Burnout Bonfire: Setting Fire to the “Shoulds”

October hits different. The air’s crisp, spooky season is here, and you might have already lit a cinnamon candle to pretend you have it together. But here’s the thing, fall can be a cesspool for burn out.

The days are shorter. The sunlight disappears faster. And while the world leans into the cozy vibes, your energy levels might be quietly tanking.

Enter the burnout bonfire. Think of it as a little symbolic ritual for your nervous system. You don’t need an actual fire pit (though, like, live your best witchy life if that’s your thing). This is your chance to check in with yourself before the pressure of New Year’s “glow-up” culture hits. You get to decide what you're leaving behind now — not in January when the self-improvement machine revs back up.

When Fall Feels Less “Pumpkin Spice” and More “Please Make It Stop”

There’s something about this time of year that makes everything feel like a countdown. Suddenly it’s Q4, and all those goals you swore you’d crush in January? Yeah… about that. The pressure to “finish strong” kicks in — just when your body’s begging you to slow down.

We don’t talk enough about how this season quietly exhausts us. You’re supposed to be winding down, but instead, you’re trying to ramp up to avoid feeling behind. It’s a dangerous mix of darker days and internal panic. You’re tired, overstimulated, and one group text away from disappearing into a pile of laundry and existential dread.

What Needs to Burn?

Picture this: you’re dragging yourself through routines that used to work — or maybe never did — and wondering why everything feels a little heavier than it should. That’s your cue. Not to power through, but to pause.

This is your chance to release what’s no longer helping you. The habit you’re over. The pressure to be “on” all the time. The hustle that started out motivating and now just feels like a trap.

✨ What have I been forcing that no longer fits?
✨ What expectations am I carrying that feel heavy?
✨ What would I stop doing if I didn’t feel guilty?

This isn't about quitting your life and moving to a cabin in Vermont (though, tempting). It’s about giving yourself permission to stop carrying the things that are wearing you down.

Check In With Yourself Before the Year Tells You To

Fall makes it really easy to slip into autopilot — wake, work, scroll, sleep, repeat. But the shift in season is a perfect time to stop and ask: how am I, really?

It doesn’t have to be deep. You don’t need a breakthrough. Just notice where things feel off.

🌀 How’s my energy lately — emotionally, socially, creatively?
🌀 What am I doing because I want to, versus what I feel I should?
🌀 What small thing could I shift to feel a little more human?

Checking in doesn’t always lead to big changes — but it creates the space to even know what you need. Sometimes that’s rest. Sometimes that’s boundaries. Sometimes that’s finally texting “I can’t make it.”

When You’re Feeling Stuck, Try Asking This

Being stuck is its own kind of fog. You can’t see the next step, and everything feels like too much and not enough at the same time. The urge is to fix it fast. But what if, instead, you just got curious?

These are the questions I come back to when I can’t tell if I need a nap or a life overhaul:

🔹 What do I want less of right now?
🔹 What would “enough” look like today?
🔹 What can I let go of without losing who I am?

You don’t have to figure it all out. You just have to start being honest about what’s weighing you down.

Final Thought

You’re allowed to slow down before you break down. You’re allowed to let go of things without needing a crisis to justify it. And you’re absolutely allowed to enter the last stretch of the year with a quieter kind of clarity — not a bigger to-do list.

So light a candle. Take a deep breath. And let something burn that no longer belongs with you.

If you want a ritual to help you with letting go, download the Burn Out Bonfire Worksheet, below!