Solid Steps to Help Return from a Point of Burnout
Take Time Off: Sometimes it's impossible to see the wood from the trees when you are immersed/disengaged from your daily life. By continuing to POWER THROUGH you will exacerbate things. Clear some time to get in a better headspace whether it's taking a few days, weeks or months away from some current obligations.
Get Help: For your health, if you are suffering from burnout then seek help at work, home or from a healthcare provider to HELP YOU MOVE AWAY FROM THE PAIN of feeling burnt out.
Reflect: Too much of a good thing or do I need to pivot? How have I ended up with burnout is an important question to think about at some point during a period away or while in the right headspace for such introspection. It should not be the first thing you reflect on as you can benefit from a little bit of psychological distance from the burnout. People may sleep for long periods once they have taken time out after burnout, once they feel well rested and have had some time away will probably be an optimal time to reflect. Reflection will help you assess whether the reason for the burnout was that you are not happy about some aspect of your work or personal life which then will need to change. It may also result in a realisation that you are overly invested in what you do and haven't spent enough time being you outside of a work context - such extracurricualr pursuits are vital for rejuvenation between intense bouts of work. It also might get you thinking that you struggle to say no, carry many resentments. ruminate a lot about past and future, need to seek outside help etc.
Digital Detox: Take some time away from our constantly switched on modern day work world. Before the invent of the Blackberry, leaving work at the office was the norm. When recovering from burn it is very important to avoid the very things that may have contributed to you getting to that point in the first place. Mindful walks and meditation practices might be just the intervention to help you move away from the constantly on mindset.
This too shall pass: Remember you are not the only one suffering can already lighten the load, maybe even just a little. Knowing that there were times in the past when you felt passionate and energetic shows that it is a possibility for you even if you don't feel like it currently.
Approach goals versus avoidance goals: Start doing some of the things outside of work that you may have stopped or heavily cut back on. I recently talked a lovely woman who mentioned that getting out for walks and resuming artistic pursuits helped her to get back on track during a period away from work caused by burnout.
Remember work/life is not all about trying harder and out performing others: Envy is an enemy of happiness and when we see other people's success THROUGH A FILTER THAT'S NOT REALITY we can put too much pressure on ourselves to perform. Some pressure through stretch targets is good but when it's paired with a feeling of never achieving/being enough then it is more damaging than anything else..
This is the final article in my three part series on burnout, here are the first two:
