Reclaiming passion. Your Recovery starts here…
We all remember loving our job and starting the day with a clear vision and purpose for life but does that all feel like it never even happened? The work you loved beyond words now seems dreadful, life is meaningless or are you too puzzled to even begin to explain? You have checked quite a few boxes of Burnout.
What is burnout?
If constant stress is robbing you of aspiration leaving you hopeless, delusional and exhausted then you likely are on the road to burnout; the final stage of poorly managed stress.
The best way is to explain how people with burnout feel in metaphors of emptiness – a dry teapot on high flame or a drained battery panting to stay for longer. It is best treated by preventing it in the first place. In this day and age, you have millions of options to pick from. So, rather than feeling hopeless sign up for programs or even consult a mental health expert.
Evaluate the extent of your burnout
This is a rational approach to detect the starting point and causes of your burnout because it exists on a spectrum and people experience it differently. Research suggests that more than half of the affected fall into one of these profiles, with a hefty negative score in exhaustion, efficacy or cynicism. They are not yet worn out but they are on the way! Burnout is not identical to your everyday stress nor is it exclusively stress and overworking, it is a combination of all three elements together. There are several tools on the internet to analyze how far along you are on the burnout circuit like self-assessments, online tools or a health expert.
Find the source of your burnout
Burnout is more likely to happen when you have too many demands or too few resources. Life can get taxing; everything from dealing with people to taking up more work than you can handle and poor self-care is a cause to drain out your energy which on an escalating scale can lead to burnout. List down all the demands and resources you deal with on a daily basis. Is there anything you can offload? Are you spending time on the tasks that are the best use of your time? Is there a way to tone down the difficulty? Resources are one such careline that will help you sculpt a pathway out of your stress zone and find the best and most capable sources to ease your life.
Talk to people you trust
Burnout can get extremely overwhelming that determining a way to explain it might feel like an excruciating task. Sometimes the self-dignified spirit within you backs out of coming clean to people you are the most comfortable with. However, letting someone into your dark side would eventually make you feel more supported and less lonely.
Educate yourself
Unfortunately, addressing burnout will get tedious but that doesn’t have to mean it will box you up for the rest of your life.
There might not be an easy path to recovery but a little exploration can do no harm.
Turning down your overly demanding job for a more effortless one or even consulting a relationship expert to tone down the hassles can be your starter actions.
Sometimes learning your options and educating yourself of the other routes can renew hope and remind yourself of the power within you to make changes.
Gain back control
Burnout can often make you feel powerless. Life may seem to sprint past you and it’s difficult to keep up. You may not have had control over what brought you down but you are definitely capable to break the chains of distress and take back control to carry perspective.
To start, try prioritizing and delegating the most useful tasks and be firm about your needs. Alas, do one thing at a time!
Set boundaries
We may not feel apposite to setting limits for everyone and everything that happens in our lives while dealing with a nearly non-rechargeable energy drain but it is absolutely mandatory to clarify your views on boundaries. Accepting too many commitments can be overwhelming to a point where you give up. So, the next time you take up an extra project or accept an invitation; take a pause, walk yourself through the demands put forth and ask whether you really have the time and energy to attend to it.
Remember you are not too lazy or mean to decline an offer, being selective of every task that takes up your valuable time is the key to a healthy mind.
Go to your happy place
Severe burnout can empty your brain making you forget what you used to enjoy. You may have lost the passion for the career you worked years toward, your music tastes might change and worst of all – people who made you happy would no longer be your favorites. To counter these situations, make a list of all the things that bring you joy. Make time for these activities and make this a habit even after finding your old self.
Talk to an expert
Tackling burnout isn’t easy especial when it has already left its mark on the quality of your life.
An expert can provide you with professional guidance and take you through the solutions in a less conventional way and navigate aspects contributing to burnout.
Burnout can evoke feelings of helplessness, so it is particularly important to seek professional aid. Burnout is now an official medical diagnosis, says WHO. Reviving after a burnout can be dragging but by choosing to address it, you are already past the first hurdle.
From working long hours to increased demands at home, COVID-19 has caused challenges to nearly all spectrums of life. It is not shocking that you are experiencing burnout. In fact, it is a common condition faced by many around you both knowingly and unknowingly. You are already one step ahead since you opted to attend to it. Keep calm and move forward.
