Healing Burnout: A Starting Guide to Rediscovering Your Energy and Purpose

I am a workhorse. I pride myself on my capacity to get shit done. I am unaffected by long hours and ridiculous demands, in fact, I live for it. So when I started getting sick a lot, was exhausted all the time and was constantly complaining about my job….it wasn’t because of too much work. 

There was a growing list of weird and unexplainable medical conditions that I was accumulating but I didn’t put together that the hives, migraines, back problems and random illnesses were a direct result of the anxiety, resentment and frustration building at work due to burnout. I just knew I was miserable all the time. 

For me, burnout slowly dragged me down to depths of mental and physical exhaustion because instead of feeling like the powerhouse I was, I felt overly criticized, overly controlled and overly managed by my boss. In the end, it was the criticism and mansplaining on top of everything else that wore me down and left me crying in my car on my way to work.

When the demands of life and work induce anxiety it is those feelings that are fueling your work day but they can’t and  don’t sustain you. You lose the clarity to address your thoughts, feelings and behavior that create the symptoms of burnout like exhaustion, stress and anxiety.

While burnout is something many people in the entertainment industry experience, healing it isn’t about just taking a vacation or getting a good night’s sleep. It’s about making lasting changes that align with your true self and finding different fuel for your career. I’ve backpacked the world twice in order to run away from burnout. It doesn’t last.

In my training as an energy healer and life coach, I now believe that burnout is not just about being overwhelmed by external demands. It’s often a sign that we’ve strayed too far from what we truly want and need. Healing burnout isn’t just about recovery; it’s about transformation and that begins with discovery and clarity.

Step 1: Discovery and Clarity

The first step in healing burnout is to gain clarity about what’s really going on. Burnout isn’t just a problem that happens overnight, and it’s not something that can be healed with a quick fix. It requires awareness and honest reflection.

Start by asking yourself: What are my current challenges? What’s draining you the most right now? Be honest—this is about you, and no one else is judging your answers. Maybe it’s your demanding job, but it could also be your expectations of yourself. Perhaps it’s a combination of too many responsibilities, not enough time for yourself, or a sense of disconnection from what truly makes you feel alive.

Reflect not only on your workload but also on your physical, mental, and emotional state. Are you constantly tired or fighting off stress-related symptoms like headaches or tension? Do you feel mentally overloaded, or are you stuck in negative thought patterns? Emotionally, are you feeling detached, irritable, or just plain “blah”? This awareness is the first step toward change.

Then, consider your career and lifestyle. Are you truly aligned with what you want out of life? This might be the toughest question to answer. You may find that the root cause of your burnout isn’t just a busy schedule but a deeper misalignment between what you’re doing and what you actually desire. Clarity means not just understanding what’s wrong but getting real about what you want to change.

Step 2: Comprehensive Assessment

Once you’ve gained some clarity, it’s time to take a look at what is contributing to your burnout. Think of this as a way to check how happy and healthy you feel in different parts of your life. We can look at how you feel in your body, your feelings, your friendships, and even what makes you feel special inside.

Start with your physical state. How is your body responding to stress? Are you dealing with constant fatigue, muscle tension, sleep disturbances, or even digestive issues? Are you gaining weight quickly? The physical symptoms of burnout are often the easiest to identify because they manifest in obvious ways.

Next, consider your mental and emotional state. Are you constantly in a mental brain fog making it hard to concentrate or stay motivated? Do you feel like your brain is racing, but you’re not getting anywhere? Emotionally, are you feeling drained or numb? It’s important to recognize these signs because burnout can lead to emotional exhaustion, where you just can’t seem to connect with joy or fulfillment.

This is where you become your own scientist. Assessing your thoughts, feelings, and physical symptoms can help you paint a clearer picture of where you are. You might also explore energy healing assessments, questionnaires, or other reflective practices to evaluate your current state. Understanding your physical, mental, and emotional symptoms is key to figuring out the next steps.

Step 3: Exploring Limiting Beliefs

One often overlooked aspect of burnout is the role of limiting beliefs. These are the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck in stress, overwork, and exhaustion. Identifying these beliefs is crucial because they’re often the real drivers of burnout.

Ask yourself: What beliefs are fueling my burnout? Maybe it’s the idea that you have to be perfect to succeed, or that you need to work constantly to be valued. Perhaps you’re holding onto the fear of failure or rejection. These limiting beliefs create an internal pressure that adds to the external stress of daily life.

To start uncovering these beliefs, ask yourself reflective questions like: “Where am I resisting change?” or “What story am I telling myself about my career that’s contributing to this burnout?” By bringing these hidden beliefs to light, you can begin to question their validity and loosen their grip on you.

Step 4: Defining Goals and Desired Outcomes

When you understand the root causes of your burnout, it’s time to shift focus to the future. What do you want your life to look like? What’s your vision for how you want to feel—physically, mentally, and emotionally?

Do you want to feel more energized, less stressed, or more fulfilled? Maybe it’s finding more balance between work and personal time, or maybe it’s transitioning to a career that better matches your passions. Visualize the life you want, because you need to know what you want in order to walk that yellow brick road to recovery.

Remember, these goals are about what you want, not what society, your boss, or even your friends expect of you. This process of defining your goals is about realigning with your true self, rather than chasing external validation. Visualize yourself in this new reality—more balanced, energized, and at peace. Affirmations and visualization exercises can help you stay focused on this new vision.

Step 5: Taking Action

The final step is action—but not drastic, life-overhauling action. Don’t rage quit your job because you don’t think you can take it anymore. Healing burnout requires small, sustainable steps. Start with the basics: get enough sleep, keep hydrated, take a walk in the morning and start listening to music to help move you to a better feeling. Start doing something simple that makes you happy. It makes all the difference in the world. These daily acts of self-care may seem simple, but they can have profound effects over time.

You can also integrate energy healing techniques like meditation, Reiki, or breathwork to restore balance to your system. These practices help to release blocked energy, calm the mind, and reconnect you with you. I started carrying crystals, yoga classes and taking hikes. 

In addition, begin setting boundaries in your work and personal life. This could mean delegating tasks, saying no to commitments that don’t serve you, or carving out dedicated time for yourself. The key is consistency—make small shifts that align with your long-term goals, and over time, these changes will compound into greater well-being.

Conclusion

Burnout doesn’t have to be a permanent state. By taking the time to reflect, gain clarity, and take action, you can transform burnout from a draining experience into an opportunity for growth. Healing is a process, and it starts with self-awareness and small, intentional steps toward a life that feels aligned with your true desires.

You deserve to live with energy, purpose, and fulfillment and when you feel better, you have more patience for those overly demanding Hollywood Bosses and develop a lasting career you love.