Recipe for the Perfect Burn-Out: Spanish Style

27. April 2025

Ayurveda
The image shows a close-up view of hands performing Aarti, a Hindu ritual of worship. A circular metal plate, likely brass or copper, holds offerings such as flower petals and what appears to be grains or herbs. A small flame, possibly fueled by ghee or camphor, burns brightly in the center of the plate, radiating a warm glow.

Create a foolproof way to burn the candle at both ends while chasing a path that was never truly yours…A recipe for reinvention best served with kindness, compassion, and gratitude.

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Recipe for Desgaste

Ah, the classic burnout sauce recipe–now with Spanish Flair! This is a recipe of how a young, ambitious woman moved to Spain, thinking she’d left hamster wheel behind, only to find herself simmering in the same ol’ sawce. Long hours, studying ayurveda, language assisting aka chasing goals that didn’t quite feel like hers–all slow-cooked over a steady flame of avoidance and perfectionism.

The secret ingredient? Ignoring siesta and living with unripe flat mates. Toss in a dash of semi-lockdown, a sprinkle of overcommitting, and let it all marinate in a pressure cooker of unrealistic expectations. Voilà, you’ve got the perfect recipe for exhaustion, served with a side of frustration and generalised anxiety. Aproveché!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of language assistant duties (bilingual comm with all levels of patience)
  • 2 tablespoons of cultural immersion (preferably with a side of flamenco, tapas, and endless small talk)
  • 3 sprigs of Ayurveda study (lots of curiosity, a pinch of over-enthusiasm, and a dash of self-doubt)
  • 4 teaspoons of “Why mi a do dis?” (highly filtered)
  • 1 small dose of perpetual movement (Andalusia to Telde to Valencia to Las Palmas)
  • A handful of unplanned changes (with a special ingredient: vata imbalances)
  • 1 cup of perfectionism (baked into every personal project and work ting)
  • Slight drizzle of immaturity (from outside sources)
  • 3 teaspoons of unprocessed childhood drama (optional but highly effective for burnout when mixed with all the other ingredients)
  • A pinch of moon cycles (because timing always seems to be in the stars)
  • 1 cup of “Mi nuh need no rest, mi a Superwoman!”
  • Optional: mañana procrastination (it pairs well with anxiety chaser)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your excitement: Start by infusing yourself with the excitement of a new life in Spain—mix with wanderlust and the hope that all the career changes will magically fall into place.
  2. Whisk in multitasking: As you juggle language assistant work, Ayurveda studies, and your “let’s travel across Spain” lifestyle, slowly stir in a pinch of self-doubt about not being able to do it all.
  3. Layer your dance card: A generous dose of karaoke and familiar family ‘fun’ at Paddy’s Irish Bar here, sprinkle a weekender to Morocco there, and “Let’s go to the beach” on the daily. Don’t forget the 1-2 over-committed Zoom meetings at 9 pm from an inconvenient time zone whilst recovering from 2 infections.
  4. Add in moments of exhaustion: Sprinkle liberally. Especially when the “perfect plan” gets lost in the sauce of running from place to place—but remind yourself that you’re actually “learning so much” (deep down, though, you feel your battery dying).
  5. Simmer under pressure: Let the constant moving from Telde to Valencia to Las Palmas really take a toll—don’t forget to let your ambitions simmer in the back of your mind, as you ignore the subtle (not so much) signs that your body yearns, “I need sleep.”
  6. Spice with trauma drama and unprocessed emotions: When you least expect it, ‘Boom! Shake the Room’ rise to the top.
  7. Let the moon cycles guide your path: Prepare for an ‘Emotional Rollercoaster’ based on the lunar calendar, but if your cycle aligns with the new moon, feel free to blame this for any out of whack decisions or sleepless nights.
  8. Finish with a drizzle of immaturity: When things get too real, embrace your inner child. Ignore adulting for the day and indulge in an impulsive adventure (or two). Just remember to reflect on this period of life with the ‘phrase that pays’, “It was a phase”.
  9. Optional final touch—procrastination: If there’s any remaining energy, let it be captured in the form of putting off self-care until mañana. After all, you’re fine for now, verdad?
  10. Rest and Recovery (essential step): Realise burnout is real. Acknowledge that true recovery involves pause, recalibration, and gentle compassion toward yourself—plus a hefty amount of rest.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a generous helping of laughter, hugs, and dancing. Pair with deep breaths, a few stretches, and ideally a meditation (preferably at the beach or with a side of home cooked goodness). If possible, follow up with a break from adulting or a good night’s sleep when you can.

Final Touches: How to Avoid a Burnout Blowout

Felicidades! You’ve successfully overcooked yourself into a crispy, frazzled mess. But don’t worry—Spain has a secret ingredient for fixing this recipe disaster: rest. That’s right, hermanx@s, rest isn’t a garnish; it’s the main course. Slow mornings? Non-negotiable. Midday pauses? Doctor’s orders. Evenings spent actually enjoying life? Consider it the chef’s special.

So if you been servin’ up burnt sauce on the regular, maybe it’s time to ‘Chuck It So’ and cook up something a little more nourishing. Stay tuned for that dish—it pack wid more flavour an nuh bun up one bit!