“I am the woman who became the fire”: Burnout, boundaries and the art of not abandoning ourselves.
Hi everyone,
This season we’ve been exploring burnout.
In my last letter, I looked at the generational differences relative to burnout, and how each polarity can offer a particular lens of understanding, and guide and define helpful action. Thank you for your responses - I am so grateful this community engages so actively.
This week I am inspired by the words of Helen Knott:
“I am the woman who survived the fire, I am the woman who became the fire.”
It feels like the perfect invocation for our ongoing inquiry into burnout and bliss, and the continuum we’ve been exploring together.
When we speak of burnout, we are often speaking of what has been scorched: our energy, our boundaries, our capacity to give. But in the language of the body, burnout can also be read as a signal, an initiation, even a teacher. It tells us what has been unsustainable. It shows us where the old ways of striving and surviving have reached their edge.
But what if the ashes are not the end? What if we remember that fire is both destruction and illumination?
