Burnout recovery: how Emma Gannon stepped back and reconnected

Emma Gannon experienced a panic attack and was diagnosed with anxiety and burnout, then spent about a year stepping back from most commitments; her memoir A Year of Nothing was published on 22 January.

Emma Gannon, a London-based author, reached a breaking point in late 2022 when she had a panic attack and was later diagnosed with anxiety and burnout. She chose to pare back her life, cancelling non-essential commitments and taking roughly a year to rest and recuperate. In A Year of Nothing she reflects on that period and the changes that helped her reconnect with emotions and past interests. The article describes the signs she noticed, the steps she took, and how she describes her ongoing check-ins. Key facts: - Gannon had a panic attack while on a spa weekend and was diagnosed with anxiety and burnout afterwards. - She cancelled most non-essential commitments, paused a long-running podcast and narrowed daily life to basics during about a year of rest. - She reports several recovery practices she used, including pausing alcohol for a time, using melancholy music to access emotion, spending quiet time with accepting friends, revisiting past passions and changing scenery. - She says she now does regular self-check-ins, feels more resilient and that her memoir A Year of Nothing was published on 22 January. Summary: Gannon's story highlights that burnout can occur despite external success and that stepping back changed how she viewed money, relationships and daily life. She reports ongoing weekly self-checks and greater attunement to early signs of depletion, and her book documents the year she spent recuperating.