How to Recover from Burnout

Author: Nora Vose

It seems like everyone these days is talking about burnout. This might seem like a buzzword but it’s actually a legitimate experience many people are facing right now. 

So what is burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion that is often caused by excessive and prolonged stress.  While the common definition of burnout says this stress comes from  ‘workplace’ factors, in reality that stress can come from many different areas of our lives. 

The source of this stress can vary and stem from work, school, family, chronic physical pain or a combination of these. It’s important to remember this and not assume that burnout can be reduced or eliminated if one of these areas of your life improves. 

What are some examples of burnout?

• Feeling constantly tired no matter how much you ‘rest’.

• Going through the motions - lack of care or interest in what you are doing.

• Frequent or constant headaches, stomach aches, eye strain

• Not properly nourishing oneself; not eating, hydrating, sleeping or engaging in any self care activities. 

Who experiences burnout? How does burnout manifest?

Anyone can experience burnout and that's okay! There is no shame in experiencing burnout and it’s okay if you can’t ‘recover’ from it quickly. 

It might be difficult to distinguish between burnout, stress and depression.  There are a lot of similarities between them.  The difference can come down to the severity and the longevity of those symptoms and the solutions.  Stress is a more momentary response to intense pressures or demands and the body may respond with a burst of energy, speeding heartbeat, alertness.  Prolonged stress can lead to burnout and prolonged burnout can lead to depression if the root cause isn't addressed. 

Burnout can manifest in many ways: 

• Physical

• Exhaustion

• Lack of sleep/oversleeping

• Heachaches 

• Eye strain

• Mental

• Difficulty processing 

• Numb feeling

• Lack of interest

• Lack of motivation

• Low productivity

• Low initiative 

• Emotional

• Low self esteem/ self doubt

• Loneliness

• Detachment

• Stress

• Emotional fatigue 

So now what? How can someone recover from burnout? 

Recovery looks different depending on the symptoms that someone may be experiencing as a result of burnout. Internal recovery is focused on the symptoms of burnout that are mostly felt on an emotional or mental level, such as difficulty processing, numbness, low motivation etc. This can require a deeper level of reflection and introspection to understand the ways that these symptoms impact a person. External recovery is focused on the symptoms that are felt on a more physical level, such as fatigue, headaches, physical pain etc.  This might seem like the ‘easier’ fix because there may be a clearer cause and effect. However, change takes time so it’s important not to rush the process and if feelings of frustration come up, it’s important to recognize them and pause if you need to. So when we look back to our symptoms list- here are some potential steps that can be taken to reduce burnout. 

Internal:

• Understand and track stress levels/stressors: reflect on the source of the stress and the frequency at which it occurs. Take note of the severity of stress that results from the understood source. 

• Advocate for yourself in environments where you feel your voice is not being heard or you are under appreciated.  This might look like reallocating the time you spend with people who make you feel under appreciated or reducing the effort you put into situations where it isn't reciprocated. 

• Prioritize your joy! This can take many forms.  

• Focus on self compassion. It’s okay to feel frustrated or overwhelmed. Try to extend kindness towards yourself when you can. 

• Try journaling to help reflect on your day or week as you begin to introduce some of these techniques into your regular routine.  Reflecting helps understand if these are working for you or not and then adjustments can be made 

External: 

• Increase the amount of movement you get in a day if you are able to: This may be a short walk, some stretching, a daily yoga practice or dancing. Ideally this is accessible and does not disrupt your current routine. 

• Grow your peer support network. You are not alone in this experience and finding common ground can provide comfort and validation. This may look like joining a book club or reconnecting with old friends. 

• Establish a strong work life balance: This can be hard but holding firm to these boundaries may help reduce feeling constant overwhelm from work 

• Engage in therapy if you aren’t already! A good therapist can really help navigate all of the different aspects of burnout and support you as you are recovering from it. 

Remember, recovery takes as long as it needs to. Your feeling of  burnout did not take place overnight and the healing process won't either.  Try to focus on the process and the small improvements and overtime these will compound on each other.  As mentioned above- therapy can be really helpful for this in the long term.  A therapist can provide ongoing support and help you figure out what is working and what isn't.  The journey is just as important as the final result.