Burnout Recovery: 5 Tips to Help You Reset
Your brain can’t consistently handle an overwhelming amount of work. Whether it’s anxiety during your period or you’re simply stressed for so long, you can expect burnout on the way. Once your psyche gives up and your body, it takes time to get back and feel motivated again.
Burnout happens gradually, so you need to start detoxing if you’re starting to feel the symptoms. Here are 5 tips to help you reset when you’re in the middle of burnout recovery. It can be frustrating, but knowing what to do can ease the pain.
Acknowledge The Signs of Burnout
Recovery starts from accepting that you’re burnt out. If you’re not yet detoxing at home, chances are you still don’t think you’re starting to burn out. As you try to recover, you must acknowledge that you need help. You will find that there are key indicators that burnout is starting to weigh on you.
For starters, you’ll start to feel unhappy and unmotivated. Your body will feel different kinds of illnesses, from random fevers, tension, fatigue, and even insomnia. You start losing sight of yourself, your goals, your pride, and you’ll even feel irritable and emotional.
Burnout can cause your body to shut down, increasing the risk for stroke, cardiovascular issues, diabetes, depression, and more. If you feel drained and slogging over tasks, it is time to consider that you’re not doing well. It’s burnout, and you have to do something about it.
2. Take Everything Day to Day
The most important way to start with your recovery is to take it day-to-day. Start easing off on your tasks every day and see if you can begin to relish your hours. Rather than pile up the tasks yourself, set up a time to address the small things, from your skin concerns to the amount of rest you take.
Add more frequent breaks as the weeks go by. Rather than have a long annual vacation, break apart your paid time off into a few days or weeks when you start feeling down. Try to get enough rest every day and make sure you have off time between your work.
Remember that resting is not something you should pass over. When your body is asking for a nap, sleep, or just a few minutes to relax, give in. Releasing tension can help reduce stress and cut down on the anxiety you’re feeling.
3. Learn When To Add and Subtract Things In Your Life
Even without holiday anxiety, you’ll start to feel that you’re losing out on space, energy, and motivation. You need to rearrange your life, and sometimes, it can be drastic. It’s vital to take out as much toxicity as possible and add something to your life.
Know when to take out the “trash” and when to add something of value. What things in your life make you sad, anxious, and unhappy? Cut them off your life. Toxic people, toxic work environments, and toxic habits can weigh you down and keep you in a rut.
At the same time, you want to start adding good habits. Start exercising if you’re not into the routine. Start eating healthier if you have to. Try meditating, yoga, and other things that can help you relax. It could be these small things that you need to add that can help you relax and feel better through burnout.
Reviewing your activities is a must when trying to recover from burnout. You need to look where you’re overdoing things, where you’re falling short, and see what you need to tone down. Work can wait but burning yourself to simply finish your tasks means there’s inefficiency somewhere down the line.
4. Engage With The People (Or Pets) You Love
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to burnout. Even then, what helps a lot with burnout is having the support of those who matter the most. Tapping into your family and friends can be a great way to relieve your stress and get out of the funk.
Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, social interaction is a powerful way to build up positive emotions. Being with family and friends helps you release dopamine and serotonin and lower your stress hormones like cortisol. This helps towards mental recovery, as well as help you move away from your stressors.
Forgetting about the reason why you’re burnt out can help get you back in action faster than you should. It doesn’t even have to be family and friends too, especially if you’re not very good with people around you.
If you’re good with animals or have pets, be around them. It may sound as cheesy as it can be, but love is a great way to relieve stress.
5. Know When To Set Your Boundaries
Setting limits on the time you give to your work and other stressors can help you manage your burnout recovery. Too many commitments can tax your mind and body. Before you agree to help someone or pile more work on yourself, evaluate if you have time to take it.
Take a moment to assess everything that you need before you agree. See if you have the time and energy, mainly because it’s likely that you have a lot of things to do as it is. Set boundaries and learn to say no, even if it means this can net you a bit of extra cash down the line.
You’re neither lazy nor selfish if you don’t think you have enough of it in you to help or get more work. Being picky about the extra commitments you take secures your physical and mental health. It will also help get you more energy when you have to do extra obligations.
Practice compassion, especially to yourself. Loving yourself means giving yourself the love and support that you deserve. You are the best version of yourself, so it’s vital to make do with your strengths right now. Sure, you can always do better, but do it at your own pace.
The Bottom Line
Burnout recovery takes time, and it’s essential to not think about work when you’re on your off time. Everyone has their own formula for recovery but the one thing they have in common is rest.
It’s crucial to take your mind off things and let your body and mind detoxify. Learn to create boundaries for yourself. Take only what you can and learn to say no.
-Katie Pierce
Katie Pierce is a teacher-slash-writer who loves telling stories to an audience, whether it’s bored adults in front of a computer screen or a bunch of hyperactive 4-year-olds. Writing keeps her sane (most of the time) and allows her to enjoy some quiet time in the evening before she walks into a room of screaming kids (all of whom she loves dearly) the next morning.
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider or qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.