We’ve all felt burned out — exhausted, overwhelmed, and worn out — at one time or another. While “burnout” is often described as a result of being overworked at our jobs, it can also come from challenges in our personal lives, a lack of support, and everyday obligations that keep us endlessly busy.
Burnout has become a prevalent state of physical and emotional exhaustion in our always-on society, and if we don’t know how to recognize it and heal from it, it can have some serious effects on our health. While it may be easier said than done, it’s important to be proactive in mitigating those stressors and prioritizing self-care before we hit our limit. Burnout is a complex issue. But by taking time for rest, reframing expectations on ourselves, setting boundaries, and seeking support, we can work toward recharging and nourishing ourselves.
If you’re feeling burned out, take a moment to rest and reset with these 13 healing quotes.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.Anne Lamott, author
Burnout is nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions but your soul has departed.Sam Keen, author
I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful.Marissa Mayer, businesswoman
Burnout, like any difficult experience, is a great teacher. My question is: What is it trying to tell you?Rebecca Ray, psychologist
Your energy is currency. Spend it well. Invest it wisely.Adrienne Bosh, entrepreneur
Burnout often has as much boredom in it as exhaustion.Ingrid Fetell Lee, designer and author
Our society places so much value on busyness and productivity that it creates unsafe environments for people to claim their burnout and move towards recovery.Kate Steiner, burnout recovery coach
You can do anything, but not everything.David Allen, author
A reckoning with burnout is so often the reckoning with the fact that the things you fill your day with — the things you fill your life with — feel unrecognizable from the sort of life you want to live.Anne Helen Petersen, author
Burnout is a worthy adversary in the struggle to becoming more resilient and joyful, and this means we need to understand and appreciate that adversary.Eva M. Selhub, author
It’s our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the price we must pay in order to succeed.Arianna Huffington
You will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again.Fyodor Dostoevsky
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.Ovid, Roman poet
Photo credit: AntiMartina/ iStock
