Learning how to recover from burnout is a process, but it’s possible to reclaim your energy and restart your life.
“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”
—Fyodor Dostoevsky
We Don’t Know How to Recover from Burnout
My client, Janice, met me at the trailhead promptly at 6 am. Even in the dawn’s first light, I could see that she had been crying.
I could feel her exhaustion, despair.
I waited in silence while she laced up her hiking boots and put the leash on her puppy’s harness. When she was all set, I gestured toward the trail, and we ducked under the rhododendron canopy together.
We hiked in silence for about a mile. When we came upon the first overlook spot, we left the trail and set out over the enormous rock outcropping. Janice chose a spot underneath a pine tree, and we sat facing the view.
A sliver of pink and orange light began to edge upward from beneath the mountain ranges and illuminate the sky. Janice took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“I’m not doing this anymore,” she said.
She reached into her pocket and retrieved a crumbling wad of tissue. She balled it up tightly in her right hand. I looked out toward the rising sun and waited. She didn’t know how to recover from burnout.
Recovering Your Energy
“My whole, entire life,” she began. “Always focused on what everyone else wants and needs. You know what I figured out this morning on my way to meet you? It’s been twenty-three years. Twenty-three! I have worked 60-hour weeks as a single mom, trying to push my business to success. I don’t think I have taken more than 5 days of vacation a year. I can’t even remember what I used to love to do as a normal person. A person with a life. My soul is so tired.”
I put my hand on Janice’s right shoulder and said, “You don’t have to live that way any longer. Today, we hit the Reset Button. Today is day one of your new life.”
I pulled a small journal and stubby pencil from my jacket pocket. I said, “Let’s start this adventure with a bang. Your job is to tell me everything that you are going to stop doing as of right now.”
“Everything?” Janice asked.
“Yep,” I said. “The whole enchilada. No censoring yourself. Your days of silencing what it is you truly desire are o-v-e-r.”
We sat on our rock perch for over an hour. The more Janice spoke, the more animated she became. As she rattled off her list of “Hell No’s,” she glowed (and not just from being bathed in sunlight). Janice got glimpses of what her new life could look like and could taste freedom. Learning how to recover from burnout is a process.
Learn How to Recover from Burnout
Are you feeling tired deep in your soul like Janice? Have you been relentlessly pushing yourself to do more for months, or years? Do you have an unsettling sense that you cannot even remember what you used to love to do?
In this week’s episode of The Courage to Live a Big Life podcast, I share my secrets on how to recover from burnout and reclaim your energy.
If you are in a season of loss, grief, transition, or financial struggle, or are stuck and overwhelmed, this episode is for you. Let’s dive into the art of saying no to energy-draining activities, debunk the myth that burnout is essential for success, and explore practices that ignite creativity and joy.
