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Writer's pictureMarie de Champchesnel

These 5 tips helped me bounce back from my burn-out

Updated: Jul 21, 2023

After my burn-out, for many years I often felt like Alice in Alice in Wonderland. In the Hall of Doors, mysterious potions and cakes gave Alice the ability to both grow and shrink – but she always missed becoming the size she naturally was.


Like Alice, I felt similarly out of place: I didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. I already knew I was stuck and that something needed to change. But change was frightening. It felt uncomfortable. And it felt ‘unsafe’.


The American writer E.E Cummings once noted: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” I couldn’t agree more. It takes courage to step out of the ‘reality’ we create for ourselves – even if this reality makes us miserable. Stepping into the unknown, facing our own demons can seem daunting and beyond our ability.

At the time it never occurred that I might try and design the lifestyle and career I wanted. At the time my only goal was to try and escape from the swamp that was my ‘reality’.

And escaping this reality meant looking at my environment and behaviours to try and create an existence that was more sustainable.


Here are 5 lessons that I learned:


1- Manage your energy not your time

I was always exhausted and had very little energy. I felt like I was chasing time, never having enough to do the little I was trying to achieve. It felt like moving mountains. I came to realise that if you want to manage your time then you have to manage your energy first. You wouldn’t think of driving without filling up the tank. We’re the same: we need fuel, sleep, exercise and food – and all in good measures.


2- De-clutter your life

Energy doesn’t come only from food and sleep, it also comes from people and that’s why being aware of your environment is key. Have you ever noticed that some people make you feel energised and alive, while others leave you feeling completely drained? I’ve heard it said that there’s a role for everyone you meet and that the people who love you will bring out the best in you. If you’re in a toxic environment don’t try to change it or the toxic person; you’ll use your energy for nothing. It’s better to leave it, to learn to say no to what doesn’t feel right or to the people who are not aligned with your values.


3- Ask for help

Don’t try to take too much on and do everything yourself. You’ll be surprised how often people get upset when you refuse their help or when they see you struggling. So don’t hesitate to make an ‘ask’ – the worst that can happen is you end up doing what you were planning to do yourself in the first place. And if you do get a ‘no’, don’t take it personally – there that can be many reasons why they can’t help.


4- Learn to say NO to say yes more

When you say yes, what are you saying no to?

I used to dread to say ‘no’ whether it was to a social event, to a friend, or at work. Each time I felt like I was letting them down until I realised that the only person I was letting down was myself. Saying no helps us build our boundaries –boundaries that give us the energy and space to do the things that are really important to us.


5- Time to review your habits

We are creatures of habit. As with beliefs, some habits support us in what we’re trying to achieve but others, bad habits slow us down. If you want to make real change, it’s time to review your habits. And as Gretchen Rubin explains in her bestseller Better than before, to change a habit we must know ourselves first. Change the habits to suit yourself not yourself to suit the habit.

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