Emma Gannon recounts year-long recovery from burnout

Emma Gannon, a London-based author, says she recovered from severe burnout by largely stepping back from work for 12 months and has written about the experience in a book called A Year of Nothing. Gannon says she burned out with a bang in late 2022 when she had a panic attack during a spa weekend.

After a diagnosis of anxiety and burnout, she pared her life back to essentials, cancelling most commitments, quitting a podcast she had hosted for six years and pulling out of a childhood friend’s wedding. Gannon says being able to step back was a privilege because of a financial cushion, and that the year reshaped her attitude to money; she recalls small acts, like buying daffodils for £1, and advises, 'When you’re going through this, make everything very small.

There will be a time when you can be big again.' Her recovery included stopping drinking for a time because alcohol had become a 'chemical blanket', focusing on nourishment, and using music to reconnect with emotions — she describes making a playlist of melancholy songs to 'feel all my feelings'.

She also valued friends who could 'just accept where I was at' and simple, non-judgemental presence. Gannon revisited teenage haunts, went alone to see a band she loved as a teen, and found that changes of scenery, gentle movement and treatments such as reflexology or massage helped her return to her body.

Key Topics

Health, Emma Gannon, London, Burnout, Anxiety