Fighting Burnout by Finding Your Unicorn Space

I’ve found myself getting into bed much earlier than I used to — typically right after my kids (who are 7 and 9 years old) go to sleep and sometimes even before. I used to have what I called boundless energy, stomping around New York City in heels from meeting to meeting, to after-work drinks, to dinner, somehow fitting it all in. I carried a heavy bag packed with all of my essentials for the gym, work, or a quick glass of wine with a friend — and that spontaneity fueled me. Yet, that energy seems to have been left in pre-COVID land, and all I’ve really had the energy for after my long from-home workday is over is intense binge-watching, whether it be from my bed or from a bubble bath.   

Recently I was on my monthly call with my WIE Suite (executive women’s community) and we did our usual round table of check-ins and talked about how we could help each other.  Embarrassingly, instead of talking about my latest work accomplishment or how I was building my community, I found myself talking about the guilt I had about feeling less productive than I used to be pre-COVID. Everyone in the group assured me that it was okay to recharge sometimes. While I agree, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was an unhealthy trend. I’ve read countless articles from women who feel they have lost their voice and spirit to all that they’ve had to shoulder. To find out how much, my agency Berlin Cameron partnered with Kantar, Luminary and Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play to release an international study that found women feel more stressed and isolated, compared to men. In fact, 66% of women have felt burnt out in the past seven days. 

I wanted to do something about it and was inspired by my friend and author Eve Rodsky, who talks about the exhaustion gap that we are all facing right now. In her book, Find Your Unicorn Space, she discusses why women may feel they’ve lost their drive and how to get it back. I took it to heart and started working on ways I could find my own inspiration again. Here are a few ways that have worked for me: