Through Burnout and Back Again
A Story of Burnout, Recovery, and What Leaders Can Do When They Can’t Just Quit
Hi, I’m Carly – your usual host here at Leadership by 16Personalities. At an earlier point in my career, I went through a serious bout of burnout. In this piece, I’m sharing how I worked through it and came out the other side more grounded and clear about what I actually needed. I hope it helps you feel a little less alone.
The Moment I Knew Something Had to Change
This month, we’ve been looking at how to manage stress in both yourself and your team members according to their personality traits. But what if your stress is already so severe that you’ve moved beyond simple pressure into burnout?
For me, burnout didn’t arrive with fireworks. It crept in quietly – until one day, I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I felt like myself.
I was exhausted in a way sleep couldn’t fix. I’d been working long hours for years, trying to keep up, trying to prove I could handle it. And for a while, I did. Until suddenly, I couldn’t. My creativity dried up. My patience wore thin. I started snapping at people I cared about. Everything felt harder than it used to, even the things I once loved.
At the time, I was working for someone else (not 16Personalities). Technically, I could have quit – but like many people, I didn’t see that as a real option. I had responsibilities, bills, and a sense of duty I couldn’t ignore. Not to mention, the time commitment of looking for a new role felt impossible when I already felt short on energy in every area of my life. Eventually, I was lucky enough to significantly reduce my workload, and that helped enormously.
But I know not every leader has that option.
That’s why I’m writing this. Not just to tell my story, but to share what helped me claw my way back – even before I could fully step away.
What Burnout Looked Like for Me
At first, I told myself I was just tired. Work was still getting done, so how bad could it be? But I stopped feeling proud of it. I dreaded Sunday nights because they brought me that much closer to Monday mornings. I felt a kind of mental fog that made everything take longer, even the simple tasks.
I also started to feel like a different version of myself. I used to feel competent and creative. But during that season, I felt like I was just trying to survive each day without snapping at someone or dropping the ball.
Leadership responsibilities made it worse. I cared about my team and didn’t want to let them down. But that meant I put even more pressure on myself to keep going – and it only deepened the hole I was in.
What were the earliest signs of burnout you ignored?
What Helped Me Climb Out
Spoiler alert: I did get to reduce my workload, and for me, that was the single biggest factor in my recovery. But along the way – and long before I stepped back – there were small shifts that made things more bearable. These are the tools I leaned on and still use today.
I’ll be honest – there were days I knew exactly what would help and still couldn’t bring myself to do it. That’s part of burnout too. So if you’re struggling to take action, know that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re tired. Start small anyway.
Rebuilding structure: When everything felt chaotic, I created rhythm where I could. Even small habits like a consistent start time or a midday walk gave my brain something to hold onto.
Micro-wins: I stopped expecting big breakthroughs. Instead, I celebrated getting through a single item on my to-do list. Or writing a sentence that didn’t feel like pulling teeth. That tiny momentum mattered.
Boundary rituals: I started and ended each workday with a ritual – lighting a candle, closing my laptop, even washing my face. It helped signal to my brain that work had a container.
Nervous system care: I didn’t have hours for self-care, but I did have two minutes between meetings. I used them. Often, I’d play a short Calm or Headspace meditation – just enough to shift my energy before diving into the next task.
Stress check-ins: I still do this. I regularly pause and ask myself: Is this stress situational and passing, or has it become my new normal? If I notice that a tight chest, short fuse, or low-level dread are sticking around for more than a few days, I take it seriously. When stress is simmering too long, I pick one thing to shift – like canceling a nonessential meeting, taking a longer lunch break, or going to bed 30 minutes earlier. Small resets can interrupt the buildup before it turns into burnout.
I was eventually able to cut back on my workload significantly, and that helped more than anything. But even if you can’t take that step right now, the strategies above still made a difference for me and might offer you the same relief – even in small doses.
What’s one task you could let go of this week – or support a team member in doing more independently?
If You’re in the Thick of It
Burnout isn’t a failure of resilience or a personal flaw. It’s a signal that something needs to shift.
And for leaders, it can be especially hard to admit you’re burning out – because people are counting on you. But that’s exactly why your recovery matters.
You don’t have to disappear to heal. You can begin with tiny, doable changes that protect your energy and let you lead with presence instead of pressure.
If you’re in the thick of it right now, I want you to know: you’re not broken. You’re not alone. And it can get better.
P.S. Can you believe next month marks one year of Leadership by 16Personalities? Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or just joined today, we’re so grateful to have you with us. We’ve got a few exciting surprises planned to celebrate – so stay tuned!