What is burnout?

Burnout can be defined as mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by extreme stress or constant pressure, often over a lengthy period of time. It usually comes with a lack of motivation, and even the most enjoyable things in life lose their appeal. If you’ve ever wished the world could stop so you could get off for a while, you may well be suffering with some form of burnout. 

What causes burnout? 

Feeling like you have a lot of pressure, a stressful job, not enough hours in the day, not enough time to enjoy hobbies. Pressure you put yourself under to do a great job or be perfect can also lead to burn out. Masking to fit in with others in society can also lead to burnout. Having a lot of deadlines close together without any reprieve can also cause burnout. 

Physically people may burn out when they’re doing too much exercise, not getting enough sleep and /or not having regular healthy meals. 

How do I avoid burnout?

Firstly see if there is anything you can delegate to someone else – do you have to do everything on your list yourself? Often we can lessen our workloads by outsourcing things we don’t need to do ourselves to someone else. This may also include hiring a gardener or a cleaner (or both!)

If you’re struggling at work with your workload or are struggling to understand what is expected of you it may help to speak to your manager or supervisor to get their support and understanding. They may be able to lighten your load in some way.

Secondly ensure that you get the things you physically need. Enough sleep, plenty of good quality protein, fruit and vegetables. Staying hydrated. If you hate drinking water try adding something to it to make it taste better like a slice of lemon, or lime or cucumber. Or add ice or have it hot. 

Give yourself enough headspace and blank slots in the diary. We all need time to unwind, rest, potter and socialise. If your diary is looking too full see what you can cross out of it so you have time to do the things you love.

If possible have early nights or at least time each evening to unwind. Maybe switch off the tv, dim the lighting a little bit, put on some soft music or some candles and just breathe deeply.

The other week I was feeling a bit burned out so I got myself a jigsaw from the charity shop, put on a podcast and made a cup of tea and had a super chilled out evening mindfully putting the puzzle pieces in the right place! 

Think about what nourishes you emotionally and spiritually. Who and what makes your heart sing or set your soul on fire? Do more of the things that make you happy and avoid things that are negative for the sake of being negative. So switch off the news channels and unfollow the negative people from social media. Unfollow friends who always moan on social media.

Have something to look forward to – could be days out, meeting friends for coffee or lunch, play time for arts and crafting, trips to the coast, holidays, concerts or time to simply do nothing! 

What do I do if I burn out?

Cancel everything you can possibly cancel! Sometimes we just need to have a deep rest and reset.

Eat light foods that are nourishing and comforting. Cocoon yourself in a blanket. Go for walks or swims and get some fresh air. Take as many naps as you need. Watch funny movies, put on some cartoons. do some crafting. But be gentle on yourself and allow yourself the time to simply be for a while. Don’t push yourself to do anything strenuous. Talk nicely to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. Go gently. Keep stimulation to a minimum. If necessary dim the lights and put on soft music. Do the bare minimum you need to do to get through each day until you start to feel better.

Focus on getting plenty of sleep. Sleep helps to restore us and is great for the soul. You may need to invest in some blackout blinds or heavy curtains, or to buy a pillow mist, play a sleep podcast, get some different bedding – experiment with pillow heights and heavy blankets, often we need weighing down and the right pillow in order for us to be able to sleep effectively.

If you’re waking up in the night try having a little light supper before bed, especially something that involves some protein and carbohydrates. Having a set routine to going to bed and getting up again can be helpful as can having set meal times.

Have a series of massages, reflexology treatments or reiki sessions to unwind and support you. Managing stress is key with burnout. Alternatively look into mindfulness classes or something relaxing like yoga nidra.

Once you start to feel less burned out and feel like you’re on the road to recovery think about how you’d like your life to look. What would that look like? What steps can you take to make it happen? Sometimes we need to tweak things a little bit in order to create a life that supports and nourishes us.

This may include working fewer hours or changing roles entirely. Or it could involve giving up a volunteering role, or looking for something more in alignment with your current values and aspirations! It could be starting a new hobby or side hustle giving you a renewed sense of purpose. Often when we get burned out we lose that motivation and our va va voom! Having a really good reason to get out of bed on a morning can help ease burnout. 

Things to try:

Try my chicken and leek soup recipe for something that’s restorative https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/chicken-and-leek-soup/

 

Read my articles on sleep 

How long does burnout take to pass over?

This largely depends on the individual and how burned out they were. If you have a mild case of burnout it may pass over in as little as a few weeks but more extreme cases may take months or even years to pass over. 

How do I ensure burnout doesn’t happen again?

Whilst there are no guarantees that it won’t happen again, watch out for the warning signs, the sinking into mental, physical and emotional exhaustion and notice when motivation starts to dwindle and top up your levels with things that you love doing and attempt to delegate anything you as an individual don’t need to do yourself. Ensure that you always have something to look forward to and enough sleep, rest, exercise, water and good food. If you do find yourself heading towards burnout go gently on yourself for a while until it goes away again!

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