February 2026

CBR Community

As winter deepens and we move further into the year, we find ourselves returning to questions that live in the dailyness of this work: How do we sustain ourselves when the demands feel unrelenting? What keeps us tethered to purpose when exhaustion sets in? And perhaps most importantly, what becomes possible when we create space to tend to these questions together?

There’s something quietly radical about pausing to ask what we actually need, about building community around the truth that caring for others requires caring for ourselves, and about insisting that our wellbeing matters not as an afterthought but as a foundation. This newsletter holds some of what we’ve been discovering together and some invitations to keep exploring.

February offers another Resilience Circle on February 17, updates on our new Community Council, and new research that challenges how we think about burnout. We’re also asking for your reflections on how these practices show up in your life, as your voice shapes what we build together.

RESEARCH & PERSPECTIVE

Reflections and Insights from the Field

The research on burnout continues to deepen, moving beyond simple metrics of exhaustion to examine the structural and relational dimensions of how we work. In this section, we’ll periodically share findings that illuminate the conditions that sustain or deplete us—particularly in healthcare, where the stakes are high and the toll can be profound. This month, two studies offer insight into often-overlooked aspects of burnout: the invisible labor that follows us home, and the loss of meaning that makes even manageable work feel unbearable.

A 2024 study examined a novel metric for measuring clinician workload: cumulated time to chart closure, or the average time from when a patient encounter begins to when documentation is finally completed. Among 305 physicians, this measure proved more predictive of burnout than traditional metrics like total EHR time or after-hours work. What makes this striking is what it reveals about the invisible labor of healthcare—the administrative tasks that extend far beyond the encounter itself, accumulating as background radiation of obligation. Charts closed days or weeks after seeing a patient create persistent low-grade stress that never fully resolves. Forty-two percent of physicians experienced burnout, with longer chart closure times showing significantly higher risk.

Reflection: How does the work “around the work” influence our wellbeing at work?

A 2023 study of nearly 19,000 academic physicians found that one in three reported intention to leave their institution within two years. Burnout was strongly associated with this intention, but equally significant was the inverse relationship with professional fulfillment—the sense that one’s work holds meaning and purpose. Physicians don’t leave simply because they’re exhausted; they leave when exhaustion is compounded by loss of connection to why the work matters. Organizational factors like supportive leadership, peer connection, and values alignment all emerged as protective, suggesting that retention depends less on individual resilience and more on creating conditions where purpose can be sustained.

Reflection: How does life meaning and purpose play a role in determining how we stay or leave a job?

EVENTS RECAP

Virtual Resilience Retreat for Healthcare Workers & Caregivers

On January 29, 2026 many of us came together for the resilience retreat, as noted in a letter of appreciation to participants below:

“Your presence and intention during this three-hour virtual gathering contributed to something meaningful. Together, we explored the ABCs of Resilience framework: Awareness of our stress patterns and their impacts, Balance between caring deeply and caring sustainably, and Connection to ourselves and the people we serve. Through guided contemplative practices,reflective exercises, and small group discussions, you were part of a co-creative process that held space for the real experiences of helping professionals.

The candle lighting ceremony, mindful movement, loving-kindness meditation, reflections on language and expression, and closing sound bath with singing bowls drew their power from the community that held them. You showed up. You shared your story. You listened to others. That act of showing up, of being in community with other caregivers and healthcare workers, is itself part of the liberation we seek. The permission to slow down, to rest, to support one another, and to be each other’s light”

Many people made this event possible, including CBR faculty, participants, and a range of partners. We especially want to recognize DNPs of Color for their partnership and advocacy. Their work raising awareness for the program and supporting the collective wellbeing of nurses across the country has been invaluable.

If you attended, we would love to hear your feedback.

January’s Resilience Circle

During last month’s Resilience Circle, CBR Faculty member, Carolina Lasso guided us through a collective intention setting, welcoming in the new year. She used the rose as a metaphor for our lives.

As she reflected on the Resilience Circle, she says, “When we slow down and open our hearts, we remember that even roses have thorns. They don’t lessen their beauty–they are part of it. Just like the ups and downs that shape our lives.”

Community Resilience Event

This past November, we hosted a day-long gathering at the Garrison Institute that brought together people from healthcare, climate justice, education, and community organizing to explore resilience through contemplative practice, systems thinking, and connection with nature. The event, designed collaboratively by CBR and Pathways to Planetary Health, included concurrent workshops on healthcare workforce resilience and regional climate resilience, creating space for deep reflection on rest and renewal, kind communication, and embodied action. We’ve captured what we learned and the wisdom that emerged in a brief report that serves as both a memory of our time together and a resource for those who couldn’t join us.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monthly Resilience Circle
February 17 | 12:00-1:00pm ET | Virtual

Our drop-in Resilience Circles provide a restorative midday pause for helping professionals. Each session offers guided meditation, mindful movement, and reflective discussion about stress, burnout, and emotional sustainability. Join when you can; there’s no requirement for ongoing participation. This month’s resilience circle features certified CBR Faculty, Isabel Sáez.

CBR Community Council

We’re forming a CBR Community Council made up of program participants who will help shape future offerings and provide guidance on how we can better serve this community. If you’ve participated in any CBR retreat, training, or Resilience Circle and want to deepen your involvement, we welcome your application. Council members will meet quarterly to reflect on programming, share what’s working in their own practice and organizations, and help us stay responsive to community needs.

Community Reflection

Part of the value of this newsletter is building community and learning from one another’s experiences. At the Garrison Institute and within CBR, we often reflect on the impact we hope to have and how we can best support participants. What matters most is hearing directly from you.

Reflection: When you think about your experiences with CBR, whether a retreat, resilience circle, or workshop, what impact do these practices have on your day-to-day life? Are there things you feel more or less equipped to navigate?

Let us know your thoughts. We’ll share highlights from what the community tells us in March’s newsletter.

TEAM DAYLONG PROGRAMS

Team Daylong Retreat & Renewal
February – April Select Dates | In-Person Retreat

If you lead a care team, healthcare organization, or human service group, we can design a customized daylong retreat for you. Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and CBR practices, your team will build capacity to care for others and themselves while finding meaningful connection with each other. The day includes program planning and facilitation, use of our sanctuary hall and breakout spaces, locally sourced meals, and access to our trails and natural sacred spaces. Select dates are available February through April. To learn more, email CBR Director Carlos Rodarte at cbrproject@garrisoninstitute.org.

JOIN US

An Invitation

Thank you for being part of this community and for the ways you show up for one another and yourselves. The questions we hold, the practices we share, and the collective wisdom we’re building are all part of the more sustainable, connected world we’re working toward. As always, we’re listening and grateful you’re here.

With gratitude,
Carlos Rodarte
Director, Contemplative-Based Resilience
carlos@garrisoninstitute.org