What Burnout Actually Feels Like (and How I'm Navigating It)

Burnout doesn’t always look dramatic.

Sometimes it looks like unopened emails.
Half-written captions.
Creative ideas that never make it past your notes app.

Sometimes it looks like sitting in your own store or studio and feeling… nothing.

For me, burnout hasn’t been loud. It’s been quiet. A slow dimming of energy over the last couple of months. Not sadness exactly. Not crisis. Just heaviness. Mental fatigue. Decision fatigue. The constant feeling of being “on” finally catching up.

As entrepreneurs, especially those of us who are also mothers, partners, caregivers, leaders, we get very good at pushing through. We normalize exhaustion. We tell ourselves it’s just a busy season.

But burnout is different!

It’s when your body keeps showing up but your mind is tired of performing.
It’s when creativity feels forced.
It’s when even things you love feel like obligations. (this right here!)

And here’s what I’ve learned: burnout isn’t always solved by a vacation.

Sometimes it requires a softer re-entry into your own life.

For me, that’s looked like:

• Posting less instead of disappearing completely
• Creating slower instead of launching louder
• Letting go of urgency
• Allowing rest without guilt

And interestingly, I found myself returning to the very thing I built this business around: aroma.

Not in a sales way. In a grounding way!

Lighting a candle has become less about ambiance and more about anchoring.

When I light a deeper wood scent at night, it signals to my brain: we’re done for today.
When I spray a clean, fresh aroma in the morning, it feels like opening a window internally.
When I sit in the studio and test fragrances slowly, it reminds me why I started.

Scent works directly with memory and emotion. It’s one of the fastest ways to shift atmosphere... and atmosphere shifts mood.

And mood shifts momentum.

I’m not rushing myself back into “high energy” mode. I’m rebuilding rhythm.

This year, I’m choosing:
Intentional content.
Weekly blogs.
More education.
More honesty.
More experiences that support your reset, and mine too.

If you’ve been feeling off, tired, unmotivated, or stretched thin… you’re not alone.

Burnout isn’t a failure. It’s feedback.

And sometimes the first step forward is something small:
Light the candle.
Spray the room.
Sit down.
Breathe.

That’s where I’m starting.

Warmly,
Joi
J.R. Candle Company