Recovering From Burnout: 4 Tips To Get You Back On Track

We’re all feeling a little stretched this year thanks to Covid-19 and the challenges it has provided. If you’ve been working through the pandemic, or have experienced job loss or redundancy, then you’re likely feeling a little more frazzled than others. If you’ve been experiencing constant high levels of stress without doing much to tackle or reduce it, then exhaustion has likely set in, which can leave you feeling both emotionally and physically burned out.

Burnout is now a recognised ailment after the WHO categorised it later on last year. Your brain and body can only take so much before becoming overwhelmed and overworked and you will likely begin feeling extreme symptoms such as loss of motivation and fatigue. As burnout is something which happens gradually, it can take a long time to recognise what is happening and then take the steps to fix it. With this in mind, here are 4 tips to help you get back on track following a burnout.

Find The Source

It’s hard making changes when you aren’t sure what exactly you need to change. If you’re suffering symptoms of burnout, exploring the potential contributors can help. Burnouts are often related to your job and have a wide range of work-based triggers, such as stress or overworking, but you can also experience burnout because of academic studies, relationships and family illness. Trying to do too much on your own creates the perfect environment for burnout to sit and fester and eventually you will bend that little too much, causing you to break - this is a burnout.

Speak With People You Trust

If you’re not sure how best to navigate a burnout, or how to start looking for the cause and root of your problem, then this is normal. Burnouts can be hugely overwhelming and even doing simple things can be daunting and exhausting. By speaking with someone you trust, you will feel supported and less like you are going through this on your own. Family, friends or partners can help to look at your burnout from the outside and may be able to help you find the source.

Take Back Control

Going through burnout can make you feel powerless and as though your life is passing by and you can’t keep up. If it is outside factors which you believe contributed to your burnout, then it is easy to blame these factors and you can then have a difficult time seeing what there is that you can do the change the situation. Whilst you can’t control the past, you can now take back control and begin to recharge and take hold of the situation.

Start by prioritising important tasks and separate these from tasks which can be done at a later date. Remember that you don’t have to do everything on your own, so delegate some tasks if you can. Another thing you can do is ensure that work stays at work and avoid bringing your work baggage and stress home with you. Talk to those close with you and be firm about your needs and what you need to do moving forward to help you heal.

Look For Any Immediate Changes You Can Make

Once you have identified that you are going through a burnout, you might be able to spot a few instant ways that you can lighten the load. If you’ve been working flat out, take a step back and look at how you can create a more realistic work schedule. Those who are ambitious and driven in their careers often feel like they can do it all, but when this leads to a burnout, they are left with little energy, which creates a vicious cycle.

Once you have found these changes, take a look at how your body had been processing your burnout. Have you found that you’re eating less healthily, or started slacking on your workouts? If so, this is a great place to start making changes which will help you. Start eating healthy meals and snacks and drinking plenty of water as this will fuel your body in a positive way. Try to work out 3 times a week, no matter what you choose to do. This could be a gentle yoga session or a run - the choice is yours. Consider taking health supplements if you feel like your body is lacking in certain vitamins, as you will likely feel much better.