Burnout Recovery: 11 Strategies to Help You Reset Signs Sources Immediate changes Communication Assessment Control Boundaries Self-compassion Self-care Priorities Therapy Your brain and body can only

Burnout Recovery: 11 Strategies to Help You Reset

Signs

Sources

Immediate changes

Communication

Assessment

Control

Boundaries

Self-compassion

Self-care

Priorities

Therapy

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Your brain and body can only handle feeling overworked and overwhelmed for so long.

If you consistently experience high levels of stress without taking steps to manage or reduce it, exhaustion eventually takes over — leaving you emotionally and physically burned out.

You may begin to feel less motivated since it seems like nothing you do matters.

Since burnout happens gradually, you might not notice symptoms immediately. But once it takes hold, it can affect your ability to function across all aspects of life.

Recognize the signs

Key signs of burnout include:

forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating

diminished pride in your work

losing sight of yourself and your goals

difficulty maintaining relationships and being present with loved ones

frustration and irritability with co-workers

unexplained muscle tension, pain, fatigue, and insomnia

Estimates suggest anywhere between 4 and 7 percentTrusted Source of the working public may experience burnout, though workers in certain fields, such as healthcare, tend to experience burnout at much higher rates.

Burnout can have a far-reaching impact, often:

negatively affecting work performance

keeping you from enjoying hobbies and time with family, or relaxing outside of work

increasing riskTrusted Source for health concerns, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, depression, and suicide

Taking action to address burnout is essential, since it generally only gets worse. The next 10 steps can help you get started on the road to recovery.

Find the source

It's tough to make changes when you don't know exactly what needs to change, but exploring contributing factors or sources of stress in your life can help.

Burnout often relates to job and professional triggers, like the stress of an increasingly demanding job. But you could also experience burnout when:

having a rigorous academic schedule

dealing with relationship problems, especially ones that seem to circle with no resolution

caring for a loved one with a serious or chronic health condition

Trying to do too much on your own also creates an ideal environment for burnout to fester.

"Eventually you bend so much you break, and that's when burnout happens," explains Barrie Sueskind, LMFT, a therapist in Los Angeles.

Say you're a single parent with a full-time job, trying to take online classes, and keep up with friends and loved ones at the same time.

The stress that accompanies each single factor might be manageable on its own, but the combination can easily overwhelm you if you don't take steps to get support.

Identify immediate changes you can make

You might recognize a few ways to lighten your load right away.

Three different time-consuming projects keeping you working long hours, week after week?

"Those with a lot of ambition to succeed in their careers are tempted to do it all," Sueskind says. But this can backfire when you end up with no energy for anything.

Instead, try accepting that doing it all isn't realistic, and ask your supervisor to reassign one project or add someone else to your team.

Overwhelmed with work and personal commitments but still can't bring yourself to turn down requests from loved ones?

"Those with people-pleasing tendencies often take on too much to avoid letting anyone down," Sueskind says.

If you're already running out of hours in the day for the things you absolutely need to do, adding more tasks will only add more frustration and stress.

Evaluate your existing commitments and consider canceling or rescheduling a few. The immediate relief this brings may surprise you.

Talk to people you trust

If you feel unsure of how to begin sorting through the causes of burnout and looking for ways to ease your stress, that's normal.

Burnout can become so overwhelming that determining how to address it still seems exhausting. It's also hard to identify potential solutions when you feel completely spent.

Involving a trusted loved one can help you feel supported and less alone. Friends, family members, and partners can help you brainstorm possible solutions.

They're close enough to your life to have some understanding of what works for you but still have enough distance to consider the situation with some clarity.

Opening up to people about the distress you're experiencing can take some courage, especially when you worry they'll see you as incapable or lazy.

But struggling through burnout alone can make overcoming it more difficult.

And you never know, your loved ones may have experienced burnout themselves and could have some valuable insight to share.