After yet another crap workout, I walked through the door an immediately  told my girlfriend that I think I’m really burnt out. I thought the weeks of consistent fatigue combined with my blasé attitude towards doing the activities I love was caused by bad sleep or the time of year. It took me a while to realize that the compounding of the year’s efforts and the culmination of stress were starting to take a toll—manifesting in what felt like chronic low energy. 

Whenever things aren’t going well, instead of taking a step back and figuring out what might be causing it, I tend to go more in—believing that doing more will negate the low motivation I’m experiencing. I tried to follow my own advice and push through the plateau despite how I felt, but the things that make me happy and fulfilled, were no longer providing enjoyment. I was experiencing what Joe Robinson calls the “mental cut-de-sac.”

I searched frantically through my toolbox of motivation—trying to resuscitate frames that worked in the past to keep me motivated, but my efforts felt moot. In life, it can be difficult to discern between fatigue and burnout—when we should keep pushing or when we should scale back or pause altogether. 

There’s many reasons why we may not take the time off we need. Perhaps getting behind in our work and playing catch-up is too anxiety inducing, or we may fear that we’ll lose the hard earned progress we made in our chosen pursuits and have to start from ground zero. We may just feel guilty for taking a break because we live in a world that demands an unhealthy work-life balance, perpetuated by “hustle culture” and this notion that one must constantly improve.

I decided to take time off writing and scale back my training to maintenance mode, where I do the bare minimum. What put my mind at ease was reminding myself of 1) the ease of maintenance principle, which states that it’s much easier to gain back our fitness (or skills) after we have an established base vs. starting from scratch and 2) I have a routine to fall back on. Routines are a place of refuge that keep us consistent on the good and bad days when we’re mentally ready to get back into it.

Time off allows us to preserve the joy we have for our passions. I hope this holiday you take the time to relax, recharge and unplug a bit, so you can come back stronger and more energized for 2024. Happy Holidays!