11 Way How To Recover From Burnout

Stages to Recovery Burnout

Burnout recovery isn’t a streamlined program; it takes time and hard work to reverse the mental and physical harm caused by burnout. According to Diane Bernier, a burnout researcher, the journey to recovery from burnout consists of six stages.

However, after extensive research and reading several studies, I’ve broken down Burnout Recovery into seven stages. You will have to go through each stage at a time to recharge from burnout.

• Acknowledging that you’re burned out to make an action plan
• Identifying your stressors and distancing yourself from them
• Developing healthy coping techniques
• Restoring your health to get back to your status quo
• Reevaluating your routine and values
• Building a support system to help reduce personal stressors
• Incorporating some breaks in life and making an effective change with a new mindset

11 Tips To Help You Through Burnout Recovery 

Here are 11 tips on recovering from burnout and getting started on the road to recovery from this mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. You can easily incorporate these strategies into your daily life. Let’s dive into the details!

1. Recognize your stressors

Identifying your stress triggers will help you reduce or avoid interactions with them. Get specific about the situations, incidents, or people that are bringing stress to your life. Once you recognize them, try to avoid them as much as possible.

2. Practice self-compassion

Burnout can bring feelings of loss of purpose or failure in life. By practicing self-compassion and giving yourself love for going through a hard time, you’ll remove some irritability and self-doubts that can cause burnout.

Remind yourself it’s OK to take a break, and you do not have to be perfect every time. Resting on the couch is fine when you have a rough day. Similarly, it’s OK to cut out social plans you made when you were excited and had more energy. On your road to recovery, you need to be compassionate with yourself and keep going.

3. Identify quick changes you can make

You may find some ways to lighten your load right now. If you have a lot on your plate and you’re already running out of time for things, adding more work will only lead to stress and frustration. Therefore, evaluate your existing tasks and commitments and consider rescheduling and canceling a few. It will give you immediate relief.

4. Connect with people you trust

We can’t recover from burnout in isolation; instead, it can make overcoming burnout more difficult. So, finding a support network and connecting with them is crucial to recovering from burnout. 

Being able to share your struggles with people you trust will help to relieve stress. Discuss with your loved ones your emotions and what you’re going through. It can give possible solutions to your problems and make you feel less alone.

5. Try things that make you happy

Burnout can drain you mentally and physically. If you want to recharge from mental exhaustion, try things you used to enjoy. It may include any hobby, focusing on talent, walking with your friend, reading your favorite book, painting art, or anything that brings you joy. Make time for such activities every week to reconnect with yourself and reduce your stress levels. 

6. Disconnect from social media

Take time daily to completely disconnect from screens, especially social media. Social media makes it look like everyone’s life is excellent, which can lead to dangerous comparisons. Comparing your life to others means you welcome stress, anxiety, and envy. Taking a break from social media allows you to focus only on yourself and have more time to do things.

7. Set healthy boundaries

One of the great strategies to recover from burnout is to set boundaries. Setting boundaries on time in relationships or at work helps you manage your time and stress during burnout recovery. Setting boundaries involves learning to say no for the sake of your mental health and precious time.

8. Try journaling

Journaling has proven an excellent method to track your progress and growth, and it is a great emotional decompressor. Making it a habit can take some time, but it is a habit that will help you recover from mental exhaustion and gain self-confidence.

Journaling allows you to reflect on your progress, efforts, and accomplishments. So, grab a journal, start jotting down your thoughts and feelings, and recover from burnout.

9. Move your body

Are you thinking about how to recover from burnout while working out? Try moving your body each day by involving in any physical activity. Exercise boosts your mental health, and it’s a direct stress killer because it produces feel-good hormones. Try only doing a brisk walk or yoga; your body will start regulating its stress response and releasing tension from your mind.

10. Create a healthy sleep schedule

Lack of sleep or irregular sleep schedule poses threats to mental focus, physical strength, and emotional stamina. Therefore, make a healthy sleep schedule. Try to sleep and wake up daily at the same time and get at least seven to eight hours of sleep.

Also, do any relaxing activity before sleeping, like reading a book instead of scrolling. Healthy sleep is essential for our body to function properly.

11. Seek professional support

Encountering burnout is not easy, especially when it has taken hold of your quality of life and relationships. So, seeking professional support is crucial to recover from burnout and is encouraged. Reach out to a coach, therapist, or counselor to get expert advice and guidance. A professional will help you identify coping techniques and tell you the best ways to move forward and love your life again.

How long does it take to rise from burnout?

The symptoms of burnout vary from person to person, and the recovery length may vary for everyone too. Practicing self-care, executing stress management techniques, and seeking professional support can speed up recovery and reduce burnout symptoms.

Some studies suggest that it can take one to three years to rise from burnout. However, if the techniques and strategies you apply start working for you, you may feel better in weeks or months. Moreover, if you feel you’re getting burned out, start the action by making little changes and doing what you’re able to do. These small changes can make a big difference and can help prevent burnout.

Conclusion 

And that’s a wrap on how to recover from burnout! Burnout can feel hard and pretty awful to come back from, but it is treatable. Recovery requires time and effort to process the emotions and feelings stirred up by burnout. Remember, you’re not alone, and you can recover from burnout. You need to take a healthy break, focus on your health, and develop healthy habits.

Recovery is a journey and will take some time, so you can not rush this process. You can feel yourself again by implementing the above mentioned tips and focusing on self-care that will help you play the game very well. Sometimes, you can use little support to stay committed to your recovery journey. Working with a coach or therapist is the right next step.

If you’re struggling with burnout, talk with a mental health professional. A therapist or coach can help you recover from burnout, become in touch with your values again, and get back on track.