Why You’re Feeling Burnt Out This January (+ Tarot Advice On Overcoming It)
Burnout happens when we push ourselves too far, often by ignoring signs that we need to slow down.
The prolonged and excessive stress that we put ourselves through can have a big impact on our ability to live to our fullest potential. Burnout can make us less open to important emotional experiences, and make us feel energetically drained. While it’s commonly associated with work, occupational burnout can reach into our daily lives. Here are suggestions from the tarot for each zodiac sign on how to best deal with burnout.
Aries
Your Card: 10 of Cups.
The best way that you can deal with burnout, Aries, is to lean into the harmony and balance that you can experience in your home life. It’s important that you make time to spend with those you love, so you can refill your emotional reservoir after periods of protracted stress. Peace and contentment can help reset us after extended periods of burnout and stress.
Taurus
Your Card: 8 of Pentacles.
Hard-working and focused, you cherish being occupied and feeling useful, and you aren’t one to let some feelings – much less a little burnout – get in your way. Learning a new skill is a great way for you to deal with burnout, Taurus. Instead of getting caught up in any perfectionist tendencies that can arise in areas you know well, you can approach something with the joy of a beginner’s mind and reconnect with the joy of creation.
Gemini
Your Card: The Tower
Dealing with your burnout is going to ask a lot of you, Gemini. It’s long past time to reevaluate your relationship with stress, as things have gone far beyond the tipping point. What you do might mean creating new, healthier habits, or it might require that you take more drastic measures to support your recovery, like a career change. Be brave in the face of these big changes. Your mental and emotional health are worth it, and you are more than capable of handling it.
Cancer
Your Card: 6 of Swords, Reversed.
One of the reasons you’re so burned out, Cancer, is that you are bringing forward more from your past than you need to. Some of the defense mechanisms and narratives that you have carried are now slowing your ability to make the changes you need to move past all the burnout you’re feeling. As you work through everything, evaluate the things that you tell yourself, and actively defend yourself from your inner critic.
Leo
Your Card: Ace of Wands, Reversed.
There’s a lot in your environment that excites you, and you feel that there’s potential all around, but you just aren’t experiencing the burst of inspiration or motivation that you need to get started. Instead of continuing to push forward, realize that distraction is the name of the game, for you, Leo. Sometimes the best thing we can do to recharge is to reconnect with parts of the world that fill us with fascination and wonder.
Virgo
Your Card: 5 of Pentacles.
When we are dealing with large challenges, especially when our resources are stretched thin, it’s easy to lose sight of anything else but our own difficulties. It’s hard to feel that we are in an abundant world when we feel like our experience is one of strife. Your concern about your challenges is valid, Virgo. The emotional stress that comes from material difficulty makes it understandable that we can’t see all of the resources and opportunities that are around us. Consider seeking outside help, even if just for some perspective.
Libra
Your Card: The Empress, Reversed.
Burning out is easy when you’re trying to make sure that everything runs smoothly and everyone is comfortable Libra. Your diplomatic approach means you’ve been dedicated to everyone around you being cared for, but you’ve been neglecting your own needs. There’s an adage about putting your oxygen mask on first, and you’d be wise to heed it. Take some time now, and tend to your needs with the same care and devotion you’d invest in others.
Scorpio
Your Card: 9 of Wands Reversed.
You’ve taken too much of an emotional burden onto yourself, and it could lead to resentment and ultimately paranoia. Instead of carrying and rehashing old battles in your mind, stop struggling against yourself, Scorpio. Be fearless in setting and maintaining healthy emotional boundaries while you refocus your thoughts on visualizing your goal, and consider what you can bring forward with you that will help you achieve it.
Sagittarius
Your Card: King of Wands Reversed.
You’re pushing yourself far too hard, Sagittarius, and your unrealistic expectations and overbearing, perfectionist attitude is driving you quickly towards burnout. Being ambitious is important, but you need to be more compassionate with yourself to build what you’re hoping to create. Instead of driving yourself relentlessly towards schedules and milestones, release your grip on your expectations a bit, especially if your deadlines are self-imposed. You’ll find yourself in more control if you give yourself enough space to breathe.
Capricorn
Your Card: The Wheel of Fortune.
You enjoy having a plan and knowing exactly how things are going Capricorn, but that’s just not realistic all of the time. Sometimes, luck and fate play a larger role in our daily lives than we like to admit, especially when we’re trying to make big moves. Transformation often requires us to give ourselves over to change – and sometimes that means allowing things to be out of our control. Instead of holding on so tight that you’re burning yourself out from the stress, trust the universe. Let life happen.
Aquarius
Your Card: The Lovers.
Being open to new, meaningful relationships or deepening current ones is a good way for you to address burnout and deal with stress, Aquarius. Be selective in what and who you choose to spend your time with. People and activities that align with where we’re going in life tend to ask far less of us and can be a source of renewal instead of one of stress.
Pisces
Your Card: The Hermit, Reversed.
You’ve been spending a lot of time with your thoughts, Pisces, and if you continue to do so you’ll find yourself facing some vicious burnout. While yes, of course, you have all you need to succeed and the answers are within you, it’s time to emerge from your hermitage before your time alone transforms into you feeling lonely or you withdrawing entirely. Don’t allow yourself to become so introspective you lose your connections to the world.