How I Avoid Burnout: A West Point Performance Psychologist

Don’t fret what you can’t control, squeeze in micro-breaks whenever you can, and learn to relax on cue.

Few humans know more about how to stay motivated under less-than-ideal conditions than Nate
Zinsser, author of the forthcoming The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable
Performance. He runs the performance psychology program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,
where he seeks to imbue cadets with the mental and emotional fortitude to stay positive through a
grueling four-year program and ensuing military deployments.

“They’re very ambitious and eager to learn, and in that sense they’re wonderful students,” Zinsser says.
But they’re also “alpha dogs,” he says, products of “our society’s perfectionistic, go-go-go, more-is-
better, I’ll-sleep-when-I’m-dead culture. This presents some challenges.”

You may not be a West Point plebe, but chances are you face similar cultural pressures. Here are
Zinsser’s tips for staying in the zone this winter.

Manage your fuels. Zinsser begins discussions of burnout by defining the term literally: a campfire burns
out because it runs out of fuel. Metaphorically, what fuel does your personal fire need to stay lit? “We
have to optimize the fuel-producing capability of sleep, emotional state, and ongoing thought
processes,” he says. “You have to carefully manage all three.”

Shift into joy. Negative emotions consume fuel. “Beware of slipping into fear or anger or jealousy or
envy,” he says. You can counter that by finding a positive emotional gear of appreciation or gratitude.
For cadets, Zinsser suggests channeling the feelings of giving or receiving a wonderful gift. “It’s a skill
that can be learned, though it is tricky.”

Train yourself to relax on cue. Zinsser demonstrates a 50-year-old relaxation technique in which cadets
still their bodies, focus on breathing, and repeat a simple, comforting word such as “easy,” “calm,”
“peace,” or a word with some personal religious significance. “You essentially rest your brain, with
physiological changes in blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate accumulation,” he
says. Some cadets practice this in the weight room between lifting sets.

Take micro-rest breaks. Zinsser’s students are in particular need of this skill, because their deployments
often entail long hours, challenging conditions, and unknown end dates. He teaches them to identify 2-
10 minute intervals when they can drop their rucksacks, sit down, and quickly make their way to a state
of deep relaxation. “It’s building the habit of being able to self-regulate on demand,” he says. “Doing
that a couple times a day for five minutes is very, very valuable.”

Be greedy about your energy. If you can’t control something, he says, “don’t waste physical, mental, or
emotional energy.” He advises considering things such as your boss or your work schedule “gravity
forces.” Complaining about them offers no tangible benefit but creates subtle stresses that suck your
energy. “Don’t fuss, gripe, or in any way react to those elements of your life that are uncontrollable,”
Zinsser says. “Devote the absolute minimum amount of energy to them.”

Assert your needs. The idea isn’t to ignore your true feelings and self, but rather to get what’s required
for you to achieve your best results. “Do the things you need to give yourself success and energy in a
suboptimal environment,” he says. If that’s an early bedtime, take it; if it’s an hour to prepare for a
presentation, do it; if it’s a massage, get one. “We are teaching students,” he says, “to say no to a lot of
things.”