Lets Talk Mental Health: Event recap
Burnout starts with ‘honeymoon burnout’ | 3 min read
Burnout starts with ‘honeymoon’ burnout.
At Let's Talk Women yesterday in Minneapolis, this idea completely shifted how I think about burnout.
Here’s what it looks like for many women in midlife:
- 2 out of 3 women experienced burnout last year.
- 20+ hours/week go to unpaid caregiving and emotional labor.
Burnout isn’t just stress. It’s when your body and brain freeze. You can’t think, function, or feel joy.
Honeymoon burnout is the early stage–when something new feels exciting (a baby, job, new company), and you overdo it. What starts with joy spirals into where you can’t feel anything.
As a result, you escape into work or even substance use and addiction. You disconnect from people and the things that used to bring you joy.
Today’s panel with Kacy Fleming, M.A., Ronda Marie Chakolis-Hassan, PharmD, MPH, Lauren Graber, and Chanda Smith Baker was rich with their personal stories and practical ways to break that cycle:
🌟 Listen to your body: Rest if it feels off.
🌟 Do a quarterly ‘life audit’: Name your non-negotiables + schedule joy.
🌟 Swap ‘self care’ for ‘community care’: Healing happens through connection, not feeling forced with more to-dos.
🌟 Show yourself compassion: The way you do for others.
🌟 Take what’s yours at work: PTO, leave, wellbeing benefits.
📣 Ronda reminded us about the power of saying yes: “When given a choice, say ‘yes’ to what aligns with your values and keeps you well.”
Thanks Katie Hjelmstad Severt, MBA for creating space for real talk and community care.
Follow the conversation on LinkedIn here.
