I have a couple of go-to methods. When I have time and the weather is nice I visit my fav park, put up a hammock, smoke de ganja and just hang loose, watch birds, listen to music or meditate. Just walks out in nature are also great. I also like cooking and diying. Basically stuff that keeps my hands busy and my mind still. If I have money to spare I might get a massage. For things that trouble me and consume the energy that I would need for my day to day life I have found somatic shaking to be very beneficial.

But the most important part is to do all of these things consistently and not only as a last resort. Self care takes practice and it works for burnout prevention just as well as intervention.

Sleep. I'm usually tired when I feel that way.

If not, good food. This isn't necessarily traditional comfort food. Usually just means splurging for something I don't typically get: sushi, Cajun food, salmon, etc. I don't typically eat out so most anything works for this. So long as it's something I know I like.

I try to spend time in nature. Walk around. Sit on a rock. Look at small things. Close my eyes and listen, smell, feel. Go home. Take a shower. Eat something uncomplicated but reasonable (oatmeal + eggs (optional) + fruit (optional)). Go to bed early (not optional). Feel what feels like to be tired. Sleep.

You feeling ok butterfly? It’s a nice day. It might be good to take a walk. As I get older I am taking great peace from a nice flower garden or even just watching birds mooch about.

Watching my favourite comedies. Stoner humour always puts things in perspective for me, so it helps 😁

My favs are Harold and Kumar go to white castle, Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, and super troopers

Tea.

I go to the pub, bring a book and nurse a single pint for an hour, and if I should strike up a convo with some happy locals, all the better.

Just kidding, I drink coke and eat m&m's even though it does not help in the slightest

Wank and a nap.

I stop my internal nagging pressure to do whatever thing I've been trying to achieve. It seems minor but I just let the natural momentum build back up to where I may or may not want to continue the project.

I have lots of interests that are more passive and ongoing, but my actual physical projects are physically and mentally taxing, plus I have chronic health crap to deal with. It has been challenging to learn how to curb my curiosity just right to avoid taking on a new big project, playing with passive interests, and letting myself have the time needed to get interested in the last project again and try and finish it. It is hard having become a tenth as productive as I once was. I'm still not great at it, but I'm getting better about staying focused on one large overall project at a time. So much of the feelings are entirely driven from within in ways that may only become clear when all external human interaction is removed. That has been my experience.

Sensory pleasures: tasty food, music, watching Sousou no Frieren (because that series has gorgeous looks!), kneading my cats (I joke this is "revenge" on them), incense, baking some bread (I don't need to eat it, kneading + smelling fresh bread is enough)...

It’s important to have healthy coping mechanisms. My three main ways of dealing with burnout are: 1. Manual labor, 2. Journal, 3. Play an instrument. If I have enough energy, doing a quick exercise routine or cleaning the kitchen and bathroom or some other physical task tends to help. If I’m feeling sluggish too, then I shift to playing an instrument (piano or guitar for me). If anxiety is part of the problem, journaling helps.

lay down in a dark room

Bath, massage, edibles, sleep. Shut off mind and body, reboot.

Pound two big energy drinks and keep going.

Repeat until I hit the wall bigtime and become an enormous asshole for a day or two until my moodyness starts to piss ME off. Then become an emotional blank spot for about 72 hrs. Sleep a lot until I feel like doing the work again.

shave, shower and go do something new/outdoors. Sometimes I'll find that I'm stuck in the same routines for too long and they're not working for whatever reason and changing things up helps me break the routine which then helps me figure out what I need to change to feel better.

Sometimes when I'm too knackered to inspect the beehives properly I just sit and watch the bees coming and going. If there's a flow on, helper bees wait for the foragers at the entrance so they can take on the nectar load (bees have a large "honey stomach" separate from their regular stomach) and carry it to storage. There might be a "waggle dance" on the landing board if someone has found a good spot. It's very soothing to watch.

Music, reflecting on memories, maybe cry a bit to release endorphins.

But honestly, depression makes it harder to get those endorphins, those endorphins feel soo good, it makes memories feel so special.

But when the moment is over, I realize the past is gone, the happiness I once was able to feel is gone. Endorphins is a band-aid chemical, it feels sad and empty again after the endorphins stops coming.

Maybe not "run down" but when I'm feeling emotionally antsy I'll do some exercise (usually running).

If I'm actually in need of a break I'll plan a treat for myself. Cookie, reading in Bath, playing game, long diary entry — that sort of thing.