What can you do to recover from burnout?

According to Mental Health UK, one in five people needed to take time off work because of stress in the last year.

Because work is a part of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget to stop every once in a while and take stock of how our daily routine is affecting us.

The stress of work life and other pressures can build up without us noticing. Ignoring the signs of burnout could lead to needing a prolonged break from work, something that many of us can’t afford.

How do you know when you’re burnt out?

The signs of burnout are both subtle and obvious. The following is a list of things to look out for as listed on the Mental Health UK site:

• Feeling like you are exhausted, tired or drained the majority of the time
• If you feel trapped in your current situation, helpless or defeated
• Having a detached feeling or like you’re alone in the world
• Being cynical or having a generally negative outlook
• Feeling a huge amount of self-doubt
• Lack of focus, procrastinating and allowing things to take longer to get done
• A feeling of being overwhelmed

These are the common signs, but it’s important not to self-diagnose. The best course of action is to have an honest conversation with your doctor.

Many times, burnout itself is a sign of more serious underlying metal health issues, and a lot of these signs can be attributed to other issues such as anxiety and depression.

Addressing the underlying cause of burnout is the best way to deal with it.

The 8 best ways to recover from burnout

The first step is accepting you are experiencing burnout, which can be a difficult thing in itself.

Next comes the recovery. There is no quick fix; the process of recovering from burnout takes on average, anywhere from three months to a year. There are some positive steps you can take, however, to help you on your way.

Consider carrying out as many of the following as you can, even being able to do only a few will help you on your road to recovery.

1. Identify the cause – It doesn’t have to be a stressful work environment that causes burnout. Other attributing factors could be:

• Money
• Isolation
• Physical health
• Sleep
• Relationships

Any of these on their own is enough to cause burnout. Sometimes it is an accumulation of several factors that cause it. Go through every aspect of your life and consider how they are affecting you emotionally.

2. Take a break – An unfortunate reality; one of the best ways to recover from burnout is to simply stop by removing yourself from the hectic, chaotic maelstrom of life. Few people get the opportunity to do this but if you have a good support network around you, and understanding loved ones, ask them to help you take a well-earned break from the world.

3. Find support and seek professional help – There are so many resources available online now. It can be daunting to open up to a stranger or medical professional but remember: they have trained their entire careers to deal with issues just like yours. If you are honest and willing to listen to their advice, a doctor or counsellor will aid you greatly in recovery. Use resources such as Mind UK to get in touch with the support you need.

4. Reassess your goals – Maybe the reason you’re burnt out is because you’re in the wrong career, or in a relationship that simply isn’t working. It is terrifying to have to reassess such fundamental parts of your life. When things aren’t working out as you had hoped, it’s time to ask the hard questions. The answers might be scary, but the results will be beneficial.

5. Say no – A big part of our culture is the need to say yes to everything, and a lot of the time, it’s out of politeness! For the times when you’re feeling burnt out, don’t hesitate to assess the necessity of every request. Evaluate if you can postpone or cancel any existing commitments; it’s important we normalise the idea that sometimes you need to spend time on yourself, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

6. Identify your stressors – Finding activities that cause you stress is a good way to start alleviating the effects of burnout. It can’t be as general as “work” or “family” as the triggers. Think more in-depth, think about times when you’ve felt your stress level rise and try to pinpoint the precise interactions that caused it. Working with a counsellor is a great way to help with this.

7. Journaling – Keeping a journal helps to order your thoughts and can illuminate areas of stress in your life you may not be aware of. Writing down your thoughts also helps to unload emotionally, unburdening yourself of the inner turmoil you’re carrying around. For times when you’re experiencing burnout, this is beneficial, as any amount of emotional agitation can feel overwhelming.

8. Exercise and sleep – A survey carried out by Mental Health UK found that 64% of people contributed poor sleep as a major cause of stress, and 46% also said poor physical health worsened their burnout symptoms. We understand you may have heard this a million times, but sleep and exercise are among the most effective ways to aid your recovery.

Eat healthily, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly. It sounds too simple to be true, and all it takes is time and a little bit of effort. Reworking your schedule to allow for exercise and sleep, even for only a few months, will help massively in your recovery.

Read through Mental Health UK’s burnout report 2024 for an in-depth look at the ways burnout affects all of us and for further tips on dealing with burnout.