When Wellness Hacks Make You Feel Worse: A Burnout Fairy Guide to Doing It Your Way
Because sometimes “life-changing” advice just… isn’t.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever tried a “wellness hack” that everyone swore would transform your life—only to end up feeling like a failure because it didn’t work for you.
Yep, me too.
This post is for the women who are tired of trying to heal in the “right” way. It’s for the ones with busy brains, tender hearts, and bodies that just won’t bend to a routine that wasn’t made for them in the first place. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just not doing it their way—and that’s okay.
Let me tell you about three things I tried (and hated) and what helped instead.
1. Meditation (a.k.a. The Stillness Struggle)
Everyone said meditation would fix my focus, calm my nervous system, even boost my brain’s gray matter. Cool, right?
Except… I couldn’t sit still. My nose itched. My brain wouldn’t shut up. I felt like a failure every time I tried.
💡 What worked instead:
Breathwork. Humming. Movement. Chanting.
I needed something that connected my body to my mind. Once I gave myself permission to move, to breathe deeply, to feel, everything changed. My nervous system calmed. I could actually be present.
2. The Self-Help Book Spiral
I love a good self-help book. I do. But somewhere along the way, reading them started to make me feel… broken. Like if I didn’t already wake up at 4am, drink green juice, and journal in five colors, I wasn’t trying hard enough.
💡 What worked instead:
A flexible self-care menu.
Rather than sticking to a rigid morning routine, I pick from a list of practices based on my energy, time, and physical capacity. It’s seasonal, cyclical, and—most importantly—it actually supports me. No shame, no guilt, no gold stars required.
3. The No Screens Rule
Look, I get it—screens aren’t always great for sleep or stress levels. But “no screens in the morning or at night” isn’t exactly realistic when my alarm clock is my phone, and my wind-down ritual includes reading on my Kindle.
💡 What worked instead:
Mindful screen use.
I’ve customized my settings to reduce blue light, turn off notifications, and activate Do Not Disturb. I use tech as a tool, not a dopamine trap. Boundaries > bans.
What it all comes down to:
✨ Your healing gets to look different.
✨ You don’t have to force what doesn’t fit.
✨ Listening to your body will always be the most powerful hack of all.
💭 Somatic Prompt:
What’s one wellness “should” you’ve been holding onto? And what does your body actually need instead?
Open your journal or just whisper it to yourself. Get curious. No judgment.
💛 Need some actual f*cking relief?
Join me for An Hour of F*cking Relief—a cozy, somatic breathwork session designed to help you drop the rules, reconnect with your body, and exhale the pressure.
