I’ve written a lot about burnout recovery in my books and blog posts over the years because moving in and out of burnout has been an ongoing theme in my life. So here I’m sharing a list of gentle things to read from this blog and my books when you’re burned out.
And just incase you’re wondering if what you are feeling counts as burnout, I want to hightlight that burnout is what happens when you are beyond tired.
You’re exhausted, anxious, maybe even a bit depressed. When I look back on my past moments of burnout, what really stands out is how lost and pressured I felt.
I was just so overwhelmed. Everything felt like too much, and it was hard for me to see past the idea that I needed to do everything all at once. When you’re burned out, everything feels like it carries the same level of urgency. But the truth is, not everything is urgent. Writing out what my brain was telling me was urgent at the moment was so important. Doing so allowed me to physically look at my thoughts and decide what actually needed my attention for the day. I had to return to seeing the effectiveness of small steps.
Every time I faced burnout was a call to understand what exactly my mind was pressuring me to do and why. Giving myself space to write down all of those things and figure out what matters was essential to my recovery.
I’ve also found that when experiencing burnout, I become disconnected from what heals me. The things that give me rest, peace, and slowness in my life are undervalued. Or I may try to recreate those things using methods that could backfire in the long run (such as eating ice-cream everyday…). Over time, I’ve had to work hard to unlearn the idea that taking moments to rest and take care of myself is unproductive. I’m still working on that!
The things at the top of this reading list require no action from you. Just relax, read, and rethink what success, achievement, and care means to you. This list slowly goes from reflection to taking small steps to relieve the pressure.
Sometimes we already know what heals us and helps us to truly recover, but actually doing it (and trusting it!) can be a struggle. And I’ve found part of that lack of trust comes from how I see goals and success in general. So my hope is that this easy reading list will help you to undo the knots of burnout and start finding some relief.
Gentle Things to Read When You’re Feeling Burned Out
Just So I Do Not Forget What Success Is
Overthinking Your Goals? It May Be Time to Change Your Definition of Success
Being a Productive Human is Simple. Working Like a Machine is Complicated.
3 Lists that Have Improved My Wellbeing as an INFP
One Week of Gentle Productivity
Learning to Work Along With the Way I Feel
Thoughtful Planning:How to Use Questions for Self-reflection to Design Your Day
And as a bonus, there are plenty of things to not only read but also listen to in The Quiet Depths Collection, which is a collection of resources for sensitive and intuitive creative people. Essays you may find helpful include:
- On Simple Joys and Small Steps
- How as a recovering workaholic, I’m learning to work from rest
- Here’s how I manage multiple creative projects without burnout
You may also enjoy my audio note, Finding the Way to Pressure Release and Creative Aliveness.