Be The Plot Twist

Ey up, chaos crew! 

So last week I talked about the fact that I was burned out and silent for a while. Then came back with a voice and a sort of… semi loud bang… more of a tap really. BUT IM HERE!  

I always imagined burnout recovery would turn me into some enlightened woodland fairy — journaling at dawn, sipping herbal tea that tastes like sadness but “aligns your chakras,” maybe discovering my inner goddess if she ever decides to clock in.  

Instead, I’m basically a Sims character whose needs bar is permanently flashing red while I wander around the house holding an empty mug I forgot to fill. Some days I’m thriving. Other days I’m buffering so hard I swear you can hear the dial‑up tone. 

So yeah, recovery isn’t a mystical glow‑up montage. It’s more like… slowly unclogging a sink while balancing a lukewarm coffee and questioning every life choice you’ve ever made. Some days I manage to shower, drink water, and pretend to be a functioning adult. Other days I lie on my bed staring at the ceiling for 47 minutes wondering if “existing” counts as progress.  

Spoiler: sometimes it absolutely does. 

I’ve discovered a few things that help me when the “buffering” mode kicks in: 

1. Micro‑wins are everything — Folding laundry counts. Paying a bill counts. Texting a friend back absolutely counts. If it gets done and you don’t collapse face‑down into a pile of cushions, celebrate it like you’ve just won an Oscar for “Best Attempt at Being a Human.” 

2. Boundaries aren’t just for rich people — Saying no is still weird and mildly terrifying, but necessary. Sometimes it’s just, “No, I cannot attend your Zoom call while simultaneously existing.” And honestly? That’s enough. 

3. Humour is mandatory — If I can’t laugh at myself walking into a door for the third time in an hour, am I even recovering. Life is ridiculous. Embrace the slapstick. 

4. Movement is optional, but movement is good — I try to move in ways that don’t involve tripping over a kids toy or my own feet. Sometimes it’s yoga. Sometimes it’s dancing like a feral rat in the kitchen to 90s hits. Both are valid. 

5. Coffee > Chakras — Herbal tea is great if you’re a medieval wizard. Me? I’m choosing coffee. Always coffee. 

Sometimes recovery looks like doing something tiny and feeling like you’ve climbed Everest. Like last week, when I finally replied to an email I’d been avoiding for… let’s not count the days. I hit send, stood up, and genuinely considered giving myself a standing ovation. Other days, recovery looks like crying in Asda because they’d moved the pasta aisle again and my brain simply couldn’t cope with the betrayal. Honestly, I took it personally. It’s chaotic. It’s unpredictable. It’s very on brand for me. 

One thing I’m learning is that recovery isn’t about becoming the “old me” again. She burned out, remember? She was exhausted and stretched thin and trying so hard to be everything for everyone. I don’t want to go back to her. I’m trying to build a version of myself who rests before she breaks, who listens to her body, who doesn’t apologise for needing a minute. It’s slow work, but it feels like the right kind of slow. 

I don’t know exactly what life looks like on the other side of burnout, but I’m starting to get little glimpses. A day where I laugh without forcing it. A morning where I wake up and don’t immediately dread my to‑do list. A moment where I choose myself without guilt. They’re tiny, blink‑and‑you’ll‑miss‑them moments — but they’re happening. And honestly? That feels like the beginning of something good. 

Recovery isn’t linear. It’s a hot mess of ups, downs, and buffering screens. But even in the chaos, there are these tiny moments of “Hey… I survived today.” And that, my friends, is progress. 

So, tell me — how are you all surviving the chaos these days. Have you discovered weird coping rituals, mini‑wins, or tiny victories that make life feel a little less glitchy. Share them with me, because honestly… we could all use some inspiration in buffering mode. 

Let’s switch up the narrative, rewrite the script, and maybe — just maybe — we can actually be the plot twist. 

Katie x