Burnout? I can’t even…

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You feel tired all the time or wish you could take all of the naps.

You feel unmotivated and uninspired by your work. Does it even matter anymore?

You remember a time when certain things excited you. You were a person who did things. But now it’s hard to find the energy to leave the house or the couch or the bed.

It’s hard to meet up with friends and stay connected outside of the daily meme swap or social media post.

An escape, a vacation, being anywhere but here is something you wish for and fantasize about.

This you?

Listen, I’ve been there. Burnout and I used to be intimate friends. For about three years, I had committed to doing all of the things thinking it would lead to some sort of advancement or golden opportunity. It nearly killed me.

I withdrew from friends, my sleep was terrible, and taking breaks always felt like falling behind. I was depressed, lonely, and exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually. The work I did was steeped in helping people get through and heal from highly traumatic experiences. Taking care of myself, doing less, setting boundaries… all of these things felt “selfish” and filled me with shame. Shame that I “couldn’t hack it”; that I was “too weak” or “too privileged” since my problems paled in comparison to my clients and my community.

What I wasn’t considering was that I too had experienced trauma in my personal life that I hadn’t fully processed or healed from. I was steeped in witnessing atrocities and systemic oppression. This often left me feeling disempowered, like applying bandaids to bullet wounds. Perhaps most importantly, I hadn’t acknowledged that operating from a place of disempowerment and nervous system overwhelm made it extremely difficult to serve my clients and community effectively and strategically.

I made what felt like a radical decision to move closer to family, away from my ideal career opportunities. I needed an environment that would allow me to restore some balance and connect with people I love. What followed was several years of healing, restoration, and reconnection. All of which allowed me to reclaim my sense of self, my sense of purpose, and my sense of meaning. It’s been a very empowering process. Challenging, but empowering.

If you can relate, first of all, hang in there. You got this. You are resilient as fuck. You also deserve rest and care. If you want more information about how I recovered from burnout and reclaimed my inspiration - or if you know you want some help - feel free to schedule a call with me.