Burnout is tough, you are not alone

Original affirmation on original photo, “Peeking Through” by Dr. Robin D. Collin

I hope you are doing well and that this week has been good to you. I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging and now I’m back to share some thoughts.

Today I added more images to my affirmations collection and during that process I thought about who my audience was for this collection. Being transparent, this collection is for those folks who are burnt-out and highly stressed and feel like they are failing, not doing enough, or even weak in some way. None of those things are true, but it feels so real. I know because I was there for such a very long time.

People think burnout and the mounting stress is quick and fast and that the recovery is just as fast, but that was and is not my case (nor the case for most folks). The development was a long, arduous path where I struggled desperately to keep my head above water never really letting anyone know how much pain I was in, because I thought I wasn’t doing enough somehow and just felt shame about all the ways I was not successful or good. In my painful solitude, I found that nature was always consistently loving and soothing; it gave me this spark to keep going because it made me feel special and seen. Nature made me feel like I mattered in a larger sense. The nature photography I do became my way of capturing that feeling and thanking Nature for being a light for me.

So now, after some major decisions like stepping down from my previous position, I’m in my process of recovery and I’ve read that it can take at least 2 years for people to heal from the physical and mental health effects that occur in relation to burnout or severe stress. I am seeing, first hand, that that this is very true. In my recovery, I do want to share the gems of love and wisdom that Nature has shared with me in this experience, so that is why I took the extra step of creating these affirmations. This collection is especially for anyone who is struggling with burnout or severely stressful life experiences. I hope that my photos or my messages can be a spark that reminds them they matter and are not alone.


Checkout “Dr. Collin’s Affirmations” for yourself or share with someone you know who is dealing with burnout.