How to Recover from Burnout?

WebMD, an online publisher of news and information pertaining to human health and well-being, defines burnout as a form of extreme exhaustion that is caused due to stress and which interferes with your ability to perform daily tasks.  The World Health Organization has classified burnout as an official medical condition that can cause mental and physical problems if not addressed in time.  Burnouts can be caused by anything which causes stress, and the most common among them is work-related stress.  According to an Austrian study published in 2018, around 7% of the people who work can experience it.  Burnouts can be classified into three groups:  neglect burnout, under-challenged burnout, and overload burnout.  If you feel helpless and doubt your abilities, you may be suffering from neglect burnout, whereas when you feel bored with your job and find that it is not improving your life in any way, that is caused due to under-challenged burnout.  Overload burnout is the side-effect of working too hard to achieve your goals.  Irrespective of the type of burnout you are suffering from, it can cause a lot of mental agonies.  In this article, we will look at the various ways you can recover from burnout.

Stages of Recovery

Before discussing burnout in detail and how to recover from it, we need to understand the recovery and its stages first.  A survey conducted in 1998 identified six stages of recovery.  

Acknowledging the Issue  

The first stage of recovering from any issue is to acknowledge it.  Working professionals identify that there is something wrong with them at this stage.  Symptoms like tiredness, being overwhelmed, and other physical and psychological signs of burnout can be visible.  You can identify your problem with proper feedback from your loved ones. 

Distancing Yourself from the Cause

Once you have identified the problem, it is time to get away from it.  For example, if your burnout is caused due to overworking, then you must excuse yourself from your workplace.  You must disengage yourself from that place physically and psychologically, like not thinking about your workplace or work or feeling any pressure.  

Restoring Your Health  

Burnouts are mostly psychological disorders, but they have a significant impact on your health.  Therefore, to restore your mind, you must also refresh your body.  Most people either take a rest or engage themselves in doing things they like.  

Rethinking Your Values  

During the break, people also tend to reflect on their values and try to replace them with new ones.  Quite often, burnouts happen due to working on things they thought were important, but after a point, they realize that they have found meaning in new values.      

Exploring Possibilities   

In this stage, people try to find new work which aligns with their newfound values.  They explore various opportunities and look for a good work environment.  

Taking a Break   

Many people try to go back to their original workplace.  But they soon realize that they need to break away completely.  Therefore, if you wish to achieve workplace stability, you must part ways with the place causing your burnout in the first place.

Ways To Recover from Your Burnout   

Recovering from any kind of burnout is a time-consuming affair.  You will need to make small changes in various aspects of your life over a long period.  Here are a few ways to recharge yourself and increase your mental energy after suffering from burnout.

Find the 'Locus of Control'  

Many a time, we feel overworked by worrying about things that are beyond our control.  Such habits can cause further stress.  Therefore, you must make a list of things that are within your control and focus solely on them.  

Create a Stress Inventory  

You must be observant enough to notice the things that bring you stress.  Maintain a list of such things and find solutions.  If you cannot avoid the things that stress you, you must learn how to downgrade them.  

Do Physical Exercise  

Any kind of physical exercise tends to lower your stress.  Something as simple as a 20-minute brisk walk can help your body regulate its stress response.  Hence, never skip your exercise schedule.  

Practice Self-Compassion  

When you go through a difficult time, you are the only person who will always be with you.  Therefore, you must allow yourself some compassion and empathy to get rid of all the self-hostility and irritability that comes with burnout.  

Find Your Support Network  

You cannot heal from your burnout in loneliness.  You need friends and family members with whom you can share your thoughts and feelings openly. Support groups can also help those people who cannot figure out whether they are suffering from burnout.  

Get Away from Social Media  

Social media may be the most significant cause of burnout in the digital age.   Most people tend to compare themselves with everyone they think is doing great. By taking a break from social media, you also get the time to focus on yourself.

Experiment  

Sometimes we are so focused on only one aspect of our lives, and as a result, we lose touch with other equally important facets.  During the healing period, we get a chance to focus on something entirely different.  It can be a hobby, a skill, or something which helps you develop your identity.  It gives you a chance to look at things differently and discover a new dimension of yourself.  

Publicize

If you let other people know what you are doing, it creates a sense of internal accountability.  This allows you to focus on the job wholeheartedly and encourages others to check in with you about it.  You also get a chance, to be honest with yourself and others regarding what you are going through.  

Set Your Boundaries

Most people suffer from burnout because they do not know how to set boundaries.  There are various ways of setting up personal boundaries, and setting them up will give you a chance to steer your life in the right direction.  

Accept Your Emotions

Burnout may be the cause of you living in denial.  Sometimes we do not accept emotions that can cause pain.  Hence you must allow yourself to feel through any such unpleasant feelings.  

Follow a Steady Sleep Pattern 

Giving your body sufficient rest can help you recover from burnout quickly.  Therefore, you must create a schedule for going to bed and waking up.  To recharge the mind, we must revitalize our bodies.  

Identifying and recovering from any kind of burnout is tough.  But through various self-management techniques and focusing on self, we can overcome the situation and get on with our lives.