7 Restful Ways to Recover from Burnout

With crazy busy lives running from task to task, it can be exhausting to keep up. And even the time we have for relaxation can start to feel impeded by the many issues our world is facing right now. So understandably, you might need to recover from burn out.

Do you feel completely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally? Is the stress from work, chores, and all of your other commitments weighing you down?

If this sounds at all familiar, you may be experiencing burnout.

Common signs of burnout include:

• Feeling tired all the time
• You are overwhelmed by your schedule
• You get sick a lot (including headaches, joint pain, etc.)
• Feeling irritable and easy to anger
• You’ve been neglecting your health and self care
• It feels like there is no end in sight to this exhaustion
• You are generally unhappy

If you are experiencing any of these signs, keep reading. This post is going help you understand what causes burnout, ways to recover, and how to prevent it in the future.

Causes of Burnout

Burnout can be caused by many different sources in our life:

• Career
• Family
• Social life
• Chores
• Health issues
• All of the above…

A challenging and demanding career is a very common cause of burnout. Other reasons you may be feeling burned out may come from family, chores, social engagements, etc.

Or you may be burned out from a combination of some or all of these things. Society places so much weight on “being busy”. It’s almost like we use our busy schedule as a bragging right.

But this is such a negative outlook to have. You do not need to be everything for everyone everyday. You deserve to feel happy, well-rested, and healthy.

Now let’s talk about 7 ways to recover from burnout.

1. Lower your expectations

This step is probably going to be one of the most difficult, but it’s also one of the most important so really commit to this for yourself.

Lower your expectations on how much you should accomplish everyday.

Forgive yourself for not getting everything that you wanted to done. Be gentle with yourself if the quality and quantity of what you accomplish isn’t up to your usual standards.

2. Remove things off of your to-do list

Because burnout often stems from feeling overwhelmed by your schedule and how much you need to get done, start taking things off of your to-do list.

Are there things you can delegate to someone else or extend a time frame on?

Lightening up that to-do list will allow you to set a more realistic schedule for yourself.

3. Rest and recover

When you feel burned out it is so important to give yourself time to rest and recover.

If you are feeling sick or experiencing physical pain as a part of this burned out feeling, take time and care to treat these ailments.

Pull out a heating pad, get a massage, increase your vitamin C intake, and do whatever else you can think of that will help you to physically feel better.

It’s also important to mentally rest and recover. Instead of spending your down time watching TV or scrolling through social media, dedicate to spending some quiet time relaxing.

Read a book, take a bubble bath, try some meditation, etc. These activities will help you mentally decompress from the stressful impact your daily schedule has been having on your mind.

To learn about meditation for beginners, read more here.

4. Eat a nutritious meal

When you feel burned out, it’s easy to give in to unhealthy habits.

It’s common to either eat unhealthy food or snacks instead of meals because it’s easier than cooking something for yourself. You may also be skipping meals altogether because you feel like you just don’t have the time.

While this may feel like a solution in the moment, it’s only a quick fix that won’t have any lasting impact on helping you reduce burnout.

Eating a nutritious meal will fuel your body and give you the energy yu need to tackle your responsibilities. And a healthy meal doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming.

5. Hydrate

Hydration is always important, but if you are feeling burned out it’s especially important.

Dehydration can cause you to feel tired, cause headaches and joint pain, and cause a rapid heartbeat.

All of these symptoms are also common of stress, anxiety, and burnout so by not properly hydrating you are only going to exacerbate those symptoms.

Keep a water bottle close by at all times. If needed, set a timer on your phone to go off every 30 minutes to remind you to drink some water.

6. Do something fun

If you’ve ever played the Sims you’ll know that you can take care of all of your Sims’ basic needs like food, water, sleep, etc. but if you don’t also give them some fun time their health will never reach full strength.

Well, humans are exactly the same way. You need to have a little fun in your life if you want to feel your best. And this can be anything.

Play a game, dance to some music, take Buzzfeed quizzes….do whatever you think sounds fun to you!

7. Lean on others if you can

If you are feeling burned out by your schedule, try to lean on others where you can. Ask your significant other if they could handle the chores this week, ask your parents if they can babysit for the weekend, or let a restaurant cook that healthy meal for you instead of cooking yourself.

Now, it may not be fair or realistic to do this all the time, but if you feel burned out, do not feel guilty about asking for help occasionally.

You aren’t shirking your responsibilities, you are making your health a priority so that you can get back to doing those things yourself once you feel more able.

Another way to lean on others is to talk to a therapist or counselor about what you are experiencing. Find a therapist in your area or use an online service like Sanity and Self, a self care app that allows you to talk 1:1 with a counselor 24/7.

For more information on Sanity and Self, click here.

Those are the 7 ways to recover from burnout.

I know from personal experience how difficult feeling burned out can be, but it will get better. Use the tips above to find relief from burnout.

Now that you know how to recover from burnout, let’s talk about how to prevent it from happening again in the future.

One of the biggest ways to prevent burnout is to establish healthy habits that you don’t let fall to the wayside if your schedule starts to get a little hectic.

To learn about daily healthy habits to incorporate into your life, read more here.

Commit to a healthy morning and night routine. Try not to let yourself fall out of those healthy habits you commit to like eating healthy meals, daily meditation, or exercise.

Now of course, it’s all about balance. If you have a particularly hard day, don’t force yourself to workout. But if you find yourself avoiding your exercise routine for a week or more…that’s when you may slip back into burnout.

Another important way to prevent burnout in the future is to avoid over-scheduling. Do not feel like you need to say yes to everything. Be realistic about your time frames and what you need to accomplish everyday.

Lastly, really commit to making sleep a priority. Sleep is important for both your physical and mental health. And it’s important in preventing burnout and exhaustion.

No matter where you are – feeling burnt out or trying to prevent it from happening in the future – use the tips in this post to guide your self care journey and reduce your feelings of burnout.

Comment below with your favorite fun activity for when you feel burned out.

For more information on reducing stress, read more here:

• 6 Ways to Manage Stress at Work
• 7 Ways to Achieve Work Life Balance
• 7 Stress Management Activities to Feel Less Stressed Immediately
• 10 Ways to Get Out of a Funk

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