How I learned to rebound from burnout

7/10/2022

Everything about this past April felt stormy and difficult.

Sure, my life was good compared to many, but something wasn’t right. Finally swallowing my pride, I admitted I was burned out and decided to do something about it.

Read on to see how I learned to rebound from burn out.

How I learned to rebound from burnout ~ catmichaelswriter.com

Storm clouds over the hood

Stuff happens

On top of a pandemic and the world’s general craziness, there was a lot going on for me this spring.

Writing-wise …

My beachy rom com in progress stalled after its first 20K words
Creative ideas were drying up, and nothing I wrote felt good
The newly installed WIFI network to fix connectivity problems in my home office was plagued with issues requiring hours of brain-numbing calls to tech support

Personally …

Missed my Connecticut family I hadn't seen in five years (beyond tired of you, Covid!)
Couldn’t drop the 15 pounds gained during lockdown, which caused my health score numbers to tumble
Developed gallstones and a bladder infection
Attacked by fire ants hiding in a flowerpot in my garden
Needed a dental crown (painful physically and fiscally)

Rebounding from Burn Out

With Hub’s encouragement, I signed off from authoring and socials to re-energize.

At first, I felt guilty.

How could I leave the work I labored for nine years to establish? But I had been running on empty too long. Stepping away was the best thing I could’ve done.

I didn't accomplish anything earth-shattering with my two months away, Instead, I filled my soul with little moments that added up to happy ...

Tackled a two-week, 1.2K-mile drive to Connecticut and Pennsylvania for joyous family reunions
Hosted my 91-yo aunt in a 100-yo renovated barn we rented for a week on a wooded Connecticut acre
Met in person for the first time four great-nieces and -nephews born during quarantine
Celebrated Mother’s Day with Hub’s sweet mama, who lives 400 miles away, for the first time in a decade
Took photography workshops
Designed a pergola for our back yard
Marked our 28th wedding anniversary
Added early-morning walks and lap swims to my online workout routine
Prepped our North Carolina screened porch and garden for summer (cue the fire ants)
Made lots of trips to Target!

See more of how I learned to rebound from burn out
by connecting with people, creativity and nature
in my 60-second video diary below.

Back to it

After 8 weeks, I'm slowly returning to writing refreshed and enthusiastic. I'm moving at a steady pace. No more toiling 7 days a week, posting all over socials.

Cat is back -:D

I even dropped 6 of those
miserable pandemic pounds
and cannot wait to lose 6 more!

Life feels lighter.

Easier.

And I aim to keep it that way
by remembering
how to care for myself
and avoid burn out.

Your Turn

Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted is the pits. What tips can you offer to avoid burn out? I’d love to hear your ideas (I may need them some day!). Please share in the comments below.

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8 Comments

Maria

7/11/2022 09:06:57 am

Good for you! It definitely is a good thing to do for the mind. I’m trying taking mini breaks from it all . Glad you got to do so much especially visiting family.

Cat Michaels

7/11/2022 02:00:17 pm

Maria, I quite like your idea of taking mini breaks. I need to do that to keep going strong. And yes, family time was THE best-:D

Kim link

7/11/2022 09:28:45 am

We recently took a beach vacation. First one in years. I'm such a homebody, but just being away from the dishes and the laundry for a few days was a huge reset for me. Glad you're back on track!!

7/11/2022 02:02:05 pm

There’s nothing like resetting at the beach! I ‘m glad you could get away and reset, too.

Sara link

7/11/2022 09:30:29 am

So glad you're feeling refreshed after your hiatus Cat! I'm pretty burned out right now too and have not posted since the beginning of the month. But that's because there's too much going on with getting two estates on the market - it will be a while until I can truly relax and get away from it all. Can't wait to take 8 weeks too!

7/11/2022 02:05:44 pm

Whoa, Sara! Getting two estates ready for market is huge and stressful. You’re wise to step away from blogging until life settles. I appreciate you stopping by to let me know and wish you all the best with those home sales and finding your away time.

Michelle Leslie link

7/12/2022 05:02:21 am

I missed you, Cat. Welcome back <3 We all need a timeout to find ourselves again and good on your hubby for recognizing the signs. I had a burnout a few years ago and had to juggle a whole bunch of stuff but working in the garden doing nothing and everything filled my soul jug again. Now I have a fixed date with our garden everyday just to breath.

7/13/2022 08:42:43 am

I appreciate your kind words more than you know, Michelle! I was sad to hear you had a burnout, but what a joy you found a way to fill your soul in the garden. There is something special about being outside and working in the soil to create something beautiful.

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