8 Little Things I Do Because I Refuse to Spend My Weekends Recovering From My Workweek

If you’re a high-achieving professional in New York, you probably know this feeling:

It’s Saturday morning.
You technically have “nothing” to do.
But you feel exhausted anyway.

Not just physically.

Mentally.

Because even when you close your laptop…
your brain doesn’t.

You’re replaying conversations.
Overanalyzing emails.
Catastrophizing about next week.
Drafting responses in your head.

You’re mentally staying “on” long after work ends.

As a burnout therapist in NYC, I see this every single week with ambitious professionals — and I’ve had to intentionally structure my own habits around it too.

You’re not just exhausted from working.

You’re exhausted from ruminating about work.

That constant cognitive engagement is what drives burnout.

When your brain never clocks out, your nervous system never resets.

So by the weekend, you’re depleted.

Here are 8 small things I personally do — and teach my therapy clients — to stop spending my weekends recovering from my workweek.

1. I Pick 3 Things That Matter Most Each Day

Not 27.

Not my entire running to-do list.

Just three meaningful tasks.

Anxiety thrives on vague overwhelm.

When everything feels urgent, your nervous system stays activated.

Choosing three priorities creates containment.

Instead of:
“I have so much to do.”

It becomes:
“These three things matter today.”

Structure reduces rumination.

2. I Get Out of My Apartment Midweek for Something That Isn’t Work

Even if it’s just a 15-minute walk.
Grabbing coffee.
Walking a different route home.

If my entire week is apartment → work → apartment → work, my brain never shifts states.

Your nervous system needs physical cues that you are not working.

Burnout isn’t just about workload.
It’s about lack of transition.

3. I Schedule a 10-Minute “Worry Window”

Instead of spiraling all day.

When a work worry pops up, I tell myself:
“I’ll think about this during my worry window.”

And then I actually sit down — for 10 minutes — and let my brain go.

With a timer.

This is a CBT-based anxiety tool I use constantly with high-functioning clients.

When worry has a container, it loses its power to hijack your entire day.

4. I Don’t Try to Solve Tomorrow’s Problems at 9pm

Nothing good happens at 9pm when you’re anxious.

Your brain is tired.
Your body is dysregulated.
Your thoughts are distorted.

Nighttime problem-solving is rarely productive — it’s usually rumination in disguise.

There is a difference between planning and spiraling.

5. I Close My Laptop at a Set Time

Even if there’s more I could do.

There will always be more you could do.

Always.

But without a defined stopping point, your nervous system never receives the message:
“We’re done.”

Ambitious professionals often struggle here.

But boundaries around time are anxiety management tools — not laziness.

6. I Let People Be a Little Disappointed

This one is uncomfortable.

But constantly over-functioning to prevent others’ discomfort is exhausting.

Sometimes recovery means:
– not responding immediately
– not taking on extra
– not being endlessly available

When you stop trying to manage everyone else’s expectations, your mental load drops dramatically.

This is deeply tied to attachment patterns and people-pleasing — something we work on frequently in therapy.

7. I Move My Body When My Brain Won’t Shut Up

Not as punishment.
Not for productivity.

But for regulation.

When my thoughts are looping, movement shifts state.

It doesn’t have to be intense:
– walking
– housework
– stretching
– a quick workout

Your body can interrupt rumination when your thoughts won’t.

8. I Don’t Start or End My Day on My Phone

If the first thing I see is email or Slack, my nervous system spikes before I’ve even gotten out of bed.

If the last thing I see is work, my brain keeps processing overnight.

Phone-free bookends create psychological separation between you and your job.

And that separation is protective.

Why This Actually Matters

For so many high-achieving women and men we work with in NYC, the issue isn’t laziness.

It’s unmanaged anxiety.

It’s chronic rumination.

It’s a nervous system that never fully powers down.

When you mentally stay “on” all week, your weekends become recovery periods instead of actual living.

Limiting how much you think about work matters just as much as limiting how much you do.

Intentional boundaries like:
• A defined worry window
• A laptop closing time
• No nighttime problem-solving
• Phone-free bookends

These are not productivity hacks.

They are anxiety regulation tools.

And when you proactively contain rumination, you stop needing two full days to recover from five.

When This Is a Bigger Pattern

If you’re struggling with:

– Career stress
– Burnout
– High-functioning anxiety
– Overthinking that won’t shut off
– Feeling “on” all the time

That’s not just ambition.

That’s chronic stress.

And it’s treatable.

At my practice, we specialize in anxiety therapy and burnout therapy for ambitious professionals in NYC.

We offer:
• In-person therapy in Midtown Manhattan
• Virtual therapy across New York State
• Specialized treatment for career stress, rumination, and high-achieving anxiety

You don’t have to build your entire life around recovering from work.

If you’re ready to have energy for your actual life, you can book a free consultation.

Let’s see if we’re a fit.

—

Julie Newman, LMHC-D
Anxiety & Burnout Therapist in NYC
Serving high-achieving professionals across New York