How to recover from burnout (best strategies)
77% of Americans have reported feeling mental and physical exhaustion at their current job, here’s how to cope if you’re one of them.
Burnout is a form of stress that results in mental and physical exhaustion. Many people suffering from burnout don’t even realize that’s what it is at first because they are so used to just trying to make it through the day. However, your mind and body feeling that level of stress for a long period of time have negative effects on your health, relationships, and every area of your life.
If you are experiencing burnout there are some strategies you can use to lessen the effects and start to chart a new path.
- Identify the triggers.
Do you start to feel overwhelmed the minute you walk into work? When you deal with a particular individual? When you start to think of all the things you have to do that day?
Figuring out what things are causing you the most stress can help you to start coming up with solutions to make things easier on yourself.
2. Get Support.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Personally, that’s something I’ve always struggled with. Being able to tell a spouse, friend, or family member that you are struggling and need to take some things off your plate can be a huge help.
3. Set Boundaries
Realize that you can’t do everything. Sometimes there are activities or obligations that you need to pause or permanently stop doing for your own well-being. I used to sign my kids up for quite a few extracurricular activities and I realized that it meant spending nearly every evening after work and most weekends going to various sporting events, lessons, etc. It was like having two jobs. Once I set a boundary that they could each just pick one thing it freed up so much time but more importantly reduced my stress level and allowed for more “fun” time with my family.
4. Get some exercise
This doesn’t mean adding another obligation to go to the gym, although if that’s something that you enjoy you should absolutely do that. It’s more about making sure you get in a daily walk, bike ride, or something else you enjoy. Even when short on time making myself get outside for a 15–20 minute walk at lunchtime helps to boost my mood and feel like I’ve done something for myself.
5. Get enough sleep
Making sure to get at least 7–8 hours of sleep a night is huge. If you go through the day tired everything else will seem that much harder.
6. Decompress
This is different for everyone, some people like to listen to music, or meditate, but you should do an activity that lets you shut off your brain for a while and just relax. I find listening to sleep meditations or just calming music before bed helps me to shut off the thoughts running through my head and get more sleep.
When you are suffering from burnout it’s hard to see a way out, but realize with some intentional changes you can get your life back. It might mean making some hard choices about a job, a toxic relationship, or dropping some obligations but in the end, you will thank yourself for making the effort to get out of the burnout cycle.
If you are interested in some calming mediations or music, I have some available on my YouTube Channel here.
