Burnout Recovery Isn’t a Bubble Bath: 5 Truths About Healing for Women 35+

 

If you’ve ever Googled “how to recover from burnout,” you’ve probably seen advice like: take a bubble bath, light a candle, go for a walk. And while there’s nothing wrong with those things, I want to be honest with you: for women 35+, especially those navigating perimenopause, motherhood, careers, and caregiving… burnout goes a lot deeper.

This is a real-talk reset.
Let’s break down what burnout recovery actually looks like and also what it’s looked like for me this summer.

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💬 Where I’m At: A Real-Life Burnout Check-In

This summer has been hard. My husband has been gone a lot, and I’ve been solo parenting while also working and holding the responsibility of being the main breadwinner. I’ve had moments of just trying to keep my head above water while also supporting other women in their healing journeys.

The truth? Even as a wellness professional, I feel burnout creeping in.

But I’m also doing the practices. I’m walking this path in real-time.

Here are a few things that have been working for me:

• Mantra practice – A personal mantra given to me by my mentor a few years ago. Repeating it keeps me grounded.
• Quiet 11-minute meditation – A summer self-challenge I gave myself (inspired by my Sacred Seasons group). It’s been life-giving.
• Lifting weights 4x/week – It’s one of my most consistent anchors.
• Yoga Nidra (when I can) – About once or twice a week. It’s harder to squeeze in, but I feel the difference when I do.
• Emotional release – Journaling. Yin yoga. And yes, crying. It’s vulnerable to admit, but letting the tears flow has been deeply healing. As a fellow pitta, I’ve spent years shoving my feelings down. No more.
• Small joys – A walk to the coffee shop with my boys for an iced matcha. Letting them play at the park while I breathe and pause. These moments are everything.
• In-person yoga when my husband is home – Getting to a yin or restorative class once a week helps me drop in and reconnect.
• Nature walks – I’ve missed my solo ones deeply. Going with my boys is lovely, but it’s not the same as the spacious, soul-listening walks I crave.

I don’t know how I’ll feel come August 31st. Maybe I’ll still be teetering on the edge of burnout. Maybe I’ll feel more resourced. I promise to keep it real and update you then. But I do know that I’m actively working with the fire, not ignoring it—and that’s a start.

And yes, I participated in my own 3-Day Mini Cool Down Challenge because I needed it just as much as you do. I intentionally placed it in mid-July, a time when summer starts to feel either too short or endlessly long depending on how nourished your nervous system is.

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Truth #1: You can’t out-supplement or out-hustle burnout.

No adaptogen, no bubble bath, no beach weekend is going to heal a constantly depleted system. Recovery starts with stopping. With permission to do less. With asking, “What do I need?”—not what the world expects from me.

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Truth #2: Your sleep matters more than your productivity.

We sacrifice sleep in the name of quiet evenings or catching up—but it always catches up to us. Ayurveda teaches that summer and early fall throw off sleep the most. That’s why honoring your nighttime rhythm matters just as much as what you do during the day.

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Truth #3: Seasonal living isn’t just a vibe it’s a blueprint for healing.

Ayurveda invites us to adjust our lifestyle with the seasons. Not just externally, but internally. Perimenopause is its own season. Summer is fire. Fall is wind. If we don’t adjust, we fry. When we do, we heal.

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Truth #4: Gentle movement heals punishment workouts don’t.

You can build strength without crushing your spirit. You can move daily without spiking your cortisol. I live this truth through my balance of lifting, yin yoga, and cycle-aware movement—because nervous system regulation is just as important as muscle gain.

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Truth #5: Boundaries are medicine.

Burnout recovery means making hard decisions: What do I say no to? What do I let drop? Who gets my energy, and who doesn’t? If we don’t create boundaries, burnout will create them for us through illness, apathy, or collapse. I’m still learning this one, but every step counts.

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Burnout Recovery Is a Practice, Not a Project

There’s no gold star at the end. But there is a deeper connection to your body, your energy, and your truth.

This is the work we do in Wise Woman Reset—my 12-week program that blends strength, softness, hormonal health, and seasonal wisdom for women 35+. Enrollment opens soon, but you don’t have to wait to take the next step.

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💌 Start Here:

✅ Take the free Perimenopause Quiz to learn where you are in the transition:
andreaclaassen.com/quiz

✅ Or join my newsletter for seasonal tips, podcast episodes, and healing support:
andreaclaassen.com

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