How do I recover from burnout at work?
The experience of burnout is becoming more widespread throughout industries globally and shows no sign of letting up.
Burnout describes a state of overwhelming exhaustion, disconnection from your job and feelings of lack of achievement and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout is an experience many people have during their careers and while some might feel a lack of energy or become ill more frequently, others might experience a loss of motivation for their jobs, find themselves making more mistakes or feeling more cynical about work.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, they are also familiar to millions of other people. In May 2019 the term ‘Burn-out’ was included in the 11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. They described it as a “state of vital exhaustion” under the category of “problems related to life-management difficulty”
How can I recover from burnout?
If you are experiencing burnout then it is likely that you will benefit from some support. People internal to your organisation and your own social support network are vital for helping you move through burnout. Burnout UK recommend the following tips and strategies to help support people within their organisation:
Take time and space
Depending on the severity of your struggle with burnout this may mean taking some time off from work to recuperate. You may be able to recover from burnout by staying at work and request taking a step back from some of your roles or tasks.
The important thing to do is to reflect on what you truly need and communicate this to your manager or supervisor, rather than trying to continue with tasks and still feeling overwhelmed.
Learn and reinforce your limits
While on a break from work it is important to remind yourself of the limits that help keep you well at work. Its worth reflect on if they might have slipped recently. Ask yourself how often you arrive and depart work on time and how often you ‘take work home’ either mentally or physically.
Some people experiencing burnout work longer hours while others find themselves avoiding work. You may find it helpful to write down your limits and share these with someone at work who can support you.
Another part of knowing your own limits is feeling ok saying ‘no’. Many people struggle with this and this may be something that you would benefit from professional help to learn. Many people with burnout are dedicated professionals who are committed to their jobs and their team. Beginning to say no to colleagues can cause distress and anxiety as this isn’t how you are used to working. See our blog on how to say ‘no’ at work.
Take breaks
When you return to work it is important to remember the impact of burnout and take steps to avoid it in the future. Ensure that you build breaks into your working day; gaps between meetings, drinks breaks and opportunities to get outside. Also ensure that you take annual leave and truly leave work alone while absent.
Burnout UK was founded by psychologist Dr Julie Hannan and provides online courses for people to overcome and prevent burnout. Courses are written by Psychologists and approved by the British Psychological Society. Courses help you identify stressors that you face in your work and home life that might be contributing to your burnout and reshape areas of your life which are depleting you by developing new strategies to support your recovery and strengthen your resilience and wellbeing for the future.
