Creative Burnout Recovery: How Art and Somatic Exercises Can Help You Feel Like Yourself Again

When You’re Burnt Out and No, a Bubble Bath Isn’t Gonna Fix It

Let’s be real.

Burnout doesn’t just mean you're tired. It means your brain has 78 tabs open, none of them are responding, and you forgot how to click “refresh.” It means you haven’t felt like yourself in months—and you're not even sure who “yourself” is anymore.

But good news: You don’t need to disappear into the mountains or rebrand your entire life. You might just need a paintbrush… or to move your body for five minutes like no one’s watching.

Let’s talk about how art therapy and somatic exercises can gently walk you back to yourself—without the pressure to be “productive” ever again.

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1. What Burnout Really Feels Like (It’s Not Just Being Tired)

You overthink everything—even whether you're overthinking.

Joy? Creativity? Motivation? Can’t relate.

Your body feels like it’s in permanent “brace for impact” mode.

You feel like a former version of yourself is MIA… and no one's noticed.

This is what creative and emotional burnout looks like. And you're not crazy for feeling it. You're just maxed out—and deeply human.

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2. Why Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough

Therapy is amazing. I’m a therapist. I love therapy.

But sometimes:

You’re talked out.

You don’t have words.

You already understand your stress… you just can’t feel anything different.

Burnout isn’t a logic problem. It’s a nervous system problem. That’s why we need more than words to heal.

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3. Art Therapy = Healing Without Pressure to Perform

No, you don’t have to be “artistic.”

Art therapy is about expressing, processing, and reclaiming creativity without needing to make anything beautiful.

What it can do:

Give you access to emotions that words can’t touch

Help you reconnect with the part of you that still feels things deeply

Offer a safe, playful space where there’s no wrong way to show up

And yes, finger painting counts. Especially when it brings tears you didn’t know you needed to cry.

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4. Somatic Exercises: Grounding Yourself When You Feel Like a Floating Head

Somatic = body-based. These are gentle practices that help:

Calm your nervous system

Anchor you in the present moment

Create a sense of safety from the inside out

Examples?

Breathing while pressing your feet into the floor

Shaking your arms out after a stress spiral

Laying down with one hand on your belly and one on your heart

Bonus: No gym clothes or gym anxiety required.

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5. Why It Works: Science + Soul

Here’s what’s happening under the hood:

Burnout = dysregulated nervous system = you feel stuck or shut down

Art activates the right brain (creativity, emotion, imagination)

Somatic tools help shift your body out of “freeze” mode and back into balance

And if you’re faith-based: these practices can also create space to be still and know—to feel God’s presence in the moments when words fall short.

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6. How to Start Feeling Like Yourself Again (Without a Total Life Overhaul)

Try this:

Spend 5 minutes journaling after scribbling a spiral or blending watercolors

Do a body scan before bed instead of doomscrolling

Put on your favorite song and move like you’re dancing for no one but God

Small moments of creative reconnection = BIG shifts in how you feel.

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Final Thoughts: You’re Not Lazy. You’re Burned Out. And You Deserve a Way Back to You.

Burnout lies. It says you're not doing enough, not being enough. But healing? Healing says you’re allowed to rest. To express. To begin again.

If you’re ready to feel like yourself again—without having to talk through every detail—I offer online art-based therapy for women navigating burnout, overwhelm, and emotional disconnection.

Let’s reconnect you to your creativity, your body, and your soul.

[Click the button to book your free 20-minute consult or learn more about my sessions.