Burned Out? What You Can Do to Get Back on Track

Most of us have dealt with burnout at one time or another. But what exactly is burnout and what can you do about it?

If you’re a human being with a job, I’m sure at some point you’ve dealt with the dreaded B word.

Burnout.

For me, it was a slow crescendo. Small tasks that I normally did with ease — going to the post office, calling to update information about my student loans, making doctor’s appointments — felt incredibly challenging. I’d wake up every morning, never feeling fully rested until I had a sip of coffee that seemed to lift me out of my fog, albeit temporarily. Every day it was the same thing. Wake up. Shower. Coffee. Work. Lunch. Work. TV. Sleep. Wake up. Shower ....

Then the waking up turned into anxiety. I’d wake up nauseous, gagging as I tried to brush my teeth. That feeling increased my stress at work, to the point where I could barely eat. I’d take a sip of coffee and immediately start dry heaving. I was constantly exhausted. I couldn’t even focus on doing the things I enjoyed like going for walks outside or reading at coffee shops. It’s like my anxiety and stress were manifesting themselves in my body, and I was trapped.

And then one day, it hit me. I’m burned the entire f*ck out. Like, what I was doing was not sustainable. Every day felt like a living hell. But realizing that I was experiencing burnout and not some weird illness (trust me, I stayed up late many a night on WebMD self-diagnosing) lifted that invisible weight off my shoulders.

I am a freelancer, so I had the power to create my own schedule, but I hadn’t set any hard boundaries. I set up a schedule and parameters — no work past a certain time, only allowed to work at a desk, get out in nature at least once a day, no phones as soon as I wake up, only take on projects that you know you can complete on time/without stressing yourself into an anxiety attack. And slowly, but surely, I was back to my ol’ self again.

So, what is burnout? How can you tell you’ve got it? And what can you do to combat it?

Burnout, defined

According to the World Health Organization (and yes, they have an official definition for it), burnout is defined as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Basically, it’s when you’re stressed AF out from work and you’re on the verge of a full-blown meltdown.

So, what are some signs that you’re truly going through burnout?

* You’re exhausted — and not just “tired.”

I mean that type of exhaustion you feel deep down in your bones. The kind of exhausted where you’re so tired, but you also can’t sleep. The kind of exhaustion that no matter how many hours of sleep you get, you still wake up feeling like you’ve been pummeled. And it’s not just physical — it’s mentally dreading going to work or getting started on your tasks, too.

* You’ve started to lose interest in your job.

You’re physically present, but your mind is somewhere else, preferably Bali with a cocktail in hand. You’ve checked out, and you’re basically just doing the bare minimum to not get fired.

* You’ve started to neglect your health and well-being.

Maybe that one glass of wine a night has turned into three. Maybe you’ve stopped going to those kickboxing classes you’ve paid for. You’re eating takeout every night instead of cooking yourself a nutritious meal. All of these things are a sign AND a result of burnout.

* You feel like crap.

For me, I was literally so nauseous all the time I could barely cope. For you, it could be headaches, stomach issues, shortness of breath, or rapid heart rate. I also developed a nasty bout of insomnia too. Hooray!

* You’ve lost the motivation to do, well, pretty much anything.

You’ve possibly developed a “who cares, no one cares about any of this, it’s all stupid” approach to life. Or those things that used to energize you and get you all fired up about work … are just gone.

How to deal with burnout

So, maybe you’ve checked a few (or all) of these boxes. How can you recover after you’ve experienced burnout?

1. Start with number one

First things first — you gotta take care of yourself. This means making it your #1 priority to get eight or more hours of sleep per night, eating all of your fruits and veggies, ditching the takeout, and learning how to listen to your body. A lot of my burnout issues manifested themselves at night, so I decided to make sure I had an airtight nighttime routine that started around a certain time each night. I put my phone away, washed my face, brought out a book, and relaxed for the last hour and a half before I went to bed. I started doing a cute li’l sleep meditation, and slowly but surely, I started sleeping well again.

2. Start saying no

Next is to make sure you aren’t biting off more than you can chew. Most people who experience burnout are perfectionists, the ones who have to do EVERYTHING and jump to take on more and more tasks. Not anymore. If you already feel that you’re at your limit and taking on another project would cause stress, don’t do it.

3. Get a life (outside of work)

Another major tip is to make sure that you’re creating a life outside of work. Personally, I had no friends and basically stayed in the house with my dog and boyfriend every day. But I branched out, met some friends on Bumble BFF, and now have plans like two to three days out of the week. I can’t tell you how much this has helped my burnout. Listen, humans are not meant to be solitary creatures, plugging away at computers. We’re meant to connect and to thrive with friends — so call those friends, schedule dinner dates, movie dates, coffee dates, or literally, just be in their presence. I’ve invited friends over to simply binge watch TV with me. It is the best.

What are your tips for dealing with burnout? Let me know in the comments!