Welcome Burned Out Soul.
Today I want to talk about something important but not as often covered in the Burnout Conversation,
And to give you your permission slip around this.
Burnout for many of us involves the relentless management of other people's expectations.
And especially around disappointing people or not meeting these expectations perfectly every single time.
This may even feel unbearable on some level,
Conscious or unconscious.
Perhaps it feels easier to keep going,
To say yes when we mean no,
To show up when we are too depleted or to hold it all together because the thought of letting something drop or letting someone down feels worse than the exhaustion and energy that it takes from us in that moment.
So we keep going until we can't,
Not realising the emotional debt that this puts us in.
So here is your permission slip for today and however long you may need it.
You have permission to disappoint people.
You have permission to not meet every expectation of every person around you,
All day,
Every day.
Perhaps there is an email,
Text or call that has been sitting there.
You have permission to not reply yet.
Perhaps there is something that you know deep within your soul is a no.
It might be a project,
A person or an invite.
You have permission to say whatever you need around this,
Including no.
Other people's disappointment or unmet expectations are not an emergency and they are not yours to fix.
This is your permission to let it go.
Today I reassure you that saying no,
Letting go of managing other people's emotions or focusing on yourself is allowed.
You have permission to disappoint others and still remain a worthy human being.
This next one matters just as much,
Maybe even more than the others.
You even have permission to disappoint yourself.
Perhaps your plans today are not going to happen.
They need to change or you need to rest more or follow through differently in some way.
You have permission to feel disappointed in this reality too.
What if this permission is you learning maybe for the first time to put yourself first?
And maybe in the long run,
Even if it's messy now,
Even if it disappoints the version of you who wants to have it all figured out.
What if it is a choice rooted in love?
Love for yourself and for others.
Today you have permission to be cared for and to care for yourself.
You have permission to walk the path for your own well-being,
Whatever that might look like for you.
Because burnout is in part,
The cost of never allowing yourself to disappoint.
And maybe this permission slip today gives you something new and strange.
It asks you to let some things fall and to know that you are still whole if you do this.
It asks you to trust that the people who matter will still be there.
And to trust that you will still be there for yourself also.
Perhaps a more honest,
Whole version of you on the other side of this.
Disappointment is not the end of the story.
Maybe the permission you give yourself today to disappoint will open the doors to some of the truest things you have done for yourself in a very long time.
