In my July blog I discussed the definition and signs of burnout. Now I want to give you some information and tips about how to recover from burnout.The most important thing to remember with burnout is that it’s similar to a battery that’s been run down and not recharged enough to be able to function at its regular capacity. To recover from burnout you need to slow down and do more things that will help you recharge than things that deplete your energy. Furthermore, since you’ve run your battery down to empty or near empty so many times you will have less energy in your stores to draw from at first. You need to remember that you can’t continue to do things at the same pace as before if you hope to recover.
Here are a few things you can do to aid in your recovery:
1) Reduce your workload
At Home:
- Get your kids in involved in chores - this helps them to learn life skills and takes things off your plate
- If both you and your partner are working full-time outside of the house then you should be splitting the housework 50/50.
- Outsource tasks such as cleaning, meal prep etc. if financially feasible (this could be short-term to assist with recovery)
At Work:
- Talk to your manager about your workload and how you’re feeling it’s not manageable
- If you continue to do all the work yourself the company won’t see a reason to hire
- If you’re unionized make sure collective agreement language about workload and job duties is being followed - if not submit a grievance
2) Talk to someone
- Talk to your co-workers to see if they feel the same way about workload
- If they do consider approaching management together
- If you’re unionized make sure the union is aware
- Talk to someone close to you - this might help you to feel less isolated and more validated
- Talk to a professional - if you feel like the other options aren’t possible or you’ve tried them and nothing has changed consider talking to a mental health professional
3) Engage in Self-Care
- This is one of the most important parts of recovering from burnout
- You need to establish a good self-care routine and continue to do it to prevent burnout from reoccurring
- See my March Blog and Instagram posts for more detailed information about Self-Care
4) Take a leave from work
- This would involve going to your Human Resources department and asking about the steps to go off on leave
- Your doctor generally needs to complete paperwork to approve this type of leave
- Sometimes taking a short break from a significant stressor can help you to focus on recovery and self-care
