Like a phoenix rising from the ashes… or some profound shit like that

I’m happy to report that I’m on my way to a full recovery from burnout! Woohoo! At least I think so… it’s not like there’s a test or anything. But I can honestly share that I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve been in a very long time. 

I have much more stamina and energy throughout the day and have the capacity to do a lot more. I rarely get migraines now; I’m also much better at recognizing my triggers and symptoms early and know to take preventive steps to keep migraines from progressing further. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this place, and I’m so grateful to be on the other side of this healing process. 

Cristy’s back, y’all. 😎💁🏻‍♀️

Do I still feel down sometimes? Absolutely! But I am much better at allowing myself to feel and acknowledge my emotions without letting them derail my day and leading me down a spiral — though that still happens. I’m much better at recognizing the sensations of my body, pinpointing what the cue means, and taking the appropriate action step. For example, I now notice a tired feeling, like fatigue, on my chest when I need some emotional rest and take action to address that by journaling, painting, meditating, working out, spending time with people, whatever it is I think I need in that moment. I’m also much more accepting of reality and practicing self-compassion to forgive myself for any “transgressions” I catch myself doing throughout the day. 

While this whole experience has been hard, it honestly feels more like a course-correction — and far from rock bottom. In fact, it’s really forced me to look at my life, reassess my values, and make changes.

Where Oh Where Has Cristy Been?

Right here at home, you silly! Yes, yes, but what have I been doing? Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights.

2023

• October: Gallbladder surgery
• December: Checked myself into Intensive Outpatient Therapy

2024

• January: Checked out of the IOP to return to work, told to take my time getting resettled
• February: Two weeks later I found out I was taking too much time… one conversation with HR later and I was back on short-term disability and admitted myself into a different IOP (an 8-week virtual program with participants all over the state)
• March: Enrolled in a six-month health coaching certification program
• April: Resigned from my job to live off savings for the rest of the year
• May, June: Cast in “The Black Lily,” an improv show inspired by “The White Lotus”
• July: Focused on my health coaching program where I was recruiting strangers to coach, record the videos, and have a faculty mentor provide feedback on my coaching. 
• August: I backpacked the Enchantments Traverse in Washington on a once-in-a-lifetime trip (because I’m never hiking that shit again). I ended up in the hospital… This deserves its own blog post because it’s fucking hilarious first-ever backpacking trip. So many mistakes were made.
• September: Graduated from the health coaching program which challenged me in unexpected ways and showed me I was capable of so much more than I ever believed. I also went on another Western Caribbean cruise to make up for the one I took in 2023 while I was still recovering from surgery. (I wanted the full cruise experience!)
• October: I was interviewed on Austin’s NPR affiliate KUT to talk about improv shows celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
• November: I got to AD a short film!
• December: I got a story published on the Texas Monthly website! I even got to stay in a bougie inn on their dime. I also started a super part-time job working the kids’ camps at the climbing gym and immediately got sick. I also took a class on Adult Mental Health First Aid to get more training on how to help others having a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

2025

• January: No exaggeration, I spent half of this month sick. First a cold, then I caught the flu and was so incredibly sick, it took an extra week after the flu just to recover from the fatigue, and another week after that to get rid of my gross cough. The worst of it was on my actual 38th birthday. In bed, all I could think was ‘I’ll be so pissed if I die on my birthday.’ Fortunately, I didn’t. 
• February: Kicked off rehearsal for a new improv show called “Buddy Cops” which is inspired by 70’s buddy cop films. (I’ll share the ticket link on my Shows page when it’s up.)
• March: Started the job search since it’s the worst time ever to be a freelance writer. And restarted blogging! “Buddy Cops” will open on March 22 at the Hideout Theatre.

Wins along the way… 

Burnout made me realize just how much of a shadow artist I really was and denying myself joy and fulfillment from my creative activities was a huge reason I burned out to begin with. 

1. Because words were hard to put together, I turned to art. Or, more accurately, I returned to art because I’d forgotten I was actually good at drawing and painting, and I get sincere satisfaction from creating watercolor illustrations for fun. It’s also a way for me to work on my perfectionism because I force myself to finish these projects whether they look good or not. 
2. I’ve also reconnected with music. I find myself singing and dancing at home all the time now.
3. I’m reading for fun again! For the first time since… middle school?… I was finally able to shut off my editor brain and find enjoyment and appreciation in authors’ writing styles, vocabulary choices, and even story pacing. Before, I was hyper-critical of everything I read and could only read non-fiction; prose became infuriating. 
4. After many months of struggle, I’m finally writing again!!! I’m relearning how to love the process of writing — and not just the outcome. 
5. I’ve reestablished the routines, habits, and rituals that helped me live my life before I lost myself in the rat race and neglected self-care. I accept I’m high maintenance and require a lot in my day to day. There are no shortcuts to health and wellness, only daily cumulative choices that help or hurt me in the long run. 

I’m sure as soon as I hit publish I’ll think of other things that should be on this list. 

What Comes Next?

That’s a great question! My ultimate dream is to have a variety of income streams to match my varied interests. Ideally, I’d make a living from:

• Writing features for publications
• Live performances
• Publishing books
• Selling a screenplay or pilot
• Content creation (blogs, vlogs, podcasting)
• Selling original artwork and prints/posters
• Individual and group coaching
• Film/TV production gigs
• Being my authentic self?

Alternatively, I wouldn’t say no to some billionaire’s wealth because they thought I was super cool and amazing. Also, wouldn’t it be HILARIOUS to give Cristy all this money when she says she’s anti-capitalist? How quickly would that change her mind? Let’s find out and see! (Seriously, I’m down for this experiment. Let’s see how quickly power, influence, and money corrupt me.)

But the reality is, it’s a terrible time to be a self-employed writer. Writers have always been undervalued, but the tech bros have stolen all of our collective work so AI can regurgitate a meandering, redundant mess that overworked-and-underpaid editors have to work with. Even if companies aren’t counting strictly on AI for all of their content creation, the mass layoffs across tech and media have lowered all of the salaries for roles I would be applying to. Sorry, but I’m not taking a $100K pay cut to do the same kind of work.  

I’ve found some flexible and part-time work I can do for now. I’m ok with living paycheck to paycheck if it means I have time to have a life. But money is also nice, you know? I just want to find a job that doesn’t make me feel like I’m selling out my soul for company revenue. Is that too much to ask?

In the meantime, I’m doing the best I can with the energy and resources I have available at the moment. I’m incredibly proud of how much progress I’ve made, and there’s still so much more to learn.