The thing I think most people miss about burn out recovery -until they are forced to figure it out for themselves- is that there is no returning to before. The burn out is there to teach you to build a NEW life for yourself. One that is more supportive of who you truly are.
That is not meant to say it is a life that is less than before, but it might still feel like that for a while. Because you may have less capacity to deal with the hard things in life for a long while. And because you may have less energy to do the things you really enjoy
The recovery period- if you are willing to see this as a transformation process- can teach you to really prioritize what matters to you, what energizes you and what you are willing to suffer for.
That process may surface some hard-to-swallow truths. For you and those around you.
That process may surface some hard-to-swallow truths. For you and those around you.
It's no fun, and it's hard. But if you are willing to do the work, hopefully it leads to slowly building a life that is more suited to YOU than ever. Within the limitsthat are still possible in the NOW and in this society. Accepting that may be the hardest work yet.
It comes with a lot of grieving, actively working to build pictures of a new future and finding new visions and ideals to pursue and breaking down, processing and shedding the old ones.
Most people want to get back to health and work and "normal" as fast as possible. And your surrounding can push that narrative very hard. But the people around me that are doing well some years after a burn-out dared to go against that grain to do the deep work.
And even though I did not have a full burnout relapse, I am now facing some of the things that I left unprocessed and I have to work to dig up and reroot all over again. Because I was getting stuck again
So don't be afraid to take your time and do the work. I know this can come off as a very privileged position to take. But in any situation, using your creative brain, there are small pieces of room you can create for yourself, even if you HAVE to get back to work.
There are free resources available and support. Just make the most of what you do have available. And reach out to the people who are working through the same stuff. Peer support has show to be nearly invaluable in itsshown benefits
Since this is gaining a little traction: check out my profile & link in bio for my coaching services and free offers. And for anyone who questions my ability to coach others while openly wrestling with this, on twitter I'll quote @TadHargrave in his newsletter today (next tweet)
"Being wounded doesnโt mean you canโt heal others. It just means you know how important the medicine is." @TadHargrave
And on...
"Itโs good to distinguish, in all of this healing work, the difference between healing and a cure.
A cure means the problem is gone.
Healing means that some measure of wholeness has been restored.
And, often, we donโt find a cure, but we do find healing." @TadHargrave
"Itโs good to distinguish, in all of this healing work, the difference between healing and a cure.
A cure means the problem is gone.
Healing means that some measure of wholeness has been restored.
And, often, we donโt find a cure, but we do find healing." @TadHargrave
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