According to a commonly cited article in Work and Stress, there are six consecutive steps a person needs to take when recovering from burnout:
- Admitting you’re burned out. You can’t get better if you don’t acknowledge that your current situation needs to change. This can be difficult, especially if the thing that’s burning you out — parenting or a job you love, for example — is important to you.
- Putting distance between yourself and your stressors, if possible. What that means will vary based on your situation and resources. “Distance” could be as significant as quitting your job or taking a leave of absence from work. Or it could be as small as — or even smaller than — taking a mental health day. Or taking some child-free time for self-care.
- Focusing on your health. You’ve been running on empty for a while, so it’s time to refill your tank. That may mean getting an extra hour of sleep at night, cooking your favorite food instead of grabbing takeout or going out dancing with your friends. Whatever helps you feel like yourself again.
- Re-evaluating your goals and values. As your health starts to improve, it’s time to use those resources to do some thinking about the situation that led you to burnout. What are you not getting that you need to be happy? Is your mindset helping or hurting you? Are your priorities in sync with your values? What’s most important to you and why?
- Explore alternative paths and opportunities. Once you have a sense of what needs are being unmet in your life, it’s time to do something about it. What concrete change(s) could you make to improve your situation? Maybe you need to leave a relationship that’s no longer serving you … or maybe you just need to get a night to yourself once a week. The changes don’t necessarily have to be big to make a meaningful difference in your daily life.
- Take a break and/or make a change. Once you’ve figured out what you need, you have to actually do it. That’s not always easy, but it is vital to the recovery process.
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. Everyone must learn to cope with it in order to survive.
The key to unlocking a healthy relationship with work is to invest in daily acts of self-care. By striking a work-life balance, you can focus on your well-being in a way that makes sense for your personal values, ideals, and capacities.
Resources
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-recover-from-burnout
This post is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered therapy. This blog is only for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered therapy or any form of treatment. We are not able to respond to specific questions or comments about personal situations, appropriate diagnosis or treatment, or otherwise provide any clinical opinions. If you think you need immediate assistance, call your local doctor/psychologist or psychiatrist or the SADAG Mental Health Line on 011 234 4837. If necessary, please phone the Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or sms 31393.