Hi everyone—
Does this sound like you, or anyone you know?
Work used to light you up on the inside. It was fun and challenging. You were excited about using your gifts to help people—to make a real difference!
But somewhere along the way, that changed.
These days, you’re feeling exhausted, wrung out, burned out. It’s especially disturbing to realize that, some days, you can’t seem to care any more about the people you’re there to serve. Where your heart used to overflow with tenderness and compassion, now you feel numb.
You’re still pretty good at going through the motions. But inside, the spark is gone. And that’s scary. You know it’s not good for you, or the people you serve.
Maybe you dream about quitting. But you need the money. You feel trapped.
And then there’s the shame. Other people seem to be able to handle it just fine—why can’t you? You worry that maybe it’s your fault, like the problem here is you.
But you are not the problem.
The burnout scenario I just described? I’ve lived it. I get how awful it can feel.
And I know there is hope.
When I was burned out, the first step to real recovery was realizing that I was not the problem.
I mean, there was definitely a mismatch between me and the situation I was in. But that didn’t mean I was a bad person, or a failure, or weak, or any of those other judgmental labels that would creep into my brain on particularly rough days.
It just meant that the situation I was in wasn’t a good fit for me any more. There was a lack of alignment between who I was and the work I was doing.
And, I realized, I’d been trying to fix it with behaviors and strategies that were out of alignment with my own needs and values. Like just trying to power through. Or trying to placate other people by giving them everything they wanted, no matter how much it cost me.
A misalignment between me, the situation, and the strategies I was using to try to fix it: that was the problem, not some inherent defect in myself. No shame required.
And that is the kind of problem that can be solved in all sorts of interesting ways!
Getting un-stuck & reconnecting to your soul
When you’re mired in burnout right now, or in any other situation that’s making you feel really stuck, here’s what I’ve found can really help:
- Get clear right away on what is hurting the most, so you can quickly create strategies to get some immediate relief.
- Then, take time to reconnect to who you are on a deep level, so you can understand and embrace…
- Your needs—what your soul craves and needs to be at peace.
- Your values—the things you care about most in this world.
- Your purpose—the unique soul-deep reason you are here in this world.
- From that firm foundation, develop a new vision that inspires you with passion, joy, and purpose. And then, start taking action to make that vision real.
When you get clear on who you are—what you really need, value, and embody—it’s amazingly easy to sort out what needs changing in your outer life, so that you can show up in your own life as fully yourself, alive and powerful and brilliant in exactly your own way.
If that sounds good to you—even if you can’t quite believe you could get there—I’d love to connect with you and explore the possibilities. Reach out any time and let’s talk!