Recovering from BURNOUT
At this point, it’s a buzzword, but the effects are real, and debilitating. More and more today we’re starting to see that the demands of work and life can often lead to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by your everyday responsibilities or simply worn out from the daily grind, it’s important to recognize the signs of BURNOUT so you can take proactive steps to recover.
Burnout is more than just feeling tired after a long day at work. It's a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that can significantly impact your well-being, productivity, and overall quality of life. As the demands of modern life continue to increase, understanding and addressing burnout has never been more important. In this post, we're exploring what burnout is, how to recognize it, and most importantly, how to overcome it, recover and thrive.
So What’s Burnout?
Burnout is a prolonged state of stress and frustration, typically related to work or “at home” responsibilities, characterized by three main core components:
Emotional Exhaustion: Feeling drained and unable to cope, exhaustion that even a nap can’t cure…
Depersonalization: Developing a cynical or resentful attitude towards work or the people you care for…
Reduced Personal Accomplishment: Feeling a lack of achievement and productivity, that can ultimately lead to feelings of worthlessness and a “what’s the point?” attitude.
Have you been there? I know I have. When I first started my healing journey, this is exactly where I was; my own version of rock bottom. Burned out, blaming everyone and everything for my circumstances, physically unhealthy, spiritually vacant, and emotionally depleted.
That’s what led me to saying, “Enough is enough. There has to be another way.”
Identifying burnout early is crucial to prevent further decline in mental and physical health. If your life starts to look and feel like the following, it’s time to seek help:
You’re constantly fatigued, even after adequate rest, you just can’t seem to recover or get ahead of it…
You’re struggling to concentrate, and you’re experiencing decision fatigue… if you have to make one more decision you’re going to snap…
You’re super irritable and your mood swings are giving people whiplash…
Physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach issues abound…
You start to withdraw from responsibilities and social interactions because one more thing just feels like the straw that’s going to break the camel’s back…
Eventually you dissociate to cope, feeling detached and unmotivated.
If you’ve hit the bottom, and you’re checking off these boxes, I’m here to tell you that there is hope, and there is a way out, even though it might not feel like it right now.
So How Are We Overcoming Burnout?
Let me just say this… wearing yourself this thin is NOT a badge of honor, it’s a complete lack of self-love, and it’s a real side-effect of the hustle culture we see today. To quote Anne Helen Petersen, “Burnout isn’t a personal problem. It’s a societal one—and it will not be cured by productivity apps, or a bullet journal, or face mask skin treatments, or overnight fucking oats.”
Burnout is resolved by doing the hard work. I know, you’re already exhausted, you don’t want to do more hard work. But I’m here to tell you, this kind of work is more rewarding that the kind that got you here. Let’s take a look:
Acknowledge Your Feelings: The first step in overcoming burnout is recognizing and accepting that you're experiencing it. This self-awareness can help you take appropriate actions to address it, like contacting a therapist, finally using some of that PTO, or asking for help from friends and family.
Take a Break: Give yourself permission to take a step back. Whether it’s a short break during the day, a weekend off, or a longer vacation, time away from stressors can help you recharge. Sometimes this can even look like reassessing some of your goals to determine what is still serving you, and what isn’t. Right around the time I was hitting burnout myself, I was still chasing a second degree in something I didn’t care about at all… “just to get a job”... it was a hard decision, but I chose to quit right where I was, and pivot, because going any further meant sacrificing my mental health, and doing way too much.
Prioritize Self-Care: We hear it all the time, but the truth is that incorporating self-care activities that promote relaxation and well-being into your routine is a life saver. This might look like exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones. It’s going to look different for everyone, so figure out what’s going to work best for you.
Set Boundaries: Learn to say no and protect your personal time, whether it be in the face of your boss, your mom or your partner. Clearly defined boundaries set to protect your peace can prevent overload and preserve your energy, keeping you from reaching the absolute thread-ends of your metaphorical rope.
Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to talk to friends, family, or a mental health professional about what you’re going through. Support from others can provide perspective and encouragement. You can even seek solace in online communities like Full Circle Wellness, or find groups on a platform like Reddit to help you feel less alone.
Reevaluate Your Goals: Reflect on your personal and professional goals. Are they realistic? Do they align with your values? Adjusting your goals can reduce pressure and increase motivation. Like I mentioned above, it’s important to self-assess and let go of things that no longer serve you, or align with your goals and values. It takes some introspection, but it will help in the long run.
Develop Healthy Habits: Our lives are built on habits, good and bad. Having solid healthy habits and routines in place to ground you, and protect your peace, can help resolve and ultimately prevent burnout. Things like consistent sleep, a balanced diet, and regular physical activity are fundamental to maintaining energy levels, mental clarity, and emotional resolve.
Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, or mindfulness meditation can help reduce stress and increase emotional resilience. When you’re at bottom, these simple activities can ultimately be a lifeline, and help you get back to a state of feeling grounded, safe and stable.
Seek Professional Help: Sometimes, burnout can be so severe that professional help is necessary, and you know I’m a big advocate for therapy! Therapists or counselors can provide strategies and support tailored to your situation, and help you see patterns and other insights that you might not be able to see for yourself.
Once you get your feet back on the ground, and have found a sense of homeostasis, you’re going to want to make sure not to repeat the same mistakes that got you to burnout in the first place. Enter, maintenance phase.
Preventing Burnout in the Future
Implementing strategies to prevent burnout from recurring might sound like an arduous task, but it can really be simple. Let’s break it down:
Maintain a Balanced Lifestyle: Ensure a healthy balance between work, rest, and play, between Mind, Body and Spirit. This is what the Full Circle Wellness model is all about. If you want to assess your current situation, and get a feel for how to move forward, start here.
Regularly Assess Your Workload: Keep an eye on your responsibilities and adjust them as needed, delegate where necessary, and never be afraid to ask for help!
Foster a Supportive Environment: Surround yourself with supportive people and communicate openly about your needs, set boundaries where necessary, and create a team of professionals (therapists, coaches and the like), to support you on your journey.
Continue Self-Care Practices: Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine. If you need some solid ideas for self-care practices: I’ve got you!
Burnout is a serious issue. As Anne Helen Petersen puts it:
“A reckoning with burnout is so often the reckoning with the fact that the things you fill your day with — the things you fill your life with — feel unrecognizable from the sort of life you want to live, and the sort of meaning you want to make of it. That’s why the burnout condition is more than just addiction to work. It’s an alienation from the self, and from desire. If you subtract your ability to work, who are you? Is there a self left to excavate? Do you know what you like and don’t like when there’s no one there to watch, and no exhaustion to force you to choose the path of least resistance? Do you know how to move without always moving forward?”
Come back to yourself.
With the right strategies, it is possible to recover and build a more balanced, fulfilling life. By recognizing the signs, taking proactive steps to address it, and implementing long-term preventative measures, you can overcome burnout and thrive once again.
Remember, your well-being is paramount. Take the time to care for yourself—you deserve it. Always.
Rest isn’t a reward. It doesn’t need to be earned. It’s already yours.
Be well,
L
