How do I keep going when I’m burnt out?

There’s nothing wrong with being burnt out.

I know that may sound silly, but hear me out.

Burnout doesn’t mean you did something wrong, like if you’d only planned better, worked smarter, or optimized harder, you wouldn’t be here. It doesn’t mean you’re broken, lazy, or not cut out for this work.

It usually means the opposite. That you’ve been giving your heart to something that matters. That you’ve been holding a lot. That you’ve been stretched by things you care about.

If you look to nature, Strawberries shrivel in the summer heat. It’s not failure. It’s part of nature’s cycle.

But still, when you’re deep in it and your brain feels like mush, it’s hard not to spiral and ask: Should I quit? Did I mess this up? Why can’t I just get it together? This blog is a balm to those questions and this moment in time.

Let burnout be morally neutral

In anti-hustle, liberation-minded spaces, there’s a subtle pressure to “do rest right.”

Capitalism has a way of sneaking shame into everything. Especially when we need a break, or rest.

But what if we stopped treating exhaustion as something to fix? Started treating it as something to simply listen to and respond to with care?

You’ve been working. Holding space. Navigating the collective grief and chaos of the world. Maybe running a business, caring for others, moving through personal transitions, showing up as best you can.

You’re full.

You don’t need a mindset hack. You probably need space to come undone a little. To regroup. To tend to what’s real.

Here’s what I do when I’m feeling burned out

Burnout thrives in tension: the clenched jaw, the constant alertness, the pushing through. It’s a result of gripping too tightly to expectations, control, and survival.

Softening is the opposite of that. It’s a physiological, emotional, and energetic invitation to release. It’s essential because it interrupts the very patterns that led you there.

1. Name where you are.

Recognizing I’m burned out is often the hardest (and most transformational) step because I’m in go, go, go mode. Acknowledging the oppressive systems and the polycrisis at play is key.

I say it out loud: “I’m burnt out. I’m tired. I’m at capacity. This is not a personal failure, but a symptom of living in a world that demands too much of us all.”

Letting myself stop pretending I’m fine softens something inside me.

2. Tend to your body.

Our bodies each need different things. But for me, it usually takes putting my phone down. Making a nourishing bowl of food. Stepping outside. Drinking a big glass of water. Taking my vitamin D supplement I’ve totally forgotten about. Hugging my partner.

Find the small things that reset your nervous system and remind your body it’s safe to soften.

3. Reconsider what’s actually urgent.

A lot of the urgency you’re feeling isn’t real. It’s internalized. It’s fear. It’s pressure from invisible timelines and fake expectations.

I usually ask myself, “What can wait?” Then I open my journal and write down everything I actually have to do (which is usually not much when I get honest with myself) and everything I’m letting go of for now. Typically, it’s social media, marketing, and creating.

4. Let yourself go.

Often doing the things above gives me enough clarity and energy to feel like I’m no longer burned out. But sometimes I am still burned out and need a longer and deeper softening. When I’ve tried to come back too early, this spike of energy is just that, a temporary spike.

However, other times, I really am just tired and need some care and a deep release.

Sometimes, despite what I need, I have to keep going in some way (bills and all). Navigating capitalism and a human body with needs isn’t simple by any means.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Sometimes you really have to let everything and yourself go under. For months, or years. The timeline in the void doesn’t have a deadline.

5. Let yourself be held.

Resting shouldn’t be a luxury, but it can feel like that. As someone who feels like they’re responsible for everything, an image that always stays with me is a massive hand holding me.

When burnout becomes morally neutral, reaching out for help stops feeling like failure too. Let your friends, clients, family, and community know. Let them hold you.

You don’t need to “be better” before you reach out. You don’t need to be perfect to ask for help. You can be tired and worthy at the same time.

Don’t forget, you’re still the person for this

Even when you’re not creating or launching or holding space for others, you’re still you.

Your mission is still worthy. Your vision is still alive. You are still a coach, a healer, a space holder. Even if you’re laying down right now.

What helps me let go is remembering the spark isn’t gone. It’s just dimmed. It’ll come back. You don’t have to force it. In fact, the quicker you acknowledge it and soften, the quicker the excitement usually comes back.

This is the long game.

We’re not here to hustle ourselves into the ground (and pretend we’re not). We’re here to create something sustainable. Something alive. Something that can breathe with us.

Burnout doesn’t mean it’s over. It means you’re at a turning point.

So take your time. Get honest. Rest. And when you’re ready, if you become ready, you can come back differently. With a slower rhythm. A clearer vision. More softness. More power.

Want support while you find your way back?

This is exactly what we do inside the Holistic Time Practitioner Certification.

We don’t treat burnout like a personal failure. We treat it like a signpost. A place to reorient. A doorway into remembering and building more sustainable rhythms inside your work and your life.

If you're a coach, healer, or space holder who’s navigating burnout and still deeply committed to helping others, you’re not alone.

Learn more about the certification and join us this July.

Not a facilitator but feeling burned out? Reach out for 1:1 coaching.

A gentle note: This post is not a substitute for medical or mental health care. If you’re experiencing severe burnout, chronic exhaustion, or thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out to a licensed healthcare provider or mental health professional. You deserve real support, and you don’t have to navigate this alone.