How to recover from burnout E26
January 25, 2022
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This episode is the last one of 3 episodes talking about burnout. In the first episode, Number 24, we covered what burnout is and how to recognize it. In the previous episode, Number 25, we described what it means to be burned out and what the consequences on our health are. And in this episode, we will talk about the recovery process. I will share more about my recovery from burnout with you.
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Have I recovered from my burnout? Yes. Will I therefore never get burned out again? Not exactly. The traits, habits and perspective on work and life, in general, that got you to be burned out in the first place, don’t just all go away once you recover. Some of them you are hopefully able to adjust. But changing them all in a matter of a few weeks is unrealistic. This means that you want to be mindful after recovery of not slipping back into your old habits and facing another burnout in months or years.
There is a lot of information out there that describes what you should be doing to prevent burnout. And they are all valid. But I don’t think you will give it any attention until it is actually too late and you already kind of know that you are burned out. During the time before I accepted it if somebody would have told me to do this and to do that to avoid burnout. I would have laughed and ignored them. I was not in a space to listen to any of these useful tips or tricks.
And I truly think it’s hard to turn the ship around when you are already close to the actual burnout. I know that I would have never been able to. Just because of the fragile mental and emotional state that I was already in.
Recover from burnout is not straightforward
I think the help on prevention that is out there is really helpful for the recovery process and the time after recovery to make sure you don’t slip back into it. And that is the point you will actually listen to this help – because you really do not want this to happen to you another time.
I know that I still have a lot of habits and perspectives that got me into my burnout in the first place. But I have learned a lot of tools to stop myself or to balance my state of being to not let burnout creep in again. I still like to work on a project and put in long hours for a certain amount of time. I still like to do a good job and take on more responsibility if I can. And thankfully this does not mean that I will burn myself out again.
So if you are listening to this and you think you are getting towards burnout, please make sure to take the guidance. Apply it before you work yourself even more into the ground. But don’t beat yourself up if you are just not able to. You might already be burned out and just don’t have any energy left to turn this around. Be kind to yourself. Burnout is not something you can shrug off in a matter of a day and be done with. The healing and recovery process needs patience and time.
Accept and get the help you need to recover from burnout
For me personally, the start of the recovery process is the acceptance that I was burned out. Without acceptance that this is what it is, you cannot easily move forward and start to heal. In my case, this was the visit to the doctor and getting myself written off sick to take time off of work. The doctor writing me off was not a specialist in helping me but that was ok. I just visited her to get the time off that I needed. In the end, I was able to take 6 weeks off until I felt ready to go back to work.
I know this is not possible for everyone. Some people might need even more than 6 weeks off of work to get over burnout – there is no rule on how much time it takes. I was fortunate to be in a health system that allowed me to take this time off to get the distance I needed to start my recovery process.
I think it is a good idea to see a specialist if you can. Either a therapist or a coach can help you understand how you got here. I mentioned before that you have traits, habits, and automatic programs that you are running for years that might have gotten you to a place of burnout. These are not easily changed. And sure you can try to help yourself through the process. But with everything else seeing a specialist can accelerate the recovery process. There is no magic pill that you can swallow and tomorrow morning it’s all gone. Sadly not!
My Top 3 Insights that helped me recover from burnout:
I am going to share with you my top 3 insights that helped me to recover from my burnout. Then I am going to share as well some tips for prevention that are usually mentioned on the internet but that could help you understand better what might work for you. What is for sure is that the recovery from burnout looks different for every person. What might work for one might not work for you. We are all individuals that are constructed uniquely and we will have different experiences of what got us into burnout. Therefore each way out of burnout is unique as well. But I think there are great insights that people who experienced it and recovered from it can share. It’s a unique mix you create for yourself.
1. Meditation
I talked about this many times before but my number one insight and tool that helped me overcome my burnout was meditation. And through meditation I realised that my mind is just a tool that can be turned off. I think my neverending chat in my mind was a big contributor to my burnout. Learning through meditation that I am not just my mind and that I can actually influence and control my mind, was my lifesaver so to say.
While I was off of work I started meditating once or even twice per day. And since then I have had a regular meditation practice. For me this is the most important tool to manage my energy, my mind and my body. I know that if I stop meditating just for a few days or a week, I see my energy going down and my mind chatter going up. That’s when I sit myself down again and put the time into my meditation practice. This is truly my number one tool that I advise others not just to help recover from burnout. But to have more energy and fun in their life for everyone.
2. Setting boundaries
My second insight is setting boundaries around my energy (Episodes 16 and 17). I have learned to be better at where and how I spent my energy and not to waste it on things that are just not important. So prioritization plays a huge role in this. Saying No plays a huge role in this. But it’s all for the benefit of having more energy for yourself and the enjoyment of your life. I learned to protect my energy better and now do similar tasks than before but spend much less of my energy on them. Just because I learned more about my energy.
3. Change your perspective
The third one is about the change of perspective. And I think everyone who has had a burnout and recovered afterwards knows what I am talking about. You cannot go back to your work and not fall back into the old habits and traits if you don’t change your perspective. For me, that perspective that I had to change was that my work is everything and priority number 1. I changed that to be me, my well-being and my happiness are priority number 1. That does not mean that this is exactly the perspective change that you need, it’s going to be personal for you. But something needs to shift. You cannot keep thinking and living in the same way as before and expecting a new outcome. (Episode 45)
There have been a lot more learnings that I applied and a lot more changes that I made in my life as a result of recovering from burnout. But these are for me the most important 3: meditation, managing my energy and changing my perspective and my priority in life.
More tips to avoid or recover from burnout
If I look at what else is being said on various websites on how to prevent or avoid burnout, then I think these 5 insights are really useful:
Develop boundaries!
That could cover any kind of boundaries. Between your work and your private life, between you and your partner, between you and your family in general. You will know which boundary could be made better or stronger for you to have more energy and time for yourself.
Find something you like to do outside of work
Most people struggle with the “work” part of work-life balance. Schedule personal activities and have several go-to hobbies that you enjoy so you’ll have something specific to do with your time and won’t be tempted to work during your off-hours. That was for sure a problem for me and something I still work on,
Take a break!
Take a few minutes to break during meetings, take an evening during the week off just for yourself, take a vacation but a true one – maybe even just by yourself. Learning how to take proper breaks has been a learning experience for me. We sometimes think we are taking breaks but there is a quality issue. We need to learn to take meaningful breaks for us where we are priority number one. Where we truly can switch off, recover and just enjoy ourselves.
Spent time in nature!
Relaxing, walking or doing any other exercise in a natural environment when you have some downtime has been proven to increase the benefits above and beyond what you’d get indoors. I focus as well now on nature when I am outside on walks and it really calms my mind, it makes me appreciate this as quality and recovery time and it gives me energy back.
Sleep better!
Sleep is so important for everything: our mind to function better, for us to manage our emotions and for our body to recover and refuel. Our brain processes everything we experience while we are awake at night when we sleep. So if we don’t sleep enough or not well, this process is impacted and will have consequences over time.
And my last piece of advice on recovering from burnout, I mentioned before and I want to say it again. Seek help! In whatever way or format, seek help from someone. If you cannot see an expert then ask a friend or loved one to help you through this. Even if it is just asking for help so you can take off the time for yourself that I need to start your healing process.
Two easy ways to show your appreciation!
If you found value in today’s episode, here’s what you can do to show your support:
First, consider making a donation to the podcast. Every little bit helps to cover the costs of producing and hosting the show. And ensures that I can continue to bring you the latest insights and opinions on the topic of energy and improving your life.
Second, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps boost the podcast’s visibility and attract new listeners, which helps me create more tailored content for you to enjoy.
So whether you choose to donate, leave a rating and review, or both, know that you’re an integral part of my vision. You are helping everyone who struggles with burnout or high-stress levels to experience how awesome their life can be. So, thank you for your support!
You Might Also Like
- How Burnout Feels Like Episode 61
- Burnout has been my Wake-Up Call to a New Life Episode 62
- Overcoming burnout once and for all Episode 65
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