It's always important to consider your health first and foremost. You can't do anything if you burn out and your health deteriorates in the process. Take that personal time for yourself and don't let those "you have to be doing something" thoughts invade your brain. We're living beings and we need our rest.

hmm, burnout is a rough thing. but can stem from more than one factor, but the worst kind I've ever experienced is one called AUTISTIC burnout. there's a comic i saw that exemplifies it well. I'll link it after, it's on tumblr if that's not an issue.

how to avoid it? well, one way is to become more aware of your own internal energy levels, or "spoons" as spoon theory calls it, how much you are aware you can do before ya just can't no more. but it sounds like, from the title of this journal, you've got that down already.

when i feel it coming, i take time to do something that makes me feel content. eating a good meal that tastes great. playing with or snuggling my dog, reading or playing relaxing video games. it may take more than one session to rid yourself of burnout. gotta let your trees regrow after the forest fire,you know. it takes time, but being kind to yourself and not pushing yourself too hard will really help.

remember: If being hard on yourself worked, it would have worked by now.

here's that comic.

https://www.tumblr.com/kyahcomic/70.....e?source=share

Sometimes, we need to take a step back and make some time for ourselves to rest from day to day activities. Just so that we won't be burnt out on things when we do need to do them.

Don't underestimate the Wondrous power of 'nothing'. Please don't feel guilty about achieving nothing. My advice, embrace nothing for a few weeks. Yeah ok...real life and work needs to be done, but put everything else on hold. Don't do anything creative ...at all! Enjoy other people's creativity instead; watch movies, read a book...let your brain absorb someone else's stuff instead of having to think. Do whatever let's you chill.
Your mind needs time to defragment, like an old computer! Needs to delete the old stuff and reorder it's thoughts.
Enjoy not thinking, just spend a few weeks being lazy! It sounds like you deserve it!

Hope that helps a little

Rest, time out and patience are the only way I know to face burnout. Sorry.

Take all the time you need for your mental health and I hope you'll find some way to allow yourself to relax. Your first priority should be your well being, take care of yourself big guy uwu.

The one thing I've learned about burnout is that it's different from person to person. You sound like you're an "always busy" kinda person....I could suggest maybe trying to do something a little more "mindless" for lack of a better word.

Maybe try a puzzle...or coloring...or maybe reading. That's how I deal when I feel it

If it was me, the non-profit volunteering would be the first to go. All it indicates on a resume is your willingness to work and stress for little or no compensation, ergo cheap labor. It sounds harsh, but after being an HR admin, warehouse drudge, student, customer service slave, and unemployed person, the non-profit volunteering only benefits the non-profit org. When you have the luxury of free time again, go for it but on your terms. Unless you're building a portfolio of your work to market as a freelance artist (or what have you), pro bono work no longer has the luster it once did. People nowadays will take any inch you give them and run miles without end.

It took getting laid off in 2023 to make me reset my life and realize what I was doing wasn't helping me at all. And while I was grateful for an income when I was recalled to the same job, it was just that: the same job, the same BS I'd left. It had nothing to do with my desired field that I'd enrolled in school for, and last fall I decided to take the plunge and leave that company and pursue more relevant employment. I'm now working an IT construction job I love and have been more relaxed in my off-time than I had been for the past fifteen years.

Take some time away from everything, you already know where you are, consider more where you want to go. In the end, it's your life that matters. Everything else will roll along as it always does.

Hope this helps in some way

It really does help. Thank you very much.

I agree, dump the non-profit, if they’re asking more from you but not giving you anything in return, whether it’s connections to a higher paying job for the bills or a way to help with medical benefits, then quit. Nonprofits are for trust fund babies who can afford a big house, not for the low income working class who needs money to live