I'm always looking for new tools or techniques to help me

[Note: this post was originally published on Substack August 08, 2024] 

 Part 4 of 10 in the series, “How do I launch a business while on my burnout recovery journey?”

It may seem crazy to launch a business after going through burnout. Where does all the energy come from? How do you manage the stress? How do you keep going? This is post #4 of a 10-part series.

As a burnout survivor in recovery, I have had to build my burnout recovery toolbox from scratch. When I first went out on medical leave, I didn’t know what I needed, and I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It was terrifying.

I was smart. I was always striving to be an overachiever. I had gone to college, then graduate school. And yet, these coping skills were nowhere to be found in any of my education.

I started out in some group therapy that helped me learn some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) techniques. I did this group work while also working with my private therapist. I was also deep in my coaching certification program. I had lots of people who wanted to help me, even if I didn’t realize it at first.

I’ve continued to learn new skills through book recommendations, articles shared by other burnout survivors, videos, social media accounts of trusted therapists and coaches, and my own research as a coach helping my own clients. I’m always building resilience now to better weather the new challenges that will certainly come along.

It’s something that will be part of my lifelong learning as a burnout survivor in recovery.

We constantly face new challenges. We have to find ways to manage when we have no control over a situation. We have to find ways to effect the things we do have control over, and that very much includes our response to any new situation.

I am always looking for new tools and techniques that might help me respond better to a challenge that comes up. Sometimes, I have to go back and learn more about a tool I’m already using. Staying out of burnout means I’m always open to learning about a new opportunity to add to my toolbox.

It’s all part of being a lifelong learner and staying in recovery from burnout.