I recently talked to a client who said, “I try to read all these self-help books, but it’s like the material doesn’t even sink in.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

When I was in the midst of my burnout, I couldn’t read self-help either! I was so entrenched in just surviving my totally overwhelming life that I could not create a way out of it.

If you’re in this space, I want you to know that you’re not crazy - and that life CAN get better.

Instead of trying to figure out your next move from an exhausted, overwhelmed, depressed, burned out place, I want you to step back.

You don’t need to make any decisions now.

In Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat Pray Love, she describes a time in her life when she was sobbing on the bathroom floor, saying over and over to herself, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”

And these words came into her mind: Go back to bed, Liz.

She described how these words were such a relief to her. She didn’t hear some magical message telling her whether or not she should divorce her husband. Instead, the advice from her wisest self was to rest up before she tried to make a big decision.

My advice to you is the same.

How can you make space for yourself today, or this week, so that you have the physical rest and mental clarity?

Do you need to go to your boss and take two weeks off to get your life together?

Do you need to request Wednesday afternoons off to go do that thing you want to do?

Do you need to come in 15 minutes later in the mornings so it’s not such a struggle to get your children to daycare/school?

Do you need to take sick time or vacation time or a sabbatical, so you can have some time to listen to that still voice in your heart?

Figure out what it is for you - how you’ll make space for your body and mind to rest so that you can discern your next right move.

And then do it. I’ll be right here, cheering you on!

If you’d like advice on how to request time off or a reduced schedule, schedule a free 60-minute colleague to colleague call. I’ll share with you exactly how I advocated for myself to get the reduced schedule I need for mental clarity, my life and my family.