How to Recover from Burnout (or effectively start the process)
Nearly a year and a half into the COVID pandemic, who isn’t experiencing some level of burnout at this point?
We’re hearing it across all industries - The healthcare field, the service industry, law enforcement, education, small business owners of all types...
Not that any of this is new. These industries already came with a high burnout rate before the pandemic hit. It may just seem more pressing and magnified during these changing times.
What are some of the signs of burnout? And how do we recover from it?
According to WebMD, some of the signs of burnout include:
1. Exhaustion
2. Depression
3. Cynicism
4. Feeling useless or apathetic in your work
5. Increased Irritability
6. Physical symptoms (pain, poor digestions, headache)
7. Unhealthy coping habits (smoking, sugar, alcohol or drug use)
Is there an easy way to recover from burnout?
I’m not sure there is an “easy” way out of burnout. However, how long you are in burnout likely depends on what you are willing to face, and what you are willing to do to break free from its clutches. It’s important to remember that this is a process. There is no external, single cure. Just a wise jumpstart.
A brief backstory - I’ve experienced two instances of burnout in my life. Both were career related, but only the first experience took a heavy toll on my health. The second time was more of a “I’ve already been through this rodeo, come at me!” type of situation, in which I bounced back relatively quickly.
The first episode of burnout I experienced was difficult to recover from. By that point, in my early 20’s, I had cultivated some pretty harmful coping mechanisms (e.g. excessive drinking, poor diet, isolating from family and friends), and I was unwilling to change any of these habits. I was stuck in a “poor me” mindset, and with it came debilitating panic attacks, anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, and extreme exhaustion.
How did I get through it?
For starters, meditation and a good decision.
I left my career in search of a new one, and I learned Transcendental Meditation (which helped with the self-reflection, no doubt). This was a major turning point for me, albeit certainly not the end of my burnout experience. There was still more I had to learn, because the “poor me” mindset hovered for another seven years.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the only answer to recovering from burnout is leaving your career and finding a new one. Because the second time I experienced burnout was as an acupuncturist (my current career). I’m still in this field, and now more driven than ever! What I am saying is that regardless of what you decide to do, what you need to leave behind is the old mindset that accompanied you through those experiences, trials, and tribulations that led up to your current state of burnout. You have to return to your innermost mission in life. Your why. Your purpose. If I would have kept my previous mindset of feeling uniquely attacked, and resigned myself to being stuck in my situation, neglecting what I truly wanted to be of service to, those old coping mechanisms and mentalities and identities would have driven me right back to that cesspool of anxiety, depression, and lonely isolation. Luckily, I managed to take the alternate route this time around…
Burnout is a truly awful place to be. I know you’re exhausted, I know it may seem hopeless, and I certainly know that feeling of being stuck.
This is where you dig. Deep.
Because it’s not until you decide to take the power back, and dig deep enough to grab hold of the reins that you will start to recover from burnout effectively. You have to remember that you are in control of your mission in life - not another person, not your job, not your situation, and not your “diagnosis”. This takes practice. And it takes intention.
Having a pivotal change in mindset and staying true to your purpose is what will keep you on course, regardless of what comes your way. Once this happens, then all the other treatments and therapies and meditation retreats and lifestyle changes are going to be that much more powerful. I guarantee you will recover from burnout a bigger, better, stronger, wiser, and more authentic person than before. Because the world needs us all at our best, now more than ever.
Just remember, it’s a process. Let’s embrace it…
