As I've already written here, I hit extreme burnout midway through last year. Then I wrote a post called From Burnout to Boundaries where I thought out loud about how I was gonna deal with the burnout. I planned to follow through with my commitments, not make any more, and rest as much as possible for the rest of the year.
And that's what I did.
And now the year of 2024 is done.
And, to be quite honest, I don't feel totally ready for a new year.
And now the year of 2024 is done.
And, to be quite honest, I don't feel totally ready for a new year.
Oh well.
As sad and depleted as I was, I still really liked the resting phase of my burnout recovery. It's easy for me to rest. I can be productive, but I'm also really good at being lazy. I can watch tv, read, or sew by hand in the comfort of my recliner for hours. With a cozy quilt on me of course. And now that we have my boyfriend's son's cat temporarily, with a cat on my lap too. It's heaven.
But just like we can't work all of the time, we can't rest all of the time either. Life requires both. So I'm looking out at a brand new year and thinking... What do I want to do without doing too much?
For the first time in my life, I am not working toward something. I am not trying to graduate, get a job, find a husband, or have kids. I am not trying to recover from grief, study for a new career, move out of state, get divorced, or find stable housing. I am not even enduring a pandemic anymore, just living in a post-pandemic world.
I can maintain.
That's all I have to do.
Take care of myself. Take care of my home. Take care of my relationships.
So the next phase of my recovery from extreme burnout is to establish new routines for myself.
I am keeping this very loose. There are no hard and fast rules or parameters. I know what I want to do this year (pay my bills, exercise regularly, and sew) and I know how I want to feel (calm, nourished, and content), so that's what I'm going to remind myself as I add in little things to my days. I'm already making it a habit to eat breakfast in the mornings instead of waiting until lunch. That helps me feel better overall. I've practiced very light yoga at home for 15 minutes a couple of times this year. That always helps me feel better too. I guess it's good to be a hedonist, haha. I'm motivated by feeling good so I feel confident I'll create some new routines for myself this year.
I don't know if my recovery process is helpful to you or not. Just sharing in case it is.
I've recovered from so much. The loss of my children, my marriage, and how I thought life was going to go. It was overwhelming, and the recovery continues. Now I'm recovering from burnout.
Phoenix's Formula (so far) for Recovering from Burnout:
1. Recognize burnout.2. Stop adding anything new.3. Rest when you can for as long as you can.4. Establish new routines slowly.5. To be figured out...
And always, always, always, make time to do the things that you enjoy.
This is my boyfriend's son's cat. He is a total goofball.
He has a big personality and I am loving every minute that he is at our home.
