How to Recover From Burnout

August 11, 2022 By Karen Layman, aka Karen

Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Do you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally drained? You may be experiencing burnout. Burnout is a form of extreme and chronic stress that can show up in a number of unhealthy ways. When you experience burnout, it can be hard to change and feel like yourself again. Here’s how to recover from burnout:

1. Learn to Recognize Burnout

Knowing what burnout is and how to recognize it is one of the most helpful ways to recover. Of course, every person reacts and responds to burnout differently, but there are a few common symptoms. Some of these symptoms include feeling emotionally exhausted, little to no motivation in work or other activities, lower productivity, and self-doubt or lower self-esteem.

You may also have physical signs as well. You could experience headaches, muscle tiredness that isn’t related to physical activity, and even high blood pressure. These things can be hard on your physical health, so it’s important to acknowledge and work on managing stress.

2. Monitor and Identify Your Stress

Extreme or chronic stress can exacerbate burnout. Knowing what triggers your stress is important to help manage it. When you begin to feel stress, take note of what it is. You can even write it down if it helps.

Once you can pinpoint stress triggers, you can take steps to avoid those situations. This is an essential step in building a Sunday reset routine, which can help build in some breaks, manage stress, and avoid burnout or start recovering from it.

3. Carve Out Time to Journal

Journaling is a great way to help you deal with your feelings and emotions. Putting those thoughts out onto paper can help your brain decompress.

It also allows you to look back on past situations with an objective eye. Journaling is also a great way to tap into your creativity, which can also help you deal with stress.

4. Build a Support Network

Having a good support system is helpful in recovering from burnout. Just like journaling can help you manage stress, talking to a friend or even a mental health professional can also help.

Having a safe space to talk things through will help you decompress, but a friend or therapist can also offer suggestions on how to approach stressful situations and how to problem-solve difficult situations. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

5. Create a Healthy Work-Life Balance

If you, like many others, are working from home right now, it may be hard for you to separate work and home life. An unhealthy work-life balance could be contributing to your burnout, and it is one of the common mistakes to avoid when working from home.

Start by implementing blocks of time to get work done with small breaks in between. On your break, take a short walk, do some stretches, or get a snack. Even something as simple as going outside for some fresh air can help you feel refreshed. Taking small breaks throughout the day is also one of the ways to avoid burnout when working from home.

If your daily work schedule is flexible, you can schedule your days as it fits your needs. Allowing employees to have flexible schedules is one of the excellent ways companies can support their employees working from home. Just remember to make a clear end time of your work day so it doesn’t bleed into your home life.

6. Do Fun Things

Doing fun activities that you enjoy will help you recover from burnout. Do you like reading or baking? Is getting out in nature something that brings you peace? Make time to do those activities! Taking time to do an activity that brings you joy will help you feel refreshed and will help you reconnect with yourself.

Stress is unavoidable, but learning how to manage it will go a long way in preserving your mental health. Hopefully, these tips on how to recover from burnout are helpful and you feel rejuvenated!