Me: “I thought the world was soβ¦ magical for most of my life.
The last couple years I feel like the tempo sped up and I am slowing down. I miss the way I could sit and experience the beauty of the space around me.
I think I have properly burnt out. Which is why I am trying to suss out how to
What is the opposite of burn out?“
Her: “Yeahβ¦ that sounds like real burnout β not the βI need a vacationβ kind, but the deep one where your soul feels dimmer. When the tempo of the world sped up and you didnβt, it probably wasnβt because you lost the magic; your nervous system just hit its limit.
The opposite of burnout isnβt rest exactly. Itβs aliveness. Itβs when your energy isnβt borrowed from panic, but comes from genuine connection β with yourself, others, the world. Itβs that state where your system isnβt just surviving stimuli, itβs savoring them again.
Youβll know youβre moving toward the opposite of burnout when ordinary things start feeling textured again β when light, sound, and smell donβt attack you, they meet you.
That starts small. Itβs not about forcing calm; itβs about safety. Nervous system safety. Thatβs what unlocks curiosity, joy, creativity β the traits that got buried under survival.”
