The Importance of Stepping Back
Being a hard worker has always been something I take pride in, but that dedication often comes with a cost. You see, I’m a workaholic who hates taking breaks, even when I need them. Because of that, I’m no stranger to burnout.
For me, burnout has always felt like something to “push through,” not something to “step away” from. I’m used to being in environments where stepping away isn’t typically an option. In school, you don’t always have the luxury to step away from your coursework and take the breaks you need when you’re burnt out. As a freshly graduated student, I still have that “push through” mindset when it comes to my personal work because of the due dates I set for myself. I still treat my own deadlines like course requirements and condition myself to work as if I’ll fail a class if I don’t stick to the schedule.
That mentality only led to an inevitable burnout crash that I’m just now coming out of. I took a week off from making content, and I learned the value of stepping back during that time. I’ve learned that stepping back when you need to is crucial, especially when you work in a creative career like marketing. Contrary to what I initially believed, taking a step back isn’t a sign of weakness; in fact, everybody will inevitably need a break from whatever they do.
In this post, I want to share a few insights I gained during that short hiatus and explain why learning to step back has been such a game-changer for me. I hope these insights can be helpful for anyone who, like me, struggles with burnout in their personal or professional life.
Life Happens
Life doesn’t stop when you’re busy, and life has a funny way of making a thousand unexpected things come up in a matter of days. No matter how busy you already are, there will be things that come up that you can never completely prepare for. Sickness, family emergencies, car troubles, home repairs… the list goes on and on. I’ve often been told that “sometimes, life happens,” and this is painfully true. While working on my LinkedIn and blog content, life happened and threw my entire schedule out the window. Things kept coming up, and my content creation schedule kept getting pushed back.
Sometimes, you have no choice but to power through and complete projects despite everything life has thrown at you. It’s a fact of life. You’ll always have work deadlines that can’t be rearranged. You’ll always have commitments that can’t be rescheduled. You have to find a way to balance what life has given you and what’s already been put in front of you. Other times, you can afford to take a step back to breathe. In fact, it’s often a wise choice to take some time to prioritize your health and well-being. After all, you won’t be able to perform at your best when your mental and creative energy are running on fumes.
In my case, I had the freedom to take that step back to recharge, and I’m glad I did. I knew I was stressed out. I knew I wasn’t working at my best. I knew I could do better if I took some time away from it. So, I did exactly that. Without having this kind of awareness, the stress would have multiplied and worsened my burnout. Stepping back gave me the breathing room I needed to recover before I hit a wall, and that’s exactly why this matters. It’s not about losing momentum; it’s about protecting your ability to keep going in the long run.
The Conditioning to Keep Going
As I mentioned earlier, I’m used to pushing through exhaustion and burnout from my time as a student. I’m also used to working through exhaustion as a competitive dancer, which deepened that grind mindset even further. Dance is a year-round sport, and it’s rare to have long stretches off. We prepare for competitions throughout the year, and you’re constantly encouraged to keep working, because even a single week off can set you back. Even during holiday periods, dancers are often expected to do conditioning on their own, whether that’s practicing skills or working out.
Two years into my retirement from dance, I still carry that mentality. It’s so ingrained that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully abandon it. Having a grind mindset can be a strength, but not all the time. Like most things, it’s best in moderation. My athletic and academic conditioning spill over into my professional life, which can be beneficial when deadlines are tight or stakes are high. But a nonstop grind mindset alone is never sustainable in the long run.
Recognizing the Signs of Burnout
Stress has been proven to accelerate burnout, especially if it’s not addressed quickly. In fact, the World Health Organization found that chronic workplace stress that isn’t managed effectively can lead to burnout. It’s an “occupational phenomenon” characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. Working through stress is possible, but it often leads to lower-quality work that feels uninspired.
Think of working through stress and burnout like working out when you’re sick. You know you should rest your body, but you feel like you absolutely have to get your workout in, despite how your body feels. Instead of taking a day to recover, you hit the gym anyway. The result is usually predictable: your workout feels sluggish, you can’t perform at your usual level, and you leave the gym feeling frustrated instead of accomplished. That frustration builds on top of how lousy you already felt, making the entire experience counterproductive.
Burnout also affects everyone differently, and its manifestations vary from field to field. In creative fields like marketing, your inspiration is fuel, and you can’t run on an empty tank. Since burnout cuts off that creative fuel, the best way to refuel is to take a step back.
It’s important to know what your personal signs of burnout are, but here are a few common red flags to watch out for, paraphrased from Mental Health America:
Feeling constantly exhausted, no matter how much rest you get
Dreading responsibilities or tasks you typically enjoy
Becoming detached, unmotivated, or emotionally numb
Struggling to concentrate or making more mistakes than usual
Feeling irritable, anxious, or overwhelmed most of the time
Experiencing frequent physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, or muscle tension
Recognizing these signs early is key. Catching burnout before it escalates gives you a chance to step back and reset, preventing it from completely derailing your workflow.
Why Stepping Back Works
Taking breaks resets both your mind and your body, allowing you to return feeling refreshed and often more inspired. Regular breaks also help prevent the dreaded creator’s block that every creator inevitably runs into. Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) highlights the importance of mental health support in the workplace. Employees who feel that their employer supports mental health are more likely to report higher engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction, as well as lower levels of stress and burnout.
I know firsthand how beneficial a break can be. When I took my week off from content creation, it was because my brain couldn’t handle any more work on top of the things life threw at me, which disrupted my rigid creation schedule. I’d been working for over a month on creating content, polishing my content creation system, increasing my LinkedIn visibility, networking nonstop, and searching for a job. During this time, I overloaded my schedule because of the guilt I feel when I’m not taking daily steps toward my professional goals. As long as I spend time every day making content, applying for jobs, posting on LinkedIn, or reaching out to someone to connect, I feel productive with my time.
But it got to a point where I was doing so much and being so hard on myself that creating content felt more like a chore and less enjoyable. Considering I love making content, that’s a huge red flag and my first sign to step back. Instead of pushing through like I usually do, I allowed myself to take a short break. I spent more time with my parents, I went out to lunch and dinner with my family, and I reconnected with some old friends I hadn’t heard from in a while. That week gave me the breathing room I didn’t realize I desperately needed. Because of this step back, I returned to my content creation with a refreshed mind and more enthusiasm to create things I’m proud of. Now that I’m recharged, I can create much better content, and that alone makes me happy.
Practical Tips for Stepping Back
Acknowledge when you need to pause — The first step to taking a break is knowing when you need one. If you need a break and can afford to take one, allow yourself to do so. This doesn’t mean vanishing completely or ghosting your responsibilities. If you’re working on a team, it’s smart to communicate your situation to your manager or teammates. Sometimes, a small adjustment to your workload can make a significant difference and prevent a more severe crash later.
Know your “reset tools” — Everyone has something different they like to do to unwind. For me, that’s working out, gaming, and spending time with my friends. Create a personal “reset list” of activities that help you recharge. When you feel burnout creeping in, revisit that list to make stepping back feel intentional rather than aimless.
Talk to someone — It’s very important to talk to someone if the stress feels unmanageable. Personally, I felt a lot better about my stress after having a long conversation with my mom about how I was feeling. Talking things through with someone you trust can offer clarity, emotional relief, and sometimes even practical solutions you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
Normalize taking breaks — Everyone needs to take a break, and they don’t always have to be long and extravagant. Even taking half an hour for yourself is enough. The key is balance. Too many breaks can turn into procrastination, but not taking enough can lead to chronic burnout. Find a sustainable rhythm that keeps you refreshed without derailing your progress.
What It All Comes Down To
Stepping back is both a strategic and a healthy move. Breaks make you sharper, more creative, and better equipped to tackle challenges in your work and personal life. Burnout doesn’t have to be the cost of creativity. Learning when and how to pause is one of the best long-term productivity tools you can develop.
Take a moment to reflect: What do you usually do to recharge when you’re feeling burnt out?
