Tiny Moments of Joy
Finding Yourself Again After Burnout
When you’ve been running on empty for too long, joy can feel like a language you’ve forgotten how to speak. You see other people laughing, decorating for the holidays, or talking about “self-care” — and part of you wants to roll your eyes because honestly, who has the energy for joy when you’re just trying to make it through the day?
If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not broken. You’re healing.
The quiet return
Burnout doesn’t vanish overnight. It unravels slowly, the same way it crept in — moment by moment, choice by choice. Healing starts quietly, in the spaces where you stop hustling and start noticing.
It’s in the way your morning coffee actually tastes good again.
It’s the sound of your kid laughing in the other room and realizing you smiled without forcing it.
It’s that one song that suddenly hits differently again — not because anything big changed, but because you’re finally present enough to feel it.
Those are tiny moments of joy. And they count. Every single one.
Tiny joy as proof of healing
Joy doesn’t mean life is fixed. It’s evidence that your nervous system is finally coming out of survival mode. Those fleeting sparks — the calm, the laughter, the lightness — are signs that your body and mind are remembering what safety feels like.
Every time you let yourself enjoy one of those moments, you’re practicing self-trust. You’re saying, “Maybe life can be gentle again. Maybe I can let this in.”
Finding yourself again
Finding yourself after burnout isn’t about going back to who you were. It’s about meeting the version of you who made it through — a little softer, a little slower, and maybe a little wiser about what actually matters.
Start with one small joy today.
Open the windows and breathe.
Light the candle.
Send the text to the friend who gets it.
Notice the sun on your face.
Tiny joy isn’t a luxury — it’s medicine. And every time you let yourself feel it, you’re finding your way home again.
If you’re ready to rediscover your joy after burnout...
Therapy can help you reconnect with the calm, capable, joyful version of you that’s still there — just buried under the exhaustion. At Rise Gently Therapy, I help women move through burnout, anxiety, and overwhelm with compassion and clarity.
This week, notice three moments — however small — that make you breathe a little easier. Write them down in your phone or a notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy or profound.
The point isn’t to find more joy; it’s to remember it’s already around you. Over time, those tiny sparks add up, reminding you that your capacity for joy never disappeared — it’s just waiting for space to return.
Let’s start small — one gentle step at a time.
