Four Unspoken Truths About Burnout and How to Navigate Repair from It

1 We tend to overestimate our capacity 

Which means we underestimate our actual degree of burnout. The more we normalize burnout, and deny our sensing and body signals, the more we drive ourselves into deeper levels more rapidly.

2 Our instinct is to "do" something

Navigating recovery from burnout can be a tricky line. There is a difference between designing for retreat & recovery versus redesigning the patterns of your life to get healthier. When you're at the point where you can barely find the energy to talk about how tired you are, you need to do less and retreat inward—not take on more to-do's to your already full list.

3 Confronting burnout means confronting our beliefs about the rest we all need 

We have been socialized in work and life to be skeptical of our needs to rest. These limiting beliefs send us into continuous crash & burn cycles. Deeper down, avoiding our need for rest is avoiding our power (our ability to move energy through systems). Notice if you run any of the following beliefs:

• Rest is for the weak, lazy, or selfish
• Rest is something I do alone
• When I’m resting, I’m falling behind
• Rest is not something we have time for while in crisis
• If you’re not working, you’re parenting
• I’ll rest when the work is done (but the work is never done)
• Work is never-ending. If you come to the end of your to-dos, then you aren’t taking on enough 

4 Being burned out is not all on you