The ‘Opening and Closing Shift’ Routines That Helped Me Recover From Burnout
Hello, my loves!
It’s been a little while, hasn’t it? I shared in a Sundaze post that I was struggling through a period of burnout and that I realised a break was what I needed. I tend to try and juggle endless things at the same time and it’s been a busy start to 2026 to say the least! But, I’m back, tentatively. I’m feeling more on top of things and I’ve been assessing my priorities thoroughly. The truth is, blogging becomes deprioritised againsst my day job, wedding planning, studies, Substack (which admittedly I prefer lately), and personal social life. While I feel much better, I’m not committing to a regular schedule here just yet.
As much as I want to be a spontaneous person, I know that I thrive best with routine. All the online guides and advice for burnout recommend taking time out to ‘fully recover’, and they also mention it could take two to three years to recover. It’s not really feasible to do that with the commitment of a traditional 9-5 job. So, it made complete sense to me that I needed to slowly build a low-stress routine to help me recover from my burnout.
I landed on two simple routines: an opening shift and a closing shift. They’re trending all over social media at the moment – for good reason. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, this short list of habits help you feel more mindful and energised. And, because the shift is short, it’s easier to adopt them and stay consistent.
The opening shift
My opening shift helps me to feel like I can get out of bed in the morning, one thing at a time. Burnout had led me to feel depressive symptoms and I would find myself lingering in bed, scrolling my phone (wild, considering I don’t usually struggle with doomscrolling), skipping workouts (equally wild, considering the gym is my happy place), and genuinely feeling unable to get out of bed until I had to, lest I miss work. I created this opening shift to encourage stress reduction and restore some calm and clarity to my days.
Open the curtains and windows; make the bed. Throwing open the curtains and windows helps me to feel refreshed, as well as set my circadian rhythm for the day. We’re secretly all plants, I’m convinced of it, and the fresh air really works wonders on me. Then, I force myself to immediately make the bed properly – throw cushions and all – in order to stop me from getting back in.
Do one thing at a time. Like many people, I’m a chronic multi-tasker. Sometimes, it’s good to remember that we don’t have to be optimised humans all the time. Hey, you’ve just woken up. Go easy on yourself. Instead of brushing my teeth while scrolling notifications while putting the kettle on while shoving bread in the toaster, I’m doing one of those at a time. In fact, I’m leaving my phone elsewhere entirely. This has helped me to calm my nervous system and be ‘better’ at each task; there’s enough water in the kettle, the toast isn’t burnt or hasn’t already gone cold by the time I’m ready for it.
Cook a warm, nutritious breakfast. Hand in hand with my TCM studies, I’m reaping the benefits of making a ‘proper’ breakfast. It doesn’t usually involve toast. Sometimes it’s chicken congee with egg drop, other times it’s eggs scrambled with spinach and black sesame seeds. Always, it is cooked and warm/hot.
Enjoy a five-minute outdoors meditation. Sitting outside for a few minutes has hugely helped me to ground myself before the day gets started. Even better if I can get outside barefoot and actually ground myself! I try and let my mind go blank, or at least wander, to reset my nervous system and introduce a moment of calm.
The closing shift
My closing shift rounds off my evenings and sets me up for tomorrow. These habits are also the ones that slip away the quickest when life gets busy and tiring! But, I’ve really focused on these little things lately, and it’s made the world of difference.
Tidy my desk. I spend a lot of time at my desk, even on days when I’m at my company’s office, since I love to write, craft and journal here. Not leaving it in complete disarray is key for my mind to feel at ease and to ensure a smooth start to my next day.
Choose just one cosy hobby per week. Like I mentioned above, I love to write, craft and journal… and read, embroider, game, work on house DIY, make candles, paint, garden… I’ve always been a hobby person, but the problem is that I also always want to do it all. That’s not feasible and I worked out that it was starting to affect how enjoyable I found my hobbies. Lately, I’m selecting just one hobby or activity and focusing on that for the week, or a stretch of days. It’s been game-changing for feeling like I’m making progress in a game or on a project, and it’s definitely healing my attention deficit.
Wash the dishes and clean the sides. Living in a household of just two, and with both of us very easygoing, means that it’s very easy for me to leave unwashed dishes piled up in the sink and ‘sort them out tomorrow’. I’ve since realised that it becomes mental and visual clutter for me, and that spending a few minutes cleaning dishes and the kitchen worktops makes me feel 100 times better.
Reset the living room. Finally, I end the closing shift with a turndown service in our living room: blankets folded away, coasters stacked, cushions returned and fluffed. I leave it feeling clean, fresh and cosy, ready to enjoy after tomorrow’s long day.
