10 Ways to Recover from Burnout

Written by Health Writer Gerda Venter

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Daniela Steyn

Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When you are experiencing Burnout, you can no longer meet your normal productivity levels or goals. Burnout can lead to physical symptoms like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes and can be fatal if left unchecked.

Classic symptoms of Burnout include feeling overwhelming stress, exhaustion, cynicism, and feeling unappreciated. You may also have trouble focusing, feel irritable, feel hopeless, and have difficulty sleeping.

As someone who has experienced Burnout, I can tell you that it's not a fun place to be. Burnout can leave you feeling emotionally exhausted, stressed, and unmotivated. If you experience Burnout, whether job Burnout or personal Burnout, don't worry - there is hope.

Here are ten ways to recover from and prevent Burnout and get your life back on track:

1. Manage Stress

Stress is a natural part of life that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. It's essential to learn how stress affects your body and manage stress before it directly impacts your well-being.

When your body or mind perceives a potential threat, hormones get secreted. This stress response prepares you to physically fight, flee or freeze depending on what looks like your best option for survival.

Research suggests that stress can be good at times (for example, when you are in a life-threatening situation), but stress can also be bad for you. When stress is bad, it might lead to stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression. You may get stress symptoms like headaches or sleeping problems. Anxiety might make you feel worried all the time. Depression might make you feel negative feelings. It might make you sad, tired, or not care about anything anymore.

If stress goes on for a long time without anything else to help it go away, this could lead to Burnout which means that your body and mind are just too tired and stressed out from the constant pressure to recover fully anymore.

One of the best ways to de-stress is to take frequent breaks. This may mean taking a few days off work or simply taking some time for yourself each day to relax and rejuvenate. During your break, avoid stressors as much as possible and do things that make you feel good, such as spending time with friends and family, reading, listening to music, or spending time in nature.

Remember, for these stress management techniques to work; you must incorporate some "me time" into your schedule.

2. Meditate

Meditation has been practiced for many years in many religions. There are many benefits to meditation. Meditation:

• Promotes better sleep.