What Burnout Recovery Actually Looks Like (Spoiler: It’s Boring, But It Works)
Here’s a hard truth no one tells you when you're spiralling into burnout: recovery is deeply unsexy.
There are no confetti cannons. No dramatic breakthroughs. No euphoric walk into the sunset where everything finally makes sense.
Mostly, it’s boiled eggs. Saying no to things that technically sound fun. Crying in the bath and then cleaning the bath because your brain couldn’t handle the chaos. It’s unlearning the belief that your worth is tied to your output. It’s small, boring choices that add up slowly.
And that’s what makes it hard.
Because most of us want the instant relief. We want to feel like ourselves now. But burnout doesn’t exit dramatically. It fades, in the same way it arrived: slowly and quietly.
Step One: Accept That You’re In It
You can’t recover from something you’re still denying. (If you need help with that part, read my post on the first step of recovery.)
Naming your burnout isn’t a weakness. It’s your way out.
Step Two: Lower the Bar (Yes, Really)
One of the hardest things to do when you’re burnt out is less. You’re used to functioning at 110%. You pride yourself on doing it all.
But recovery means shrinking your to-do list until it fits inside your current capacity - not your ideal, not your pre-burnout self, not what people expect from you.
Right now, your job is to stabilise. You can thrive later. For now: get boring. Get consistent. Get gentle.
Step Three: Eat, Sleep, Repeat
Before you even touch a mindfulness app or book a retreat, ask yourself:
Am I eating enough?
Am I sleeping consistently?
Am I drinking water?
If you can’t answer yes to those, start there. (And no, coffee doesn’t count as breakfast.)
Burnout strips you down to survival mode. You have to build the foundations before you can rebuild your identity.
Step Four: Get Comfortable With Saying No
You might feel guilty. You might feel selfish. You might feel like everyone’s going to be disappointed.
Do it anyway.
‘No’ is a complete sentence. And when you’re healing, it might just be your most important tool.
Say no to overcommitting. Say no to your own perfectionism. Say no to anyone who makes your nervous system twitch.
Step Five: Cut the Input
Burnout recovery is not the time to flood yourself with new information, 75 podcasts and a stack of self-help books so tall it could double as a coffee table.
Your brain is tired. Your nervous system is tired. Your emotions are tired. Limit the noise. Reduce decision fatigue. Re-read things that comfort you. Let stillness be enough.
Step Six: Track the Tiny Wins
Recovery doesn’t come with a progress bar.
So celebrate the small things:
You ate a proper breakfast.
You said no without apologising.
You felt joy for five whole minutes while watching a dog on TikTok.
These things count. They’re how we come back to ourselves.
Final Thoughts
Burnout recovery isn’t a glow-up. It’s a quiet return.
It’s not always inspiring. It’s not always photogenic. It’s often just doing the boring basics on repeat until your body and mind trust you again.
If you’re in the thick of it: keep going. Even if your “progress” is just one less meltdown a week. Even if your great victory today was getting dressed.
This is the work.
You don’t need to be better yet.
You just need to keep choosing the boring, healing things.
They’re working - even when you can’t see it yet.
