FRIED. The Burnout Podcast Burnout Recovery Exercise: How to Stop Feeling Like a Failure
Your energy and well-being are worth investing in. Explore what recovery could look like for you: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching
Many people mistake burnout for personal failure, but the real issue is the quiet mismatch between the energy you actually have and the expectations you keep pushing yourself to meet.
Sarah Vosen gets to the core of why so many burned-out high achievers feel defeated: the math of your life stopped working long before you noticed it. When your energy drops but your expectations stay at their old setting, even simple days feel impossible. The conversation challenges listeners to ask what they believe they “should” be able to do and where those beliefs came from in the first place. How often are you measuring yourself against a past version of you? And what changes once you base your plans on your real capacity instead of the fantasy of unlimited output?
This episode is an invitation to rebuild self-trust by telling the truth about what you can actually give right now. Recovery begins when you stop assuming your worth hinges on productivity and start giving yourself permission to operate from reality. Sarah offers encouragement, clarity, and accessible next steps for anyone ready to release the shame of falling short and move toward days that feel doable again.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Understanding Burnout and Its Real Impact on High Achievers
02:55 How to Adjust Expectations for Better Burnout Recovery
05:45 Realistic Ways to Assess Your Energy, Time, and Capacity
09:13 Why Consistent Self-Care Supports Burnout Healing
11:54 How to Find the Right Support for Burnout Recovery
Links
If you’re ready to take the next step toward healing, you can explore 1:1 coaching with Sarah Vosen at https://www.bit.ly/unfriedcoach
Download the Web of Causation Exercise to uncover the layers behind your burnout and begin creating your recovery plan: https://www.caitdonovan.com/freebie-web
Connect with Cait:
Your energy and well-being are worth investing in. Explore what recovery could look like for you: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm