Doing Nothing

I am going to bust this burnout!

This is what one of my clients said to me the other week. "Can we take a moment?" I said. "Isn't this what led to your burnout in the first place?

The fact that you're 'just going to push through,' 'work like crazy,' or 'give your 100%,' and now there's no more capacity to do it anymore.

"So what are we going to do instead?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said.

"We are simply doing nothing so that we can get quiet and hear ourselves. Because what you've been doing is not listening.

You have not been listening to the fact that you were tired and needed rest. The fact that you were mentally exhausted but didn't ask for help. The fact that you used all your energy at work, leaving nothing left at home.

So, it's time to hit the pause, take a step back, and prioritise your 'being' over 'doing'. Recovering from stress and burnout is not about adding yet another unsustainable to-do list.

Many times, it's simply giving ourselves permission to pause.