Recovery and Healing from Work Burnout

I woke up yesterday morning, almost 6 months after choosing to leave my last job, and recognized that I am healing and beginning to move forward. My biggest take away is that recovery takes time and patience. A LOT OF TIME AND PATIENCE.

When I made the decision to resign at the end last summer my physical and mental health was suffering. It felt like I was frozen in a block of ice. Simple tasks were not getting accomplished. I dreaded the days of back to back online meetings that left me drained and without enough time to get actual work done. I procrastinted making appointments for both me and my kids. I dreaded thinking about making dinner and I wasn’t getting simple home “fix-it” tasks accomplished. I was on medications for high blood pressure, depression, insomnia, and stomach problems. Making the decision to give up my position and my salary without a new job lined up was incredibly scary, but necessary for me to find myself again.

What I ddn’t expect was the time it would take me to recover. I thought after a few weeks I’d feel like myself again and be ready to begin my next big adventure. Instead, I still didn’t want to get up in the mornings. I would go out for a run and decide to walk halfway through. I still didn’t want to plan and cook dinners. And I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. What I didn’t realize until now, is that I was slowly healing. It was just happening on it’s own schedule. It was small things as first. My stomach problems eased. I was starting to enjoy exercising again. I got my Christmas decorations put up and taken down on time. I fixed the railing on my staircase, my daughter’s shower, and a few drywall repairs. I could plan and follow through with my to-do list.

As I reflect, it feels like the ice block I was trapped in has slowly melted and is now just a thin shell that surrounds me. A shell that I’m ready to shake off and being my next adventure. I’m hoping my experience will inspire you as readers to give yourself grace, make the choices that are right for you, even if they are difficult, and give yourself permission to heal.