Recovering from Burnout

Are you burning out?

Would you recognise it if you are?

What can you do about it?

I didn’t know I was burning out until it was too late. But this does not have be the same for you.

Burnout crept up on me whilst I was busily pushing my way through life, ignoring the increasingly louder symptoms.

In the end, burnout became my breakthrough. By discovering the root cause, it helped me find out who I really am, and what is important to me.

Symptoms of burnout are meaningful messages from your body. Learning to interpret these symptoms is the key. So, here are four signs you are burning out, and five ways you can thrive again.

Four signs you burning out:

1. You feel tired and drained ALL the time. No amount of sleep or rest seems to replenish your vitality.
2. You feel helpless, trapped and defeated, and you can’t see a way out of your situation. 
3. You feel detached and alone in the world. Even in a room full of people, you might feel alone. 
4. You feel constantly overwhelmed. Even small tasks feel huge and incomprehensible.

Five ways to thrive again:

1. Let go of feeling guilty and ashamed for burning out.  Burning out often comes with hidden feelings of guilt and shame. It is paramount to recovery to let this go. The symptoms you are experiencing are meaningful messages from your body, asking you for help.
2. Surrender and re-define your priorities. Allow yourself to be exactly where you are. Resisting and pushing through will only exacerbate symptoms. Re-define your priorities making your wellbeing the number one!
3. Cultivate self-care. Create a self-care routine that supports your new highest priority – YOU.  Self-care looks like saying no, switching off your devices, asking for help, intentional rest, good sleep hygiene, time out in nature, eating well and moving gently.
4. Find the source of your burnout. Burnout is not random. It has a root cause. Your body is always communicating with you, and these symptoms are communication.  Look at each area of your life and ask yourself: Am I truly being myself here? There are more powerful questions prompts in the article linked below.
5. Ask for help. Often the hardest one! Those of us that experience burnout often have a pattern of not being able to accept help. Family and friends can support you, and professional practitioners can guide you in a way that is sustainable – equipping you with the tools and techniques necessary to reclaim your natural vitality and joy. Trying to do everything on your own, could be a contributor to your burnout.

Hopefully these four signs and five tips are helpful.  There is lots more information about burnout in this “Burnout to breakthrough” article – where I share more of my own recovery journey to inspire you on yours.