Restoration Redefined

I thought I knew exactly how to do this. I specialize in professional burnout. The equation is simple: more rest and less work. Experiencing burnout myself last year, I relied on the old math, but it wasn’t enough.  This time felt different. The mental weight felt heavier, my thinking more pessimistic, and my energy lower. So, I reduced my weekly workload and dialed up my self-care. But it wasn’t working. I had to find a different route to wellness, and my growing fatigue called for more than a spa day. I needed an intervention that would sustain me through this challenging time. What I found was that stepping away from work was not restoring me like usual.

Rather than more time on the couch, I realized I was seeking an activity that engaged me without depleting me. Could I fill my empty cup with part-time work tandem to my therapy practice?  While brainstorming, I found myself dreaming about my usual professional escape fantasies: park ranger, landscape artist, hiking guide, and chef. Over dinner one evening, I described my concerns to my son, who instantly advised me to consider working part-time at local restaurant. What? Waitressing? But I’m a therapist. He made a compelling argument: being a server is active, tangible, relational, and fun. My son zeroed in on what I fundamentally needed on a weekly basis, a day of hard physical work with low responsibility in a dynamic environment. He was 100% correct.

For the last six months, I have worked part-time as a barista at a local cafe. I spend one day per week in a culinary wonderland where everything is scratch-made and delicious. It’s pure dopamine with aromas of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, warm lattes, smiles from customers, and a full-body workout. My café job is vastly different from my professional therapy work but shares threads of connection, community and service to others. It brings balance to my work week.

Here’s what I discovered in my unconditional wellness journey: Self-care can be accessed through restorative work instead of rest alone; Burnout recovery may not always result from doing less, but from finding the right mix of weekly engagement that is life-giving; And, as much as I love this part-time job, it has cured my fever-dream of becoming a chef and restaurant owner – my calling is to be a therapist.