Find the Spark: Why Daily Excitement and Intention Are Vital for Burnout Recovery
Burnout doesn’t just drain your energy — it dims your entire inner world. You stop feeling like yourself, you wake up already tired, and eventually you forget what it even felt like to look forward to anything.
But, to truly heal from burnout, you need more than just rest. You need to feel alive.
Every day, I ask myself two things:
What’s one thing I can genuinely get excited about today?
What kind of person do I want to be today?
This practice has changed my life, and it’s one of the core tools I use with my clients. It’s simple, but powerful. Why? Because excitement isn’t frivolous. It’s medicine. And identity isn’t fixed; it’s a choice you make every single day.
The Science of Happiness (and Why It Matters)
Martin Seligman’s PERMA model of happiness outlines 5 key pillars that contribute to our well-being:
P: — Positive Emotions
E: — Engagement
R: — Relationships
M: — Meaning
A: — Accomplishment
When you wake up and set an intention for the kind of person you want to be, you’re activating meaning and accomplishment. When you choose something to look forward to, even something small — you’re creating positive emotion and engagement. You’re telling your nervous system: “It’s safe to hope. It’s safe to feel. I’m not just surviving — I’m participating.”
That matters. Especially when everything feels heavy and when burnout says you should just shut down and go numb.
Thoughts Create Reality — But Not in the Toxic Positivity Way
I’m not here to tell you to “just think positive.” You’ll never hear that from me. But here’s what I will say: Your thoughts shape the way your brain scans for information. Your brain is constantly asking, “What do you want me to focus on today?”
If you tell it: “I’m exhausted, I hate my job, and nothing will change” it will look for evidence to prove you right.
But if you say: “I’m tired and I’m choosing to focus on the part of the day I do have control over,” you create a sliver of light. That sliver is all your brain needs to begin rewiring.
Yes, You Can Choose Positivity — Even When Life Feels Terrifying
This isn’t just theory for me. As a teenager, I wasn’t in a good place. I lived in a group home where someone once said to me, “Nobody wants to hear you’re depressed all the time.”
I remember that moment so clearly. I shut down. I told myself, “Fine.” And from then on, I started saying I was fine — even when I wasn’t.
But the weird thing is, it actually helped. Not because I was pretending (ok, I was a bit to be honest). But because I paired that shift with therapy, action, and vision. And eventually, I did feel fine. Then better than fine; capable. I reminded myself every day that I wasn’t powerless.
I still do that to this day. I let myself feel what’s real. I acknowledge pain, stress, overwhelm. But I also come back to: “What kind of person do I want to be today?”
Burnout and the Moment I Knew I Needed to Leave
At the hospital where I worked years ago, I was burning out hard. But I held onto that daily intention: “I want to be someone who brings hope, positivity and calm. A person who holds space and stays grounded.”
Even when I felt the walls closing in and when I came home too tired to speak, that intention anchored me. And it eventually gave me clarity.
At first, my mantra was: “Just push through.” But eventually, it became: “Get out.” Honestly, intention doesn’t just keep you afloat — it guides you forward.
Your Turn: The Small Ritual That Sparks Big Change
Each day, ask yourself:
What’s one thing I can get excited about today?
What kind of person do I want to be today?
Let it be small. Let it be true. Let it evolve.
Even if your answer is:
- My morning coffee
- A walk in fresh air
- Feeling curious
- Being grounded
- Showing up with kindness
These daily decisions; these micro-moments; add up. They rebuild your spark, reconnect you with yourself, and create a path out of burnout that’s actually sustainable.
What About You?
So tell me:
What’s one thing you’re genuinely excited about today?
And what’s one word to describe the kind of person you want to be today?
Drop it in the comments. Let’s reclaim joy, one day at a time.
Final Words
Burnout doesn’t win by force — it wins by erosion. It chips away at your identity, your joy, your spark.
But you can rebuild that fire with one breath, one intention, one moment of excitement at a time.
You don’t need to overhaul your whole life today. You just need to wake up and choose who you are, one sunrise at a time.
Are you ready?
If we haven’t met, hello! I am Meg. I am the Burnout Revolutionist. I don’t fix. I don’t convince. I simply guide burned-out humans in survival mode back to an energetically aligned life. You can find me in several places outside of Medium:
You don’t have to keep just surviving. There is a way to feel clear, energized, and creative again. There is a way to earn well, live well, and actually enjoy your work and life again.
If something in you is whispering (or screaming), “this isn’t it…” Listen to it. That’s your spark. That’s the part of you that’s still alive — and ready for something more aligned. If you’re ready to take the first step, I’ve got you.
Start with my free guide on burnout recovery. It’s not fluff. It’s the truth I wish someone had handed me years ago. Or join the waitlist for Ignite: The Burnout Revolution for Professionals — a space where real transformation begins.
You were never meant to push yourself into the ground just to be successful. Let’s build something that actually works — for your career and your life.