodes/S2-Ep26—5-Suprising-Side-Effects-of-Embracing-Your-Sexuality-e2glfjt/a-ab1jabe

Complimentary Catalyst Call: https://tidycal.com/janninemackinnon/catalyst-call

Free Honey Pot Meditation: https://janninemackinnon.com/honey-pot/

Free Sexuality Shadow Work Play Sheets: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/21057/114943557669749787/share

Unapologetic Practices: https://janninemackinnon.com/practices/

Related Episodes

Why Productive Women Find it Hard to Soften and Loosen Control – Diving into Masculine and Feminine Energy
Why You Need to Date Yourself
Embracing Your Shadows: A Deep Dive Into Self-Love
Unveiling Taboos: My Pleasure Practice Awakening

The Power of Slow Pleasure in Preventing Burnout Cycles

  • Listen to your body’s signals and cues to prevent burnout and exhaustion.
  • Slow pleasure helps build a strong relationship with yourself and nourishes the body.
  • Recognize the societal pressure to override your body’s needs and prioritize self-care.
  • Embody the woman you’re meant to be by balancing feminine and masculine energies and seeking support.

Transcript

Hello, today’s podcast is a very real topic for me with the power of slow pleasure to prevent burnout cycles. So at the time of recording this, I am not feeling well. I woke up with quite a sore back across my shoulders. Definitely does not feel nice.

and the undercurrents of a sickness. As you can probably tell in my voice, it definitely feels a little bit off.

And I know this is a sign or a symptom of how I’ve been going these last few weeks.

And it’s really neat to reflect on because I know if I was in the point that I was in just a few years ago, feeling this way, how I would be treating it so much differently.

and I would likely be continuing to mask these different signs and symptoms my body is showing me and continuing to go, go, go and override myself until it really showed itself in those burnout cycles and feeling constantly exhausted. And so we are going to be digging in today how slow pleasure really shifts that.

and is able to prevent those things from happening and really develops this incredible relationship with your body and with yourself and how you treat yourself and therefore shows up and how you’re able to show up in the world. So all of this really comes down to this route, that our wisdom comes from within.

Our bodies are powerful tools. They know what’s going on, whether things are supportive for us or not. And they send us little signals to let us know like what’s going on, how it would be helpful for us to react or communicate in these different situations. And so this can look like feeling super excited and like your heart is open. You have a bunch of energy moving through your body because you were feeling a full body. Fuck yes for something.

It could also be this like sick feeling in your tummy knowing that like something is off. It could be the anger we feel when someone has wronged us. And it can be the comfort we feel when we are with those we love.

So these are all kind of bigger, louder examples of the ways our body communicates with us. This can also show up on a much smaller scale, such as hunger pains, letting us know we’re hungry.

uncomfortable feelings perhaps across our chest or shoulders coming in when we just feel really uncomfortable around somebody. This could be the tiredness we feel in the middle of the day towards the end of a long week. And it could be the irritation we feel when we are in preparation of chatting with a certain

colleague or a so -called friend and just like really not feeling great about it. And so

these are all smaller signals and signs that our body is showing us different things that are going on. And so often with these smaller signals,

we override them in today’s society because modern society is built to just be go, go, go, go, moving from one thing to the next, super busy and incredibly distracted that it creates this really big disconnect within ourselves.

For starters, we are taught to live in accordance to a masculine 24 -hour cycle when

us as women and feminine beings actually do a lot better when we shift and really live in accordance to our 28 -ish day cycles. And so just shifting ourselves into more of that structured day -to -day cycle is right there, really disconnecting from ourselves, and we’re definitely overriding our different…

signals our body is showing us in terms of rest, when we are more intuitive, when we are more productive and good at presenting and different things like that.

And we also cover this up very similarly, kind of on that same thread, by just being so busy.

and disconnected all the time. Like I kind of touched on

our society is built to just be go, go, go, go, going from one thing to the next, kids’ school, kids’ activities, different social events, this, that, and the other thing. Then make sure you are staying connected on social media, scrolling your phone, taking in the media, numbing out on Netflix at the end of the night. And so this busyness, this numbing out is really creating this really big disconnection.

And then in terms of like those hunger pains like that might seem something small, something that we feel like we can recognize and at the same time us as women, especially Millennials and many different generations, but just growing up in the 90s and 2000s, especially idolizing that like super skinny body type, we were taught to override our hunger cues for most of our

to just ignore being hungry, ignore our body telling us we need certain kinds of nutrition or we need to eat because it’s better to ignore that and starve ourselves or make different food choices that aren’t actually in alignment with what we need. And so that repeated conditioning over and over and over again throughout our lives again creates this disconnect we have with our body and these internal signals and cues it’s giving us.

then on top of it, it is the norm to cover up our symptoms of say, anxiety and depression or so many different things with medication. And so these different things are signs or signals our body is telling us something. That’s what these symptoms are. And by just going for the quick and easy medication, it is covering up.

those symptoms while still leaving that core cause.

And so with this, it is just really gearing up repeat customers while disconnecting us from our bodies. What should be done in these cases where we are really seeking help, our body is showing us these different signs and signals, is to get curious about all of those different factors that could be affecting this, rather than covering up our ability to feel and sense these signals. So we could be getting curious around like, what have I eaten?

or not eaten. I know that was personally a really big thing for me in terms of ADHD and focus and all of these different things is making sure I was getting enough protein was huge. And that’s just often overlooked. And here’s these pills to make you feel better when these are signs that there’s something else we could be doing to really support ourselves. It’s also like, who am I surrounding myself with? How do they treat me?

How do I live my life? What choices am I making? How much media do I consume? What is my mindset like? Where am I ignoring all of my body’s no signals?

So all of these things within our society are perpetuating this disconnection from ourselves and keeping us in constant cycles of burnout and exhaustion. And…

This is the state I was in, again, just a few years ago. I was very much the like go, go, go boss babe energy, constantly grinding, spending my kids awake time fully with them, doing my best as a mom to raise amazing kids. And then all of their sleeping time, I was grinding away, building a business and just completely exhausting myself in the process. I had no time for replenishment.

I didn’t really think about strategic nutrition. Like, yes, I’ve always been on the healthier, whole foods, less chemicals kind of thing, but there really wasn’t that strategy of eating in a way to support my body. And I was constantly burning myself out. And through going through that cycle, pushing, pushing, pushing and grinding, then burning myself out, it would take weeks and sometimes months to recover.

because I would be like going until like three in the morning, waking up at seven with my kids and just repeating that process over and over again and burning my body down until it was like it has had enough. And when that would happen, when these cycles would go on, I really wasn’t able to do very much. And so I’d be going, going, going.

then unable to get a whole lot done because I was just so exhausted. I really couldn’t do much. And then the cycle would repeat because I felt like I had to be in catch -up mode. I had to get all of these different things done since I missed out on doing so much while I was recovering. And it just set up the cycle to repeat over and over and over again. And I wasn’t showing up the way I wanted to in my life. Although I…

I’ve always had the intention of like showing up in the best way I possibly can for my kids, giving them that great foundation, especially in those like early first seven years is something that was like super imprinted in me and is very important. I still was not showing up as the mom I wanted to be. I was way more irritable and less patient, especially as these cycles would really start to build up towards the end. I was so impatient and a lot snappier and same thing with my husband.

definitely not showing up the way I wanted to in our relationship. And I was showing up inconsistently for my business, sure. It would be go, go, go, pushing to do these different launches, all of these different things. And then when I crashed and burned, I was not showing up at all. So super inconsistent and really not serving myself at all. And I was incredibly disconnected from myself, just very much focused on those outward things.

focused on the family home, focused on building the business, but like really not very connected with myself. And then it got to a point where I decided to make a change that I needed to make a change. And I wasn’t going to allow things to continue down the cycle anymore.

So first, I overhauled my nutrition, which I think is the foundation for anyone I work with in coaching. They need to at least have this nutrition foundation or should be doing it alongside our work together because it really is a complete game changer. We need to be fueling ourselves so we have enough energy to do anything else in our life. If we are not doing that, we are going to be constantly falling off.

bandwagon. And so this needs to be a priority for not only to get started, but to maintain when we are feeling sick or tired or whatever it might be. So many people make up excuses of just like letting their self care completely go in those times. So it’s like, no, that’s when you need it the most. That’s when you need to be even more.

conscientious of making sure you’re fueling your body in a supportive way and to be getting the right sleep that you need and the right support. And so I do have a podcast that really lists out kind of the more nuts and bolts of this with Laura Martire. It’s one of the first podcasts when I brought everything public on Spotify. So you can go check that out. I will try and link it in the show notes

And then came building a relationship with myself. And so that started out with a weekly date night with myself. And I have a whole podcast on that topic, so you can hear all about that process on that. But it was a way that I really began to connect with me through meditation and journaling.

And then also having some cycle awareness because again, as feminine, 28 -ish days cycle beings, I do think it is so, so important to just be aware of our cycle and how we shift around that because it’s happening to us, whether we’re aware of it or not. And so there’s so much power in just bringing awareness to those differences we go through as we navigate that cycle so we can learn to really tap into that.

So those things really helped in creating that basic foundation so I could really do more self work and continue on my journey. leaps and bounds when I began to connect with myself through slow pleasure. And so

Through slow pleasure, you are able to give yourself the space for slowness and quiet, while also exploring yourself and really, really building that relationship with your body and your mind. And on top of that, you’re pumping yourself full of feel -good hormones that really heal you from the inside out.

And so this exploring and being super slow and mindful builds a really strong relationship with ourselves. catch your yeses and noses because especially when doing this on your own, which I always recommend, we do this in a safe space on our own for self pleasure and then begin incorporating things with a partner.

But that is a safe way to really tune into like, what do we like? What do we not like? And we don’t have the pressure of fear of judgment or worrying how it’s going to make another person feel. We can just really be mindful about ourselves, how it makes us feel and really begin to notice those subtleties in our bodies that are like, oh.

this is really good or like, no, I don’t like that. We need to do something else. And alongside of that, we’re really able to easily tap into our current capacity and our current energy levels and make adjustments in a supportive way. So with regular slow pleasure practice, it has quite the range. And I do think I’m going to get into this in more detail in an upcoming podcast episode.

and exactly the difference between masturbation and slow pleasure. But for now, let’s just say like there is that range and so when you’re checking in with yourself how am I feeling perhaps you’re feeling like I currently feel and not so great and pretty tired and so you know to make adjustments to just really keep things nice and easy, very nourishing, really using that

pleasure and that sexual energy for nourishment, healing your body, your bones, your blood, your cells, and just really using those feel good hormones, really using your energy to support yourself. Now on another end of the spectrum or somewhere along it, perhaps you’re feeling really good and just like feeling great about life and you’re feeling inspired and have all of these different things on the go. And so,

Perhaps when you tap into yourself in that slow pleasure practice, it’s like, you know what? Let’s do some sex magic. Let’s use this energy. Let’s go big. Let’s do all the things and create this awesome magical opponent manifestation process out of it, which is so much fun. One of my favorite things to do, but you can see how we’re not always going to be in the space to really want.

either one of these things. And so it takes having that relationship with our body to be able to tune in and know what is the most supportive for ourselves.

And then as I said, through having a pleasure practice, whether that is just running your fingers through your hair or over your body or going to the more fuller sexual exploration side and having those orgasms and things like that.

we are releasing a bunch of feel -good hormones throughout our body throughout this process. So that’s things like dopamine, serotonin, vasopressin, oxytocin. And I go into more detail in all of that on, I think, the last podcast episode. So I will try and share that in the notes as well. But essentially, these are all playing a role in restoring our body. They help us sleep, they help us feel good, they help build our confidence.

They balance our body in the state of homeostasis and really balancing our nervous system between that sympathetic and parasympathetic state.

And so with all of this whistle pleasure, we are truly preventing these exhaustion cycles by one building the super strong relationship with our body and two really nourishing our body from the inside out.

And that way, as life goes on, we know when to say no to more things. We can hear those signals. We know when to take breaks and allow ourselves the space for those breaks. We know when to slow down and how to slow down. And we hear our body settle cues and tap into them right away.

And when you do inevitably push it a little too hard, ignoring your signals a little more than you should, you notice it so much sooner. That’s the place I’m in right now. Like I have this thing going on just as I’m speaking, I can feel it building in my nose. But this undercurrent of sickness, this bit of soreness in my back, and a lot of this has to do with the fact that I…

pushed through, through my luteal and my menstrual phase, which are generally times to slow down, I had deadlines that I needed to get done. And as I was staying focused on those and really showing up consistently in my business, I also overrode those cues and let some of my self -care things slide. I maintained that foundation of food and nutrition.

which like I said, super important, but those extra things like my usual pleasure practices, I began to let slide a little bit. And so I wasn’t as nourished as I should be. And then my kids got sick. I was majorly lacking sleep for about a week of two to four wakeups a night between my two kids. And so still, and so I was feeling quite tired, like compounding these different things on top of each other.

and that is my body telling me those different signs of like slowing down, prioritizing those pleasure practices. But I overrode those signs by drinking more coffee. It’s such a love -hate relationship I find in some ways because I truly like love the taste of coffee. Like we have our French press, we put cinnamon in it, it’s so good.

At the same time, I know having like three or more cups a day is not supportive for myself. It’s overriding my ability to sense my tiredness. So perhaps I need to buy some decaf to help out so I can still enjoy that tasty coffee. But anyway, I was doing this, drinking the coffee, overriding my ability to really notice what’s going on, not resting, not doing my pleasure practices.

not slowing down the way I usually would. And now I’m in my ovulatory phase, which should be my most energized, productive, feel good time and I’m run down. I got those undercurrents of sickness and I’m tired, but thankfully I have been able to catch myself at this point. Like I said, if I was in the place I was a few years ago, I would still be going right now, but I am

able to tap in to really hear those cues, like I heard them for the last few weeks and I consciously chose to ignore them, sometimes more consciously than other times. But now I know my body’s speaking louder by showing these symptoms that it is and so I know to listen to them now.

instead of continuing to override them and getting caught in those burnout cycles, that constant state of exhaustion.

So I’m able to hear these cues and know that, okay, I’m taking time for rest. Today is a rest day besides staying committed and doing this podcast episode because I do think it is a fine balance. Like we do live in a society, we do. We do just need to get things done sometimes. And there is ways to make sure we’re caring for ourselves in the process, adding in those extra time for rest, earlier bedtime.

moving appointments off her plate. And so that’s what I’m in the middle of doing as I’m listening to myself and prioritizing incorporating that two to three times a week pleasure practice that I know makes me feel so good. I absolutely love it. And whenever I fade down to just once a week or even less, something like this tends to happen because it truly is nourishing from the inside out.

And

And so when we’re connected with our body, we’re able to avoid these burnout cycles that are the norm in our society. Instead of through, ignoring, being in a constant state of exhaustion, or just repeating the cycles a few times a year with some good energized times in between, we’re able to hear our cues in a deep way. We’re able to respect.

what our body is telling us and make adjustments accordingly. And in doing so, we’re able to maintain our homeostasis, to remain that vibrant, energetic mom, that passionate partner who’s turned on by life and who has creative flow in her business and other pursuits. Because like, if I think about my current situation, even though I’m not feeling my best, like I am still able to show up in a lot of these ways. Like I’m here with this creative flow.

planning out this podcast episode and being able to spread this message to you, while also like understanding what’s going on and taking time for rest so we can continue this as like that low baseline rather than that super exhausted baseline. And so slow pleasure is the most transformative path in being able to do this, in my opinion.

It is so many things for you at one time and especially when you’re supported with a coach and really working towards your core desires, you’re able to quantum leap your progress and embodying the woman you know you’re meant to be. The woman that manages her energy levels while still showing up consistently for her core responsibilities. The woman who listens to her boundaries while still showing up as a present mom.

the woman who communicates where she’s at and leans into her feminine energies. That way she can receive the support from her partner and her village that they want to provide her. Because these people in our life generally want to support us and we can be so stuck in this go, go, go masculine energy way that we block that. And we really rob them of…

the opportunity of the honor and supporting us. Just on the flip side, if we hear how our friend was having a really hard time perhaps dealing with some sort of medical issues or whatever it might be, and we don’t hear about it until after the fact, we’re like, wait, why did I not hear of this then? Like, I would have been there for you, I would have helped you. And so if we think about this, and really…

bring it back to ourselves when we are being that hyper independent, pushing through and not allowing others to support us. We’re really robbing them of that opportunity and honor to help us. And so all of this really plays together with slow pleasure of learning to really lean into our feminine energy while still dancing in the masculine energy for this harmony in our life.

So if you would like more support in any of this, I have a few options for you. My unapologetic practices are great for those who are in the stages of dabbling on their own, making baby steps in a self -led way. So that whole library is there for you. There are different meditations, breath work, and pleasure practices available for you. I’m happy to answer any questions. Just shoot me a DM or an email.

And then for those women who are listening, who know exactly what they’re wanting to get out of their lives, who know that sexual empowerment is the path to bring all the work they’ve done so far together and are ready to commit to their becoming and living life Full of passion, pleasure, and purpose, we would love to support you through a one -on -one coaching container.

and I have some extra spoiling to do for those that are ready to sign on as it is my birthday month and I’ve spoken about in previous episodes. Those that sign on in March are able to get some really nice lingerie and some other things to really tintulate the senses and support you in doing this work. So again, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram or an email or book a complimentary catalyst call with me.

So that’s it for now. I hope that that was supportive and helpful for you. I

just know how the power of self pleasure is truly so transformational in preventing burnout and exhaustion cycles. So I hope through listening to this episode, your brain is kind of piecing different things together how this truly works and how slow pleasure is so much more than pleasuring yourself is.

really building that relationship with your body and creating those ripple effects throughout your life so you can show up as you truly want to in your life,

how you know you’re meant to show up in your life.