Honouring the Body After Burnout

Let’s be honest, it has been a big year for a lot of us and even though its not over yet, a lot of as are burning out before we reach the threshold.. these touchpoints are for those who are overwhelmed or healing from burnout, featuring rituals of reconnection, soft nutrition and restorative reminders.

For the ones feeling stretched thin.

For the ones slowly coming back to themselves.

This is a soft landing…

These practices are here to meet you exactly where you are. Tools for your body, your breath, and your nervous system. No pressure and no fixing, only a softening and remembering.

Nervous system first

Safety before strategy.

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much. Sometimes it’s your body saying, I don’t feel safe here.

In these moments, it is important to self-soothe.

Try these:

• Instead of doom scrolling before bed, read a book that soothes or motivates you

• give yourself a facial gua sha face massage, can use your fingers/hands if you don’t have a tool.

• Take yourself on a spa date or a beach walk

• Prioritise unstructured time alone

• Go for an abundance walk and let beauty find you

Let your body settle. Let presence return gently.

Anchor moments

Small rituals with big impact.

You don’t need a complete routine. Sometimes the moment you pause is the moment everything shifts.

Choose one:

• Place your bare feet on the ground

• Light incense before opening your laptop

• Take three conscious breaths between tasks

• Sip tea slowly, eyes closed

• Silence your phone and step outside for ten minutes

Create pockets of stillness in your day. You don’t need to earn them.

Rest isn’t lazy

It’s essential.

We live in a culture that glorifies exhaustion and you don’t have to subscribe to that.

Let yourself sleep in. Let yourself log off. Let yourself cancel plans without guilt.

If you need permission, write it out and stick it where you can see it.

Reconnect through the senses

When you’re burned out, you stop feeling.

To come back and feel more, start slow. Let your senses guide you.

Something like this:

• Sip herbal tea and listen to the sounds around you

• Inhale the scent of something that makes you feel grounded / reminds you of home

• Put on calming music and let it wash over your body

This is what it means to return. One sensation at a time.

 

A recovery timeline that makes sense

This isn’t linear, your version may look like this:

Phase 1

Cocoon. Deep rest. Stillness. Letting yourself feel. Letting yourself grieve.

Phase 2

Sensory reawakening. Touch. Taste. Nature. Pleasure.

Phase 3

Micro movement. Breath-led. Gentle. No pressure to perform.

Phase 4

Integration. Boundaries. Nourishment. Healthy work rhythms. Clearer tech habits. Spaciousness.

Lean into the timeline that feels most nourishing to you.

 

Movement as love

Not a chore.

You don’t need to move to fix anything. Move because you care for yourself.

Try:

• Self massage with warm oil

• Rolling slowly on the floor

• Yin yoga with support

• Walking just to breathe and notice

• Dancing to shake out what you’re holding

Let it feel like something you get to do. Not something you have to.

Food as fuel for repair

You deserve to feel nourished.

Choose meals and snacks that feel grounding. Let them be simple.

Good fats are especially important when you’re supporting your nervous system. Your brain is made of nearly sixty percent fat, and healthy fats help repair and regulate the nervous system’s messaging pathways.

Try:

• Avocado with lemon and olive oil

• Nut butters with warm oats

• Chia pudding with seeds and cinnamon

• Tahini drizzled over roast veggies

• Walnuts or almonds or your nut of choice with a cup of tea

How I rest my nervous system

These are the things I return to when I feel wired, disconnected, or overstimulated. Not all at once most often than not, just one at a time, moving gently.

Eat good fats

Avocados. Nuts. Seeds. Tahini. Olive oil. Ghee. These are building blocks for your brain and fuel for regulation. They give your body the fat it needs to feel safe and supported.

Switch screen time for a book

Choose something grounding, motivating, or uplifting. Let your eyes and mind move through words instead of backlit noise. Even fifteen minutes before bed can change your energy the next day.

Make playlists

Music rewires us. It’s vibration. It’s frequency. It changes our state. And yet so many of us forget to use it. Put on something that meets you where you are. Let it hold you. Let it move you. Let it remind you that healing doesn’t have to be quiet.

Take abundance walks

Slow walks where you consciously look for what’s good. This is a practice from the TBM (to be magnetic) girls, and it’s such a powerful way to rewire scarcity and survival thinking. You walk with intention, naming what you see as abundance i.e. fresh air, a beautiful garden, sunlight on your face, someone smiling, clean water, your own breath. Let these things register as more than enough.

Do a simple guided meditation

Meditation does not need to be hard. You don’t need to be a zen monk sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop. Just choose a five or ten minute guided practice that speaks your language. Something that helps you slow down and return to your body. There are hundreds of free ones out there.

Go to a bathhouse or book a massage

Or just take a slow bath at home. When we’re burned out, we often cancel the very things that bring us back. But even one hour of being in warm water, receiving touch, or sitting in a sauna can regulate your entire nervous system. These acts of self love aren’t extra. They’re medicine.

Prioritise me time

Even when things are busy. Especially when things are busy. Time alone is how you reconnect with your own voice. Create space that’s just for you, even if it’s just a walk, a tea, a morning with no plans.

Build a burnout altar

This is an old favourite of mine that I’m reconnecting to, creating a small (or big) space that brings me back to myself.

find a tray, a corner, a shelf. Keep it simple. Fill it with what soothes you.

Stones/shells/pictures from places you love.

A tiny bowl of tea.
A flower from your walk.
A handwritten note to yourself.

Let it be your anchor. Let it be a quiet reminder that you are allowed to come home to yourself, over and over again.

With love,
Team PK.

 

                                       written by Denise Battany