Dear Burned-out,

I stepped outside to the backyard to take a few deep breaths before moving on, when I noticed a tiny bit of green pushing through the concrete. At a moment that felt like another wave of despair, I did a double take. This little plant seemed to look up at me—its tiny petals shaped like small fists—quietly saying, "Keep going, keep at it."

When everything around me felt like the concrete might swallow me whole, this bit of green stood there, defiantly breaking through and I envied its strength.

A seed growing in a crack takes a certain kind of resilience—and the beauty of it is, that resilience doesn’t rely on perfect conditions. There it is stuck in a crack and still growing - somehow, that gave me hope. It’s been a powerful image for me ever since.

What these series of letters are all about

Welcome to Letters to My Burned-Out Self. These letters are meant to be a quick read—with a few takeaways and practical insights, actions or tools you can choose to work through on your own until the next weekly letter arrives.

The type of topics I’ll write about are things that can help avoid or work through burnout for the person working in a helping profession such as a caregiver, a peer support specialist, whether paid or unpaid. Burnout is real. The emotional hangovers are also real.

I’ll share some practical steps on areas that can make a difference: personal growth, nutrition skills, and job satisfaction. You’ll have practical tools to try out that week.
I am cooking up a whole lotta good stuff to talk about- stick around and see!

Think of creativity + resilience, beyond arts and crafts or running a marathon. They are the daily creative actions you may already be doing:

• Creatively budgeting a meal (making something outta nothing)

• Pulling together an outfit that boosts your mood

• Leaning a skill or hobby that focuses your mind, boosts confidence or income

• Dreaming and writing plans for a business idea

• Making your home safe, loving and fun all while managing busy schedules

• Helping a family find the best resource despite limitations

  3 ways that creativity boosts resilience

Problem Solving | Creativity helps us adapt to change and find solutions that actually fit—in efficient, thoughtful ways at work, at home, or when life gets overwhelming. It sparks divergent thinking: the ability to come up with multiple ways to approach a single challenge. I bet you’re already doing this!

Shifting Perspective | Creativity gives us space to breathe and see a fresh angle. It breaks the mental loops. When we create—even in small ways—we can invite new ways of seeing what once felt stuck.

Reimagining Possibilities | Creativity invites us to imagine a different outcome, response, or path forward. From there, we can take intentional steps toward it.

Until the next letter!

Lizette